Can Chesterfield beat Wrexham’s national league record?

Wrexham's Record

Last season, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhanney’s owned Wrexham side demolished every record in sight on their way to promotion from the National League to League 2. They managed a staggering 111 points to get to the football league for the first time in 15 years, shattering Crawley’s record of 105 points in the 2010/11 season.

In that incredible run that would usually see them win the league by at least 20 points, they were pushed to the absolute fullest by Notts County. County managed 107 points and took Wrexham right down to the wire with help to record breaking goal scorer Macauley Langstaff leading the way, scoring 42 goals in the league season. Notts’ would eventually join Wrexham in League 2, winning the playoffs and beating Chesterfield on penalties at Wembley in the final.

Resurgent Chesterfield

Since Chesterfield’s heart break last season, they have gone from strength to strength and after 25 games this season, have a chance to break Wrexham’s record just a year later.

Delving into the Stats

Last season, after 46 games played, Wrexham averaged 2.41 points per game as they reached the 111-point total. This season, after 25 games, Chesterfield have amassed 62 points which equates to 2.48 points per game. If they keep that pace up in the back end of the season, they will finish with 114 points and break the record by 3 points. After 25 games last season, Wrexham were second with 59 points, three short of The Spireites current total.

The Men Responsible

Chesterfield are led by manager Paul Cook, who is no doubt one of, if not the top manager in the league, as he has managed sides such as Ipswich and Portsmouth, before returning to Chesterfield after eight years apart.

They are also led by Will Grigg up front, who has scored a team high thirteen goals this season. The striker has played at levels as high as the Championship and is key for the Spireites as they push on for the record.

Leaky Chesterfield May Cause Issues

One-way Chesterfield may come unstuck however, is the number of goals they are conceding. At this stage, Wrexham had conceded twelve less than Chesterfield now, with a better goal difference of fifteen.

Current Form

In their last twelve games, Chesterfield have won ten and had two losses, which is exactly the perfect rate they need to be at to break the record as they move onto League 2.

A big difference in the league this season compared to the last is that Chesterfield are ten points clear and are almost certain to be the winners of the league this year. This could work in their favour, as they will begin to play with more freedom and less nerves as the season goes on, and with no one really challenging them, it shows just how much better they are then the rest of the competition.

On the other hand, it could not work in their favour, as once the league is wrapped up, there is always a question of stepping off the gas which has been seen in leagues all over the world. Wrexham also had Notts County going toe to toe with them all year, which forced them to be at their best in all 46 games last year, which played a part in the record being broken.

Chesterfield certainly have a big ask to break the record of Wrexham’s, but with 21 games remaining, if they are able to keep pace and avoid any runs of poor form, there is no doubt that they have the ability and squad to beat the one-year-old record on their way to League 2.