Chesterfield

Bloggers' guide to the season

This season Prostate Cancer UK is the official charity of The Football League. To celebrate, we've asked bloggers from each of the 72 clubs to count down their top five strikers to have worn the No9 shirt, in recognition of the fact that prostate cancer affects one in nine men.

Chesterfield One-season wonder: Craig Davies hit 23 goals for Chesterfield. Photo courtesy of Action Images


Here blogger Dean Mansell, of awayend.co.uk, selects Chesterfield's five best No9s… and one to forget!

5. Steve Norris (1992-95)
The fact Steve Norris was Chesterfield's top scorer for three seasons running, scoring a total of 44 goals in 97 appearances, meant he was always going to make the top five. The livewire striker arrived from Halifax Town and had flair and that rare ability of having a 'nose for a goal'. The Shaymen felt the loss of his goals the following season by suffering relegation. He will always be a name mentioned when the team's current strikers are going through a dry spell and the "if only we had" line gets rolled out.

4. Dave Waller (1987-91)
A prolific striker who scored 53 goals in 119 appearances for the club, a similar return to that enjoyed by his previous club, Crewe Alexandra. He was part of the side that played in the first Wembley play-off final in 1990 (losing to Cambridge United in the Division Four showdown). Waller was a no-nonsense striker who could find the net on a regular basis, having the 'right place, right time' knack all the best front men posses.

3. Craig Davies (2010-11)
Chesterfield's 2010-11 promotion winning side won the League Two title at a canter, with Davies netting 23 times in 41 appearances and more than matching that number in assists. A capture from Brighton and Hove Albion, he proved to be the signing of the summer for Chesterfield. His performances caught the eye that season, earning him a move into the Championship with Barnsley. The fact he played only one season for the club goes to show the impact he made to make it on to this prestigious list.

2. Kevin Randall (1966-72)
A toss of a coin was employed to decide on the top two positions in the list. The reason for this difficult decision was the lethal partnership formed by Kevin Randall and the man occupying top spot, Ernie Moss. Between 1968 and 1972, their combined strike-power helped the blues to their first silverware in 35 years with the 1970 Fourth Division title in 1970. Writer Stuart Hall once described how Randall "flitted down the right wing like a blue-shirted phantom" against a strong Stoke side containing international defenders. An almost telepathic understanding between him and Moss led to his 96 goals in 258 appearances. He went on to become a coach, physio, assistant manager and manager at the club. He was No2 to John Duncan during the incredible 1997 FA Cup run that ended in the semi-finals. All this has led to the God-like status he now holds among the Chesterfield faithful.

1. Ernie Moss (1968-75, 1979-81, 1984-86)
It would have been far too easy to take a look at the goalscoring records held for Chesterfield and install the all-time top scorer as number one on the list. The fact Ernie Moss holds that record is not the only reason he deserves the honour. The local boy who made good, the record 165 goals (not one of them a penalty!), a total of three championship-winning medals (two with Chesterfield) and once running the Moss & Miller sports shop where I purchased all of my football boots when I was a lad, all tell you why Ernie is regarded as a sporting legend amongst footballing colleagues and fans alike. A stereotypical English striker, prolific with both feet and in the air, he scored goals wherever he played though, as mentioned previously, he benefited from the many assists provided by Kevin Randall. Will Ernie's all-time scoring record ever be beaten? I very much doubt it.

And the worst…
Jason Lee (1998-2000)

When smaller clubs pay substantial fees for players, the pressure for them to produce on the pitch is that little bit higher than normal. Unfortunately for Jason Lee, the £250,000 paid to Watford for his services was and still is a record for the club. It's fair to say things didn't go quite according to plan and the 28 appearances and one goal he produced is probably all that needs to be said.

Follow Dean on Twitter @awayend and you can also buy his book online

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