Chesterfield are in pole position for promotion to League Two after 21 games in the Vanarama National League. As things stand, Paul Cook’s men enjoy an eight-point lead over second-place Bromley as well as having the luxury of having played two games fewer.
With half of the season still to go, it’s not quite time to send a shipment of Dom Pérignon to the SMH Group Stadium but destiny does lie in the hands of the team blazing the trail at the summit of the the National League.
For those clubs trying to reel the Spireites in, it may seem like a lost cause as the club have only dropped ten points all season.
Chesterfield’s promotion-winning form
Incredibly, Cook’s charges have experienced defeat just twice, and before losing to Southend United at Roots Hall in mid-November, the club’s only other loss had come in August.
The reality is that there is very little to cling to for the chasing pack in the National League in terms of any credible evidence that the Spireites may drop points after a barnstorming start to the season.
Indeed, after demonstrating such formidable form, the best any other club with promotion ambitions can hope for is that Chesterfield take their eyes off league matters when the FA Cup picks up momentum during the third-round ties in January.
The Spireites will travel to Vicarage Road on January 6th to take on Watford in a contest that is certainly winnable for Cook’s team. Chesterfield won’t be fearing their opponents who might well be preoccupied with goings-on closer to home.
Could a win against the Hornets sting in the long run?
The Hornets are in danger of losing touch with the top six in the Championship and will, in all likelihood, field a weakened team as they prioritise making the play-offs during the second half of the season.
This prediction is reflected in the latest FA Cup sports betting odds with Watford, as of the 13th of December, priced at 150/1 to go all the way in the competition this season. In other words, it’s unlikely the Hornets will carry much of a sting in this year’s FA Cup.
The reason for this is there is very little margin for error at Vicarage Road these days as Watford owner Gino Pozzo ruthlessly chases a return to the Premier League which essentially means that managers are under no illusions about what is expected of them.
With a clear remit in place at Vicarage Road, the door is undoubtedly open for Chesterfield to advance to the fourth round by beating Watford. There might even be pressure on Cook to throw everything at Valérien Ismaël’s team given the financial rewards on offer when reaching the next round.
At least, having established a healthy points buffer to second place in the National League, the Spireites hierarchy might encourage caution being thrown to the wind as they eye up a timely financial injection.
Unquestionably, Chesterfield have earned the right to give the FA Cup their full attention but there is always a danger that it will come at the cost of their league form.
While it is never guaranteed that an FA Cup run will automatically result in a drop in points per game in the league, there have been a few cautionary tales in the past. In particular, Leeds United’s third-round win over Manchester United in the 2010 FA Cup is one example of how quickly clubs can end up at sea despite enjoying plain sailing previously.
Leeds’ 2010 FA Cup run and the carnage that followed
The Whites were top of League One and ten points clear of third place when they arrived at Old Trafford to face their oldest foes. Thanks to a Jermaine Beckford goal, Leeds would beat the Red Devils at Old Trafford for the first time in 29 years and set up another mouth-watering tie, this time with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
The fourth-round tie in north London proved to be a classic as Leeds drew level in the 96th minute courtesy of a Beckford penalty.
The 2-2 draw meant a replay at Elland Road that Simon Grayson’s team would eventually lose 3-1. Despite going out in just the fourth round, Leeds FA Cup run which was full of extraordinary highs, had taken a lot out of the West Yorkshire side both physically and emotionally which saw their league form plummet.
Leeds played eight league games over their third and fourth-round ties and only picked up seven points from a possible 24. It was such a miserly return that when the bright lights of the FA Cup had gone out and Leeds returned to the cold light of day that was League One, the club was no longer in the automatic promotion positions.
Worse was to come as the Whites lost four consecutive games in March and all but threw promotion to the Championship away.
It was only after a chaotic 2-1 win with ten men over Bristol Rovers on the final day that Leeds managed to nip ahead of Millwall to go up in second place.
The risk of losing sight of promotion
Yes, promotion was still achieved but a lesson was there for everyone to see about the perils of being distracted by the FA Cup as a procession to promotion turned into a desperate tooth-and-nail battle that went down to the last kick of the season.
This isn’t to say that the same fate awaits Chesterfield but if the Spireites don’t go up to League Two this season, it will, in all probability, be down to an FA Cup run that derails their promotion charge.
