Playoff - The Spireites (A)
Team - Chesterfield
Date - 10/05/2026 17:00
Where - Technique Stadium

What would your starting line-up be? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

My Starting XI would be:
Belshaw, Ness, McDonald, Bedeau, Tsaroulla, Jones, Palmer, Norburn, Iorpenda, Grant, Jatta

I think the key to success is keeping it tight at the back, not over committing and keeping shape off the ball, and Iorpenda and Grant pressing the CBs trying to force a mistake. Jattas performance will also be key, He will likely get at least one big chance and we need him to be clinincal.

I think we stand a chance overall if we can bring back at least a draw to the lane. If we win the first leg, I think that will help us significantly as they will come to ours and will have to be really aggressive and will leave lots of space in behind.

Overall though, i think it will be a draw, 1-1

We have to start well. For this one, I'll have to swallow what I usually want to see to have a team that can nullify them as much as possible, especially in the first half of the first half so to speak.

So for this particular game only, a box midfield of

Norburn Palmer

Iorpenda Grant

We have a lot of height in this team - Jatta, Iorpenda, McDonald, Ness, Bedeau. We should win the set piece game with that.

Final score? How would you feel about a 2-1 loss? That's what's supposed to happen in these 2-legged semis.

Would I take that if offered it now? You'd think not, but the recent Oldham, Chesterfield and a lot of the Salford game tells me, yes, take it. We'd still be with a great shout with 90mins to go at Meadow Lane. (I still wouldn't take it though, I'll take our chances)

Edited Friday at 17:541 day by theAnticlough

If we win the first leg we need to take a lesson from the Forest v Villa matches over two legs, don’t assume the second leg is a formality, we need to be at our best for both legs, win one draw one will do.

I wouldn’t want to lose by more than one goal and have a mountain to climb in the second leg, if they win the first leg they’ll defend for their lives in the second leg and they are good at that, whereas at the moment we find it hard to break down solid defending.

The amount of mind games from Chesterfield really makes me hope that we stay focused on our own game, and play to our best ability. If we do, I don't think they would remotely be able to handle us. Yet, I do think they will be able to manage the game, and therefore we will have to handle the situation. I am sure their players will be trying to provoke our fans in attendance to get onto the players backs, as they will try to get into our players minds.

Leave them to it, focus on playing football and protecting James Belshaw. I think if we can keep 11 players on the pitch, and avoid fights or nasty challenges we should be able to play better.

I do think Chesterfield are a good time, just with some negative approaches to playing which might help them but teams like us need to show we are a stronger team by performing to our standards. I would take a 0-0 draw, but I hope we avoid defeat.

They will be onto Notts from the moment the first touch happens, and we need to be very focused, calm and objectively determined to show the league games means nothing. It's about pride more than anything now, Notts can do much better than we have against them this season.

Good luck Notts.The main team in Derbyshire isn't Chesterfield.Please win and put them in their place.