'Dominant duo' - six talking points from Chesterfield's win against Accrington Stanley

WHAT GAP?

This group of players once again proved they would be able to hold their own in the division above by beating another League Two side. Okay, it was a friendly, but they also beat Northampton Town and AFC Wimbledon and drew with West Brom in the FA Cup last season. It just shows that there isn’t that much of a gap between the National League and League Two, and maybe even the bottom half of League One. Once Chesterfield get themselves out of this division - hopefully this is the season - I would back them to be absolutely fine in League Two and possibly even challenge for a second successive promotion. I certainly don’t think Wrexham and Notts County will have any problems and they both could go up again.

STRESS-FREE

The Spireites made a blistering start to this game, going 3-0 up after 25 minutes. If they can do that more often in the National League then we’ll be in for some stress-free Saturday afternoons. A lot of Town’s games tended to be quite tight last season and, despite their dominance, they were a bit guilty of overplaying but at the Wham Stadium they went for the kill. They were absolutely ruthless and they could have had four or five before half-time. The fitness levels look extremely strong and they ran all over Stanley at times. It’s all looking good.

BAILEY OR BRANDON?

The left-back spot seems to be the position which is most up for grabs out of any other. There really isn’t much to choose between Bailey Clements and Brandon Horton and there’s every chance they will rotate throughout the season. Clements had the upper hand last year and started at Wembley but Horton has played well in pre-season, especially against Sheffield United and Accrington. It’s a difficult one to call.

ANY OTHER SELECTION HEADACHES?

Tyrone Williams has done well in pre-season and looks in tip-top shape. He found himself behind Ash Palmer at centre-back last term but with the latter struggling with a calf strain then Williams could be in pole position to start alongside Jamie Grimes.

DOMINANT DUO

The central midfield partnership of Ollie Banks and Tom Naylor really stood out for me on Saturday. They absolutely bossed the game. With only 800 in attendance, you could hear Naylor’s leadership skills and the influence he has. And Banks had one of his best games I’ve seen him have in a while. He played some killer passes, including the one into Ryan Colclough which led to the penalty, which Banks scored. He looked like he was really enjoying the freedom Naylor gave him as he roamed about the pitch. Those two should be able to dominate the midfield area this season.

NEW TRIALIST

Chesterfield gave a run-out to former Crewe midfielder Callum Ainley, 25, in the second-half. His profile certainly suggests that he would be worth a look. He’s a good age, made a couple of hundred appearances in the EFL and won promotion from League Two. Crewe are well-known for producing lovely footballers so he could be a useful addition. The central midfield area looks stacked so if Ainley can do a job further forward in the ‘10’ then that would bring even morr strength in depth.