Words of encouragement from one Scottish Spireites boss to another

John Duncan, who managed Town to a Division Four title, FA Cup semi-final and Division Three play-off win in his two spells as boss, was present at the Proact on Saturday for the 3-1 defeat by Rochdale.

Kind words for Caldwell have been few and far between since the full-time whistle, fan fury prompting club director Ashley Carson to post a vote of confidence on social media.

But Duncan, a man who also had a relegation on his Chesterfield CV, was able to pluck out a positive.

The 68-year-old said: “Gary seems to be a really good, young manager, he did extremely well at Wigan.

“I saw the match on Saturday, it was a really tough first half.

“But it takes quite a bit to change things round when you see things going wrong, to try and get your message across in 10 or 15 minutes at half-time.

“Everyone knows the level they’re at at the minute but to get such a spirited performance in the second half was excellent.”

Chesterfield FC have retained a special place in Duncan’s heart after a lengthy association with the club.

He still lives locally and gets along to the Proact when he can.

“I came here first in 1983 and stayed until 1987 and then returned in 1993 until about 2000,” he said.

“It’s a long, long time.

“Football has its ups and downs but there were an awful lot more ups than downs.

“I’m delighted to have been at the club and had some fantastic times.

“I get to maybe two or three games a year, I’ve obviously got a big interest in how they’re doing.”