From Charlie Cooke to Ernie Moss , legends of Chelsea and the Spireites.

Choosing Chelsea.

The first mention of football in our house was Chelsea, surprising for a small village in mid-Derbyshire but it was the club of choice for my brother, Alan. It was the glory hunter in all of us that the Blues from Stamford Bridge were the team chosen. The 9 year old Alan checked who were top of the League before answering the question of “who do you support”. In that 1964/65 season Chelsea were chasing the treble of Championship, FA Cup & League Cup, it was the latter that they had to settle for with a 3-2 aggregate win over Leicester City. 

Chelsea's iconic Shed.

Early leaders in Division 1, losing top spot after a 1-0 home defeat to Burnley at the end of October, they did regain the leadership in February but good runs in the FA Cup, reaching the Semi-Final and that League Cup win probably took some attention away from the title challenge. One win in the final 5 league games didn’t help as they dropped to 3rd and it would be another 40 years before they managed it. Alan’s stuck by them ever since, through the bad, even worse and the good times. Charlie Cooke was the first footballer that came to my attention, probably helped by the fact our budgie was called Charlie (in honour of the Scot).

As well as Charlie Cooke there was also Peter Osgood and Peter "the Cat" Bonetti a couple more of my favourites from that era.

In love with the Spireites.

 I dallied with 1970’s Derby County due to the school bus being a Rams fest but it was the Spireites who grabbed my heart one Saturday in 1975 thanks to my brother Harry taking his 10 year old brother along. I still had a soft spot for Chelsea due to Alan’s allegiance but in place of Cooke & Osgood were Andy Kowalski, Rod Fern, Malcolm Darling and the wonderful Ernie Moss. 

Here are a few memories and images which I hope fellow Spireites and Chelsea fans will enjoy.

Watching Chesterfield in the mid-70’s wasn’t for the fickle trophy hunter type, this was honest Division 3 toil a sort of no frills (thrills) version of football. Joe Shaw the Sheffield Utd legend was manager and looking back he just wasn’t up to the job and did nothing for his reputation with the supporters when goal scoring home town hero Ernie was sold with Joe publicly stating that fans would soon forget about him when his replacement, Steve Cammack, scored a few goals. In September 1976 Joe resigned a week or so after the great Wrexham side of that era thumped us 6-0 at Saltergate, a game I remember being present at. 

Saltergate

Ah, Saltergate, did I mention this wonderful sporting arena. Of course, there may have been bigger and posher footballing venues but Saltergate was a beautiful theatre, architecturally and atmospherically. My first visits with Harry was in the main stand, going through the turnstiles which brought you out under the seating area and in the bowels of the football club. The tea bar in the corner which also served those on the kop, we very often visited the one in the middle of the stand as we usually got seated in the wing nearest the away end. I used to like sitting at the front directly above where the players entered and left the pitch. The best time was when I shouted a “well done Ernie” to my hero as he left at half time and he looked up and winked at me, a proud moment for a young boy. Saltergate has mixed reviews from visiting fans but for me it was home, it. was a proper old style ground, loads of terracing, an elevated view on proper wooden benches, none of this fancy tip up seats the salad cob brigade craved for. 

A full length covered terrace opposite the stand and the open air away end complete with the memorable castellated back wall With Harry’s careful mentoring I was a regular in the main stand until I was brave enough, and old enough, to migrate to the kop. Was there a better place on earth than Saltergate’s kop, particularly under Arthur Cox (Joe Shaw’s replacement). Going through the turnstiles from Saltergate you could vear left and go for an open air piss then meander up the steps to the left hand side of the home end but I liked the climb up the middle steps as you see the backs of all the supporters already in situ, gradually sinking as the Saltergate sky comes in to view, and eventually the pitch. Even better at a night game, floodlights on, main stand on your right proudly watching over the rest of the ground, great atmosphere.

My first away game was at Rotherham United in 1976/77 and other memorable games during this era was a trip to Sealand Road, home of Chester. The visits of Mansfield were always a feisty affair and on the pitch s was no different, even when Ernie & Kev Randall were there.

In 1978/79 another away game this time a midweek League Cup win over Orient and home fans bemoaning Rodney Fern for his display and goal. I was surprised when Harry advised me to get permission of my Mam to be able to go, I was 13 now FFS.

Watching town under Arthur Cox was possibly the best time being a Spireite, at least up until Paul Cook came and of course the FA Cup run of 1996/97. New heroes like Alan Birch & Phil Bonnyman came on the scene. Bill Green, what an immense presence he had, he wouldn’t take any opposition player having a go at one of his teammates, a genuine heroic Spireite. It was just after Cox left that the Spireites had the Anglo Scottish Cup win, most memorable the 3-0 home victory over Glasgow Rangers and then in the Final the last minute aggregate winner by Alan Crawford against Notts County. 

In 1983 I went to live in London and in the absence of regular Spireite watching I went to loads of other games and a big proportion of those were to see Chelsea. There were new heroes to follow now, David Speedie, Pat Nevin and the prolific Kerry Dixon. 

Living and working in Tottenham I soon made friends with a Chelsea fan, Dave Charter, and we went along to Fulham for the 5-3 Chelsea win in the 83/84 Division 2 Championship season, another cracking end to end game. Dave came "up north" a couple of times when it coincided with Chelsea playing at Derby.

There were trips home which coincided with a visit to Saltergate, one unmemorable performance but memorable occasion was the 0-0 draw with Rochdale but we were handed the 4th Division championship trophy so a great time to be back on the kop. 

Over the years there were trips to see both sides, some more memorable than others. I was impressed with the size of the away end at Aston Villa for the FA Cup in 86/87. I remember the West Mids Police being very aggressive to any Chelsea fan not keeping to the pavement as they escorted us to the train station, another example of policing football in this era. 

That same season I returned to Craven Cottage, this time with Chesterfield. Fulham had been in danger of going under but this game marked the return of their saviour, Jimmy Hill. I remember Jimmy walking all around the ground to take the congratulations and shook hands with both sets of supporters. 

Fulham won that one 3-1, the following season it was a 3-1 win for the Spireites and the supporters screamed hate at what I thought was us lot celebrating but it was actually their own players they were shouting at as they came off and went into the Cottage. 

One of the best Chelsea games I attended was on 5th September 1987 when they overturned a 1-3 half time deficit and won 4-3 win against Nottingham Forest. Fellow Spireites will remember this date as it was the day we had our record 10-0 defeat at Gillingham. I heard the result as I left Stamford Bridge and felt that I should have been there, even after watching Chelsea's great come back. 

This season would see Chelsea relegated via the play offs, the last season they chose that way to decide a clubs fate. This led to the 2nd Division championship emphatically coming to Stamford Bridge the following season and 2 games in particular come to mind, funnily enough not because of what happened on the pitch. 

Game number 5 of that season was a 1-1 draw at Barnsley , Chelsea had failed to win any of them. The away end was packed and this being 1980’s football those of us who were on the edge of society simply for liking the sport were herded into pens. So to get to the food outlet you had to kindly ask a copper to let you in to the pen where the food wagon was. I managed to buy a Scotch pie only to find, when I’d returned to my pen, that there were some added ingredients. Back I went through the pen to the counter and showed the girl selling the stuff the mould hidden underneath the lid of the pie “do you want another” “no thanks, I’ll have my money back. That’s my memory of Barnsley, mouldy pies. 

By March Chelsea were 2nd, 1 point behind Manchester City, and I went on the train down to Brighton’s Goldstone Ground. Another packed away end and I was right at the back at the top of the terracing as Chelsea won 1-0. It was what happened after the game that sticks in my memory though. 

Again, a trait of 1980’s football watching was the way supporters were herded around. When we got to the train station a row of police had linked arms to stop us going over the covered footbridge to the train which was waiting for us. With more and more supporters arriving the crowd was heaving backwards and forwards trying to get by. It was the first time I'd heard the Harry Roberts song as the Chelsea fans struggled to get past the blockage of old bill in front of us. Eventually, we broke through as the pressure forced the coppers up the steps and out of the way. As we all ran round to our train I remember a copper straightening his helmet saying “they’re all animals”. What they didn't realise was that by blocking the way and not controlling the arrival of more supporters they were creating a dangerous situation.

1989/90 was a good season for both clubs but not in the FA Cup for Chelsea. I saw the terrible performance and 1-3 FA Cup 4th Round defeat at Division 3 leaders Bristol City. City, managed by Joe Jordan, fully deserved the win. I’d sat in the main stand for this game and soon hot footed it back to the train station as the Chelsea fans were busy shaking the gates which had locked them in at the end. 

Ooh Waller, Waller

 

Chesterfield made the Play Offs that season and though we lost to a Dion Dublin goal in the final it was our first trip to Wembley. Disappointing but our first venture into these new fangled things and a great 6-0 aggregate victory over Stockport County. 

Chesterfield haven't had the success that the other Blues from Stamford Bridge have had but we've had our moments, the draw at Anfield in the League Cup, trips to Wembley, an FA Cup Semi-Final, no-one needs reminding who we would have faced in the Final.

Now though, for the first time ever we face the European Champions, a packed away end will be cheering on the Spireites at Stamford Bridge. For me and my brothers it's a match we never thought would happen but then that's the magic of the FA Cup, the best competition in the world.