Why Chesterfield wanted Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United in preseason clashes

Wednesday face Cook’s side on July 11^th at the Technique Stadium for Drew Talbot’s testimonial game at 7pm, and a few days later the other side of Sheffield will make the visit as Paul Heckingbottom gears up for their return to the Premier League.

As well as the Owls and Blades, the Spireites have set up games with Derby County, Accrington Stanley and Bristol Rovers as they look to test themselves against teams sitting above them in the pyramid, and their manager says that it’s important for them to be tested.

“We want to be tested, I’ve said that to the lads,” he told 1866 Sport. “I’m a great believer in pushing yourself and testing yourself - we’re going to be the team in the league next season that everybody wants to beat. Wrexham have gone, Notts County have gone, and they carried the same mantle as us…

“We’ll be the big scalp in the league next year, and we’ve got to make sure that we turn up as much as we can, as regularly as we can, and as consistently as we can - so the preseason is very tough. We’ll be challenged, we’ll be put in difficult situations, and that’s what I want.”

Chesterfield’s new National League campaign will get underway in just over a months’ time, with the division’s fixture list being released tomorrow on Wednesday the 5th of July.