What Chesterfield fans can expect from first season back in League Two

To get an insight into what Spireites fans can expect, we spoke to Sam Byrne, a journalist covering Stockport County, who are top of the division and look like being promoted to League One.

How big is the gap from the National League to League Two?

Between the upper echelons of the National League and League Two as a whole, not huge. It's obviously not an exact science, but the 'fodder' in the National League is generally a lot worse than the 'fodder' in League Two, if they can even be described as that. You'll always get the odd thumping here and there, but it really is a division in League Two where you feel that a Sutton, for instance, could go and get something at a Mansfield on any given day, and the same for any side going to any other side in the division.

On the flip side, the top sides of the National League - especially those more well-resourced like your Chesterfields, Stockports, Wrexhams - seem to take to it well. Even then though, you find yourself having your fingers burned in games you wouldn't necessarily expect to, whereas in the National League, generally you don't find as many 'upsets' caused by the lower sides.

What are the biggest differences between the two leagues?

For sides expected to come up and compete like Chesterfield, Stockport etc, I think you get punished a lot more for your mistakes than in the National League. Wrexham and Notts are probably good examples of that - both unbelievable National League sides last season, and Wrexham are continuing to kick-on now, but they'll probably say themselves that they've taken their knocks at times this season due to one or two mistakes in games that would have gone unpunished last season.

You can come up against a relegation-battling side or a side completely out of form, find yourself dominating the game but not taking chances or making one individual error at the back and suddenly you're a goal down and on your way to a defeat, or conceding a late equaliser when you looked completely comfortable throughout.

Again, I know it can happen in any division, but it really does seem more prominent in League Two that even the poorer sides will punish you more often - and the quality that the top sides have in the National League to overcome those mistakes and make them irrelevant is sometimes not enough in League Two to do the same.

How many Stockport players who won the National League title are still with the club?

Ben Hinchliffe is the only one who is still here having won both the National League North and the National League, and he has been the number one throughout and remains so. Ash Palmer initially stayed with the club for the return to League Two last season but obviously made the move to the Spireites soon after, but he was another who had done both the NLN and the National League title wins.

Otherwise, probably more than you'd expect. Macauley Southam-Hales, Ethan Pye, Ryan Rydel, Ryan Croasdale, Antoni Sarcevic, Will Collar, Paddy Madden, Myles Hippolyte all remain and all still play varying roles. I think it's the same for Wrexham, Notts, and will be for Chesterfield - top-ups in the right areas but retaining a core of real quality.

Stockport's big problem early last season in returning to League Two was making a heap of new signings and trying to overhaul the squad when it didn't really need that, perhaps similarly to what Chesterfield will find. When they settled the side back down and just topped up here and there, that consistency started to return.

What's Stockport manager Dave Challinor said about League Two?

Probably touching on things I've mentioned above, in that it's a league where you'll get punished for individual mistakes and that the punishment will be more glaring and ruthless than the National League. Aside from the top few sides, it's not a division high on quality and consistency (and even the top sides have struggled with that this season).

But sides are just more difficult to beat, and where you might underperform but have enough quality to see off the lesser sides in the National League, Dave Challinor has always been clear that you aren't afforded that same opportunity in League Two and you just naturally will drop more points as a result.

What's the standard of officiating like compared to the National League?

Maybe the standard of the National League officiating has faded in my memory over time, but to be honest it isn't much better or worse for me! You get the odd standout referee who's maybe dropped down to League Two during an international break, or an up-and-comer who's being fast-tracked up the pyramid - but by and large I can't say we've noticed a huge improvement or otherwise in the standards.

Don't worry, if you find yourself missing the good old days of a dodgy National League decision, you're never too far from one in League Two either!

The only other thing would be, generally speaking, there seem to be a lot more 'niggly' fouls given in League Two than the National League, and you'll probably feel like the action is more stop/start when Chesterfield first start the season back in League Two.

What can Chesterfield fans expect from League Two as a whole?

A lot more frustrating afternoons than the National League. Maybe sounds obvious given the barnstorming season they've had this time around and how that won't always be the case the higher you go, but teams are a lot more adept at the 'dark arts' and at coming with a game-plan to stop the bigger sides from playing. In terms of what to expect on the positive side though, for me when Stockport came back up, it's just those games that you maybe took for granted when back in the National League.

Obviously you always have your bigger games in the calendar anyway, but for the first few months after Stockport came back up, I'd often be sat in the press box for a home game against a Bradford or a Carlisle etc, proper clubs with good away followings, and think just how good it is to be back.

Other than all of the above, all else I'd say is it is just a weird, inconsistent league. Maybe that's more apparent this season, and next season may be different, but I can't envisage anything other than Chesterfield competing at the top end of the table, whether that's automatics or play-off spots. It's generally been the case for all the better sides who've come up in recent years - even Notts this season have been really good in terms of performances at times, but it is definitely a division where a strong defence is what will set you up for success. Stockport have at times been accused of being 'too' defensive in games, but the stats speak for themselves when they finished 4th last season and going for an automatic promotion spot this time around, with both campaigns based on being solid at the back before anything else.

If Chesterfield can retain the attacking quality from this season and be solid defensively, it's definitely attainable to go and succeed again.