Chesterfield
Having
given our visit a miss in the 1999/2000 promotion season, I reckon
the last time I came to Chesterfield was the opening
day of the 1998/99 season, when a hilariously bad penalty decision cost
us the match. As I won't be going again this time and it's only the League
Cup, this means the guide will be rather out of date and only half-heartedly
revised.
In any case, Chesterfield is a drab, nowhere, nothing-going-on Midlands
town with little to recommend it, a mere afterthought seemingly made
out of the bits left over when they put Sheffield together. It is famous
only for the inability of the clearly incompetent locals to build a
perfectly straightforward spire. And that's it. Seen the church spire?
You've seen
Chesterfield. Now go home. It's not even that good.
There was a time when we used to have to come here quite often. Fortunately,
those days are over. Chesterfield is the sort of place we left behind.
Another negative to note is that our record here is dismal. We generally
play badly and get beat. Failed footballer Steve Blatherwick plays
for them, but more to the point, so does our nemesis David Reeves.
The affection
we once felt for the man is long gone. He will score. He always scores.
Okay, so you'll definitely need some beer. Of course, this being
Chesterfield, the pubs aren't great. If they were it would be somehow
inappropriate.
But there are some. And be thankful. There once was a time when
it looked like the club could move out of town, so things could be
worse.
The
best pub in Chesterfield is probably The Derby
Tup, 387 Sheffield
Road, Whittington Moor. Unfortunately, it's miles from both railway
station and football ground. Nevertheless, if you've got the
time, seek out this
free house which on my visit sold a lot of different beers, including
a range of usually obscure guests. This is a place for the genuine
lover of beer; they were enthusiastic about what they sell, and
happy to share
their enthusiasm. You can also eat.
If you're heading up Sheffield Road, you may as well start at
the Red Lion up at the top before working your way down to
the Derby
Tup. The
Red Lion was a quiet and localish place, which sold decent
beer on my visit, admittedly now several years ago. Just don't ask
us how
to get
anywhere else afterwards.
Perhaps if you're coming by train you'd prefer to stick to
the area around the station. It's not a great one. Pubs around
here
have proved
to be
positively unfriendly on previous visits, with natives loitering
in the hope of a confrontation.
The Rutland Arms, Stephenson Street, just up the
hill from the station, has provided a haven at such times. This was
a large
Hogshead pub,
but in a couple of visits the beer range was good and the
welcome friendly. We once drank this pub dry of Bateman's Dark
Mild. We took what was
left
for the train home and they gave us glasses to drink it
from, so for that alone, they deserve an honourable mention.
Nevertheless,
here,
as everywhere else, you might struggle to get in, particularly
after the
game. Many pubs shut their front doors post match, and
some employ bouncers both before and afterwards. If you
want to
be sure of
getting a drink
before, get to pubs early, before the pre-match crowd turns
up. Afterwards, you can usually get back into a pub that
you've been
to before.
En
route to the ground from here, walk past that famous crooked spire.
Look up. You have now seen the sights. After this,
the Market Hotel,
New Square, in the town centre, might be worth a stop.
It sold Tetley and
guests. Reasonably close to the ground, there was
also a large
Mansfield pub called the Sun Inn on West
Bars, which (from my hazy memory of now quite
a few seasons since) was fair.
If
you want to drink next to the ground, there are a number of pubs around
Saltergate.
Certainly there's a Hardy's
and Hanson's pub I've
drunk in
a handful of minutes' walk away. Can't remember the name,
unfortunately. Next to the away end there's a pub called
the Industry Arms,
but I've never been in because there's never been time
and pubs next
to football
grounds are rarely any cop. There has been some seventies
style standing off outside the ground after matches in
the past,
so I can’t vouch
for the friendliness of any nearby pubs.
To
make up for the inadequacies of this guide, I suggest you visit the
local CAMRA website.
This is
one of the
better ones, and includes a guide to pubs in the town
centre.
I
may have been a bit harsh on Chesterfield as a place. These days Chesterfield
are a community club, owned
by the supporters,
and
I genuinely want those
kinds of things to do well. But they can take consolation
from beating us, and then we can leave. Take a look
at the crooked
spire again
on the way back. Okay, now you don't have to come
here again.
Firmo
Last visited August 1999
Last updated August 2003
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