Today I'm going back 12 years to 2010 and Chesterfield's League 2 fixture against Torquay United. This game was unashamedly a ground hopping visit for myself even though I had visited Saltergate previously. The reason that I wanted to go back there one last time was that time was running out for the old ground with the football club scheduled to move into a brand spanking new facility a few hundred yards away down the hill at the end of the season.
I always felt that Saltergate was a gem of a ground, wonderfully old fashioned and a traditional lower league ground that deserved one last fond farewell from yours truly. An example of the antiquity of Saltergate could be found on the now disused Compton Street-Cross Street corner terracing which had barriers designed and patented in 1906 by the famous Scottish football ground designer Archibald Leitch (mentioned in these articles previously). These were possibly the last-known examples of the once commonplace barriers and were eventually donated to the National Football and the Scottish Football Museums. A more modern notable fact about Saltergate was that it was used in the making of the 2009 film "The Damned United" in which Saltergate stood in for Wembley Stadium, Carrow Road, Bloomfield Road and the Baseball Ground. The ground was chosen because it had not had any significant modifications since the 1970s, though some repainting work was done by the production team to differentiate the various grounds concerned. Apparently Saltergate's film role earnt the club added income of £50,000 in 2007–08.
Another feature of the town is Chesterfield's famous church's crooked spire which inspires the football club's badge and nickname ("The Spireites"). The church is actually the Parish Church of St Mary & All Saints (weren't they a girl band?) and the church is the UK's only representative in the Association of Twisted Spires of Europe (I kid you not). Apparently the spire has the greatest twist and lean of all the Association's spires. Makes you proud doesn't it? Various theories abound as to the reason why the spire is crooked and one local legend even has it that should a virgin ever marry in the church the spire will correct itself. Don't hold your breath!
The featured match itself wasn't one that set the pulses racing and it finished 1-0 to John Sheridan's Chesterfield side. The Spireites finished the season in eighth place, one place and two points outside the Play-Offs. Torquay finished further down the table in 17th position. Champions that season were Notts County with AFC Bournemouth and Rochdale also automatically promoted with Dagenham & Redbridge, who finished one place higher than Chesterfield, winning promotion via the Play-Offs.
CRB Match No. 1726
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