Will Evans calls for consistency ahead of Chesterfield’s season opener

Will Evans is expecting Chesterfield to mount a promotion challenge.

The Spireites get their National League campaign underway with the visit of Dover Athletic on Saturday before then heading to Maidenhead United on Tuesday night.

And with plenty of games to play in the opening month of the season, Evans knows the Spireites have to hit the ground running.

He said: “People are expecting us to do well this season and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.

“The key will be consistency. We showed it in patches last season but need it straight away so we don’t find ourselves playing catch up too soon.

“I think there are seven games in the first month or so which means we have to find form straight away.

“Getting some positive momentum is crucial and keeping it is too.”

Evans added that the pressure on Chesterfield to return to the Football League is something he hopes he and his fellow players will thrive upon.

He said: “A club like Chesterfield at this level is going to be expected to do well and get promotion and you have to accept that.

“Nobody could have predicted what would happen last year and the way in which it happened.

“I came here for a reason and uprooted my familty up north to be part of a successful team and I still intend that to be the case.

“Hopefully now, with the lads the gaffer has brought in adding to an already good quality squad, we can achieve that.”

Evans says the new faces brought in have added character as well as quality to the team, key ingredients for any side to be successful.

He said: “The players the manager has signed are all good characters and it’s been important for us all to get to know each other quickly and for us all to get on, which we do, and everyone has adapted really quickly.”

As for Saturday’s visitors Dover, Evans expects nothing other than a tough encounter.

He said: “You know they’re going to hard to break down and won’t give you any time on the ball.

“It’s a tough game to start with but we’re all buzzing. It’s often the case that everyone gives that extra 10-15 per cent for the first game so we have to make it count.”