By Nathan Jackson
August 5 2008

Chesterfield FC are one of those sides that just seem stuck in the bottom two divisions. Very rarely outside the third or fourth tier of English football, the Spirities have gone through many name changes and also come very controversial incidents, especially in the 2000/1 season when they were lucky to win promotion at all. Chesterfield FC are the fourth oldest League club in the country and the club dates back to October 19^th in 1867 when the club officially formed, although it is still a popular belief that they formed in 1866. The club became independent of the local cricket club in 1871, moving to the Recreation Ground. Chesterfield lost just three games in the 1872/3 season and gained some notoriety because of this record.

Tommy Bishop became the first player of the area to receive money for playing in a match and Chesterfield join Derbyshire's FA, although one of their games was abandoned after a minute due to Henry Moss breaking a leg. Reports followed in the following season that Chesterfield beat Rotherham 22-1, although no specific evidence has ever emerged to back up these claims.

Several years later and Chesterfield joined the Midland League in 1896/7 and the club finishes a reasonable fourth place in their first season. They finished third in the following season, beating Rushden and Glossop 9-0. Ellis Gee also becomes the first player ever to be sold for £100, leaving Chesterfield for Everton. The club are soon elected to Football League Division Two.

The club are set to have troubled times though and the club has to apply for re-election for four seasons running, failing at the final attend in 1909, just a year before they won the Midland League by quite some distance. However, 1915 saw the club go into liquidation, but the club remained under the name of Chesterfield Town FC, winning the Midland Combination in 1916.

More than forty players and officials were suspended by the FA following an investigation into illegal payments. The club changes name against in 1919, becoming Chesterfield Municipal Football Club and they do what most of the previous names for the club have achieved, winning the Midland League. Several complicated matters mean that club dropped the name of Municipal from the title, becoming the modern day Chesterfield FC.

Chesterfield FC became founder members of the Football League Division Three North and they won that title several years later, being promoted to the Football League Division Two. However, they fluctuated between the divisions for many years. Infact, they changed divisions 9 times between 1930 and 1989.

One of the club's finest years came in 1996/7 when they not only got to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but should have really made the final. They faced Middlesbrough in the semi finals and a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford should have seen the Spirites through, the minnows only being denied by a highly controversial decision by the officials, that came before a hammering in the replay at the hands of the Boro.

1999/2000 was one of shame for the club, a new club record of 21 games without a win ends in a rather unsurprising relegation for the club, but they are promoted 12 months later. However, their promotion wasn't without controversy as money disappeared from the club's accounts to try and cheat Chester City FC out of a decent fee for Luke Beckett. It was speculated at some points that the club would be docked enough points to see them go from the top to the bottom, but they were only docked enough to deny them the title.

Several rather unremarkable years eventually resulted in the club being relegated to the newly rebranded League Two in-time for the 2007/8 season. The signing of Jack Lester inspires the club to chase for the Playoffs for most of the season, but they prove to not be good enough to make the Playoffs and remain in League Two.