Former Stanley winger Gary Roberts will play against his former club at the Store First Stadium for the first time tomorrow – but is determined to deprive the Reds of the three points.
The 29-year-old heads down Livingstone Road with League Two leaders Chesterfield and won’t be going easy on his old club.
“I have never actually played against a previous club before so it will be a new experience for me to be honest,” he said. “I am not sure what sort of reception I will get so that will be interesting to see. Regardless of the fixture we have a job to try and win the league and it is important we try and tick off as many wins as we can between now and the end of the season. It will be nice to go back to Accrington but we are there to hopefully get another win.
“There is still a long way to go in this season yet but if the club was to get there (to League One) I think the squad would handle the league no problems at all. I think the current crop of players that we have now would probably have a good stab at finishing mid-table in League One. I am sure the manager will want to aim higher than that though and he will no doubt be looking to bring in some signings to strengthen us further.”
Roberts’ manager is former Stanley boss Paul Cook, who he believes has been the key to the success the Spireites have enjoyed so far.
“He just loves the game and wants us all to be the very best footballers that we can,” continued Roberts. “He demands that his players work hard in training and in games and he believes in us. When you have a leader who believes in players as he does then it is almost impossible to not get motivated to do well for him. Every game we go onto the pitch wanting to do well for not just ourselves but for the manager as well.”
But regardless of the result tomorrow, Roberts still has fond memories of his team wearing the red shirt, which saw him play a key part in the club winning the Conference in 2006.
“It was a hugely successful time for both myself and the club,” he remembered. “I was still a youngster playing for Welshpool and was really looking for someone to take a chance on me in the English game. Thankfully John Coleman gave me a chance and I tried to grasp it with both hands. To achieve what we did during that season in winning the league was nothing short of a minor miracle. The club had such a small budget and it really was a remarkable achievement.”
