The magic of the Cup. Chesterfield away FAC 1R 05.11.22

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Rather than add to the "ticket thread" he is your usual pre-match preview of our next fixture.

Its the FA Cup next and a tricky away trip to Chesterfield in the 1st round awaits us. The Spireites are now into their fifth season in the National League following relegation in 2018, a fall from grace for a team that lost in the League 1 playoff final as recently as 2015 and made it to the FA Cup semi-final in 1997.
They currently sit third in the National League, they have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and are on course for another good season. Seven wins and 2 defeats from their nine league games at the Technique Stadium this term. The defeats came in back to back games against Maidenhead and Dagenham & Redbridge, results which ended a 10 game unbeaten start to the season. Currently back on form they are unbeaten in five, with back to back home wins against Boreham Wood and latterly Gateshead on Tuesday night where a 2-1 win was watched by 6,178 spectators. An average 6,677 have watched their nine home league games to date.

Only one game played by them to make the first round proper, they won 3-0 at Leicestershire based UCL Premier Northern team Anstey Nomads in the 4th Qualifying round. Jeff King is their top league scorer with six from midfield, The prolific Kabongo Tshimanga is amongst a group on four goals.
Two former Cobblers loanees are in their ranks, Ollie Banks appeared for us in 2014, actually on loan from Chesterfield. He is back there this season after spells at Oldham, Tranmere (twice), Swindon and Barrow but will miss this game due to a hamstring injury. Go even further back into the record books and you come across Akwasi Asante, he was with us in 2012 on loan from Birmingham. Only five appearances in the claret and white but he did score what turned out to be the winner in our 2-1 victory at Morecambe that season. He has since had decent spells at Solihull and Chester and has now amassed around 90 goals in his career including twenty or so for Chesterfield.

Chesterfield are managed by Paul Cook, back for a second spell at the club he managed between 2012 and 2015. He went on to manage Portsmouth, Wigan and Ipswich before finding himself back in Derbyshire.

The Cobblers will be looking to make it to the second round of the Cup for the first time in three seasons following defeats to Cambridge United and Oxford City in the last two years.

Head to head records between ourselves and Chesterfield show that we have met each other 43 times, the Spireites out in front with 19 wins to our 11. Our last win in the town came at the old Saltergate stadium back in 1993. Since then we have drawn four and lost eight of the 12 games that have followed. Since they moved to their new ground in 2010 we have gained one draw and lost the other three games, the last of which came in September 2016 where a Paul Anderson goal was all we had to shout about in a 3-1 defeat in front of a crowd of 5,910. That game of course ended our long unbeaten league run of 31 games spanning the second half of the title winning 15/16 season under Chris Wilder and the draw laden start of 16/17 under Rob Page.

Adam Herczeg will referee the game. 31 yellows and two reds in his 11 games this season. He's never reffed the Cobblers before as this is his first season on the EFL list....he has handled three Chesterfield games, all at their home ground over the past couple of seasons.

[Charlatan]

Cracking preview again GPC, thank you.

[west stand oap]

We were reported to be interested in signing Kabongo Tshimanga before he signed for Chesterfield for a rumoured large fee. He was expected to sign for Birmingham in September but the move broke down at the 11th hour. Recently he has not been a regular in the starting 11, only starting 3 of the previous 7 league games.
As GPC says Chesterfield have won 7 and lost 2 of their 9 home games and they scored in every game and scored 2 or more in 7 of the games. However we have scored 2 or more goals in 5 of our 8 away games and only lost 1. Similar to us Chesterfield have conceded more goals than their promotion chasing rivals.
As for our team I would revert to the 4231 system and if Koiki is still unfit I expect Haynes to start at left back and not play Lintott out of position. Sowerby must return to partner McWilliams in front of the back 4 with either Leonard or Fox playing behind Appere with Hoskins and Pinnock wide. I think JB will rest Bowie to the bench to come on later.

[the grumpy old man]

We were reported to be interested in signing Kabongo Tshimanga before he signed for Chesterfield for a rumoured large fee. He was expected to sign for Birmingham in September but the move broke down at the 11th hour. Recently he has not been a regular in the starting 11, only starting 3 of the previous 7 league games.
As GPC says Chesterfield have won 7 and lost 2 of their 9 home games and they scored in every game and scored 2 or more in 7 of the games. However we have scored 2 or more goals in 5 of our 8 away games and only lost 1. Similar to us Chesterfield have conceded more goals than their promotion chasing rivals.
As for our team I would revert to the 4231 system and if Koiki is still unfit I expect Haynes to start at left back and not play Lintott out of position. Sowerby must return to partner McWilliams in front of the back 4 with either Leonard or Fox playing behind Appere with Hoskins and Pinnock wide. I think JB will rest Bowie to the bench to come on later.

Tshimanga was injured in the first half of last season and never played a game after that. He only came back at the start of this season and I would assume he is still not fully fit. It's only a guess though.

[Deepcut Cobbler]

Is anyone taking a tin foil FA Cup? 

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Tshimanga was injured in the first half of last season and never played a game after that. He only came back at the start of this season and I would assume he is still not fully fit. It's only a guess though.

He was injured in February 2022 after appearing in 30 games (25 goals), subbed off against Weymouth and didn't feature again for the season. This season he was used off the bench for the first seven or eight games, he only regained a starting place a month ago, although he was back on the bench for the midweek game against Gateshead.

[Deepcut Cobbler]

The Emirates FA Cup - 2022-23
Payments made from The FA's prize fund
First round proper winners           (40)   £41,000
Second round proper winners       (20)   £67,000
Third round proper winners          (32)   £105,000
Fourth round proper winners        (16)   £120,000
Fifth round proper winners           (8 )   £225,000
Quarter-final winners                  (4)    £450,000
Semi-final winners                      (2)    £1,000,000
Semi-final losers                         (2)    £500,000
Final runners-up                         (1)    £1,000,000
Final winners                              (1)    £2,000,000

Amounts are per club in each round. Numbers in brackets represent the number of clubs receiving the respective payment per round.

How far will we get?

[GrangeParkCobbler]

The Emirates FA Cup - 2022-23
Payments made from The FA's prize fund
First round proper winners           (40)   £41,000
Second round proper winners       (20)   £67,000
Third round proper winners          (32)   £105,000
Fourth round proper winners        (16)   £120,000
Fifth round proper winners           (8 )   £225,000
Quarter-final winners                  (4)    £450,000
Semi-final winners                      (2)    £1,000,000
Semi-final losers                         (2)    £500,000
Final runners-up                         (1)    £1,000,000
Final winners                              (1)    £2,000,000

Amounts are per club in each round. Numbers in brackets represent the number of clubs receiving the respective payment per round.

How far will we get?

All the incentive the lower clubs need not to "rest players" for the Cup and to go out and play their strongest team. Rather rest them in a league game (1 of 46) than in a cup game (1 of......1?)

[Bingers]

The Emirates FA Cup - 2022-23
Payments made from The FA's prize fund
First round proper winners           (40)   £41,000
Second round proper winners       (20)   £67,000
Third round proper winners          (32)   £105,000
Fourth round proper winners        (16)   £120,000
Fifth round proper winners           (8 )   £225,000
Quarter-final winners                  (4)    £450,000
Semi-final winners                      (2)    £1,000,000
Semi-final losers                         (2)    £500,000
Final runners-up                         (1)    £1,000,000
Final winners                              (1)    £2,000,000

Amounts are per club in each round. Numbers in brackets represent the number of clubs receiving the respective payment per round.

How far will we get?

One hopes we are targeting the full 2 million. You've got to be in it to win it!

[Peter Frost]

The Emirates FA Cup - 2022-23
Payments made from The FA's prize fund
First round proper winners           (40)   £41,000
Second round proper winners       (20)   £67,000
Third round proper winners          (32)   £105,000
Fourth round proper winners        (16)   £120,000
Fifth round proper winners           (8 )   £225,000
Quarter-final winners                  (4)    £450,000
Semi-final winners                      (2)    £1,000,000
Semi-final losers                         (2)    £500,000
Final runners-up                         (1)    £1,000,000
Final winners                              (1)    £2,000,000

Amounts are per club in each round. Numbers in brackets represent the number of clubs receiving the respective payment per round.

How far will we get?

I guess it nicely illustrates the gaps in football - the eventual winner will get a prize that can cover the wages of a player for a few weeks which for the top clubs shows why their interest in this competition has diminished

[Deepcut Cobbler]

The Emirates FA Cup - 2022-23
Payments made from The FA's prize fund
Extra preliminary round winners            (208)    £1,125
Extra preliminary round losers               (208)     £375
Preliminary round winners                     (136)    £1,444
Preliminary round losers                        (136)    £481
First round qualifying winners               (112)    £2,250
First round qualifying losers                  (112)     £750
Second round qualifying winners          (80)    £3,375
Second round qualifying losers             (80)    £1,125
Third round qualifying winners             (40)    £5,625
Third round qualifying losers                (40)     £1,875
Fourth round qualifying winners           (32)    £9,375
Fourth round qualifying losers              (32)     £3,125

The amounts for the earlier rounds don't seem much, but to the clubs at that level it is massive. I officiate up to and including the Fourth Qualifying Round and the competitiveness of those games really reflect that, in addition to the possibility of getting into the First Round Proper.

[Carton Lid]

So if those figures are correct, the first-round proper loser get nothing?

[Deepcut Cobbler]

So if those figures are correct, the first-round proper loser get nothing?

That is correct, aside from their share of the gate.

[Bingers]

That is correct, aside from their share of the gate.

It's not about the money, it's about the occasion and THE MAGIC OF THE CUP. At least that is what defender told me.

[Carton Lid]

That is correct, aside from their share of the gate.

That's a bit harsh, the only teams out of everyone who enters, that get no cash are the first round losers !

[Melbourne Cobbler]

Brilliant pre match summary from our resident analyist. They’re conceding too many to do one on us I think. As long as we are not half asleep we should have too much fire power, 1-3 I’m going for.

[Clint]

2-1 Cobblers.

[phil_in_npton]

Good Morning!

The magic of the cup indeed! Where all neutrals are happy to see the little teams topple the big boys!
At this stage of the competition League two are considered “big boys “. Whilst the fans of the League two “big boys” wish only to progress a few games to find their own “big boy” opposition. Fans of most clubs have experienced both sides of the coin I would imagine and losing to non league opponents is painful!
I don’t normally bet on the Cobblers but I was enticed by Ladbrokes offering 11/4, almost 3/1 for a victory in ninety minutes. I’ve risked a fiver so hopefully haven’t jinxed it!

Good Luck today

Phil in Northampton bin

[St Edmundsbury Cobbler]

That's a bit harsh, the only teams out of everyone who enters, that get no cash are the first round losers !

Unless you're a Premier League or Championship team who fail to get beyond the Third Round?

[St Edmundsbury Cobbler]

This is a horrible tie, a very tricky one to negotiate.  Would be delighted to see us win, but would take bringing them back to Sixfields for a replay.