Tonight's match at Kenilworth Road will kick-off at 7:45pm
Town take on Chesterfield tonight at Kenilworth Road as the two sides compete for a place in the quarter-finals of the Checkatrade Trophy.
The Spireites parted company with former Hatters favourite Danny Wilson over the weekend, just a little over a year since the man who scored in our 1988 Littlewoods Cup final victory over Arsenal took charge.
Their loss on Saturday against Bradford City meant that they have now claimed six wins from their 26 league matches this season.
In Wilson’s place, veteran left-sided player Ritchie Humphreys – the current chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association – will be taking charge of Chesterfield for tonight’s match.
The effect a new manager can have can be a positive one on a player, and Hatters boss Nathan Jones is aware of the impact the change could have on a Spireites’ side currently in the League One relegation zone.
The Welshman said: “I can’t second guess what they’re going to do. If a new manager comes in, you are automatically galvanised and you give that little bit extra when really you should give 100 per cent in every game.
“Sometimes it doesn’t always happen like that. I know Danny very well, and I know Ritchie even better, so I know he’ll have his team organised.
“They’ll want to come here and it’s a chance for them to maybe start a run, rather than continue one, so it’ll be a difficult game.
“We are really looking forward to testing ourselves against higher league opposition, but we know it will be a stern test.”
Jones thinks very highly of Humphreys, who has got a lot on his plate now he is in charge of the Spireites.
“I think he’s got about ten jobs, Ritchie, so I don’t know how he finds the time!” Jones continued. “He’s a great, experienced guy – wonderful fella. I think he’s PFA chairman now, he’s coach, he’s still playing – he’s about 70 I think!
“But he’s a great guy and I really hope he does well and gets an opportunity, whether it’s at Chesterfield or wherever. I just obviously wouldn’t want to help him out in this game.”
Former Birmingham City and MK Dons attacking-midfielder Jay O’Shea leads the scoring charts for Chesterfield this season, having notched eight goals in total, as well as laying on seven assists for his team mates.
Their squad also includes other attacking talent such as Ched Evans Kristian Dennis, who scored twice in the group stages of the competition.
“They’ve got some good players, and not too long ago they were in the League One play-offs so they’ve obviously got some quality at the club, and we’ll be very wary of that,” said Jones.
“But we are also aware that we’ve got a structure, a good team and a good way about us. We are looking forward to the game. Chesterfield is another threat to us, but we’ll be ready for that.”
Chesterfield reached this stage of the competition, with wins over Wolves Under-21s and Crewe Alexandra in the group stages, before defeating Rochdale 2-0 away in the last round.
Town were triumphant over Gillingham and West Brom U21s, following those results up with a 3-2 win over Swindon Town, courtesy of a Josh McQuoid brace and a smart finish from Isaac Vassell.
The Hatters have won 16 of the 58 matches they have taken on Chesterfield, whilst tonight’s visitors have been victorious in 11 of those games.
Only the Main Stand will be open to home supporters for the 7:45pm kick-off, with Chesterfield supporters only housed in the Oak Road End.
You can find all the ticket information for the fixture by clicking here, with admission £5 for adults and Under-16s free or charge, although these junior tickets must be obtained from the Ticket Office, NOT at turnstiles.
If you aren’t attending the match today, you can follow the live Wall on the LTFC website and as always, if you’re a Hatters Player subscriber, you can tune into Simon Pitts’ full match commentary.