Chesterfield have not looked back since John Cena’s rallying cry: View | OneFootball

Chesterfield were in danger of being relegated to the sixth tier just four years ago, but their fortunes changed following a rally cry from Hollywood.

The forbidden 2020 was not a good time to be a football fan, never mind a Chesterfield supporter.

Fans of Premier League clubs were forced to sit at home and watch their teams through their television screens, while fans of National League Chesterfield, feared for their club’s future.

The Spireites had slumped to a 19th place finish in the curtailed 2019/20 National League season, the lowest finish in the club's history, with the Spireites only narrowly surviving relegation to the National League North on a points-per-game basis.

But in August, the Spireites’ fortunes were about to change when the Chesterfield FC Community Trust purchased a majority stake in the club, taking over from former owner Dave Allen, whose running of the club led to fan protests.

Although the 2020/21 season wouldn’t get underway until October, the change in ownership brought on a sense of optimism and a feel-good factor around the club, which hadn’t been seen in some years, since Paul Cook’s first stint in charge of the club.

The Community Trust had managed to give the supporters hope without even kicking a ball. It was a sign the club was on the up once again.

It wasn’t just supporters who endorsed the club’s new ownership, as the Spireites looked to Hollywood for some words of wisdom.

John Cena’s rallying message to Chesterfield fans.

In late August 2020, X user dpearsoncfc posted a video of WWE legend and Hollywood star John Cena reading a message to supporters that said the following:

“John Cena here with a very important message to Chesterfield fans.

“Trust in the Trust because you have to trust. This could be your year and as a wise man once sang, my time is now, so I hope that proves true for you.”

The video gained hundreds of thousands of views online, and was reposted by the Match of the Day page with the caption ‘who knew WWE star John Cena was a Chesterfield fan?!’

It’s fair to say Chesterfield have ‘trusted the Trust’ and they’ve been on quite the journey since.

Chesterfield have had a remarkable turnaround since Cena's message

The Spireites looked in deep trouble at the start of the 2020/21 season, with them sitting bottom of the table, excluding Dover, who had financial issues, after nine games under manager John Pemberton.

But as the 16-time WWE Champion said, the Spireites trusted in the Trust and results started to pick up, going on a run in the back half of the season where they lost just eight of their last 33 games to finish sixth and sneak into the play-offs.

The Spireites would ultimately lose 3-2 in the play-off eliminator to Notts County but would dust themselves off and go again in the 2021/22 season.

With prolific striker Kabongo Tshimanga signed in the summer, the Spireites started the season on fire, having just one league loss by the turn of the year.

Town drew FA Cup holders Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge in the third round, and although they lost 5-1, an Akwasi Asante tap-in to make it 5-1 went down in Chesterfield folklore, giving fans a moment to treasure, scoring at the home of the then European Champions.

The Spireites topped the table on matchday 27, but ultimately a leg break to star man Tshimanga, who had netted 24 goals up until his injury in February, curtailed the Spireites’ season.

Chesterfield’s goals dried up, and eventually their season petered out. Despite an impressive win at Halifax in the play-off eliminator, the Spireites were no match for Solihull Moors in the semi-final, losing 3-1.

With attendances starting to skyrocket and with Cook back at the helm, the fans were all behind the Community Trust, sensing good times were around the corner.

Their time wasn’t quite now as Cena suggested, but it was close.

The 2022/23 season was another historic one for the Spireites, getting off to their best start in over a century and embarking on another cup run, where they were seconds away from beating Championship side West Bromwich Albion.

The club transitioned from James Rowe’s five-back counter-attacking system to Cook’s beloved 4-2-3-1 possession-based style, as the likes of Armando Dobra, Ollie Banks and Ryan Colclough were brought in over the summer, as Cook molded the team into his image.

Cook’s men once again started well, but they couldn’t quite match the record-breaking pace set by Wrexham and Notts County, but they had cemented themselves as the division’s third-best team and once again had to go through the play-offs, and once again it was heartbreak.

After beating Bromley 3-2 after extra time, Chesterfield met Notts County in the final and, despite being the better side on the day and leading twice, they agonisingly lost on penalties and faced another season in non-league.

Throughout his WWE career, Cena’s main catchphrase was ‘Never Give Up’ and the Spireites epitomised that, storming to the National League title last season by 12 points, while scoring 106 goals.

The progress the club had made on and off the field was incredible, from protests to promotion in a matter of years.

The Spireites became a club that embodied Cena’s ‘Never Give Up’ message, literally fighting for its life at times, but when Chesterfield secured promotion to League Two against Boreham Wood in March, it all became worthwhile.

The town celebrated like it never had before, with players partying with supporters until the early hours.

Despite the hardships of the global pandemic and protests of previous years, the fans never gave up on their football club, and their football club never gave up on them.

Local investment beckons a new dawn for Chesterfield

Throughout Chesterfield’s non-league adventure, they were fortunate enough to receive healthy investment from local business owners Phil and Ashley Kirk, who pumped in over £1m in 2022, which the chairman Mike Goodwin confirmed went on ‘general club matters’ as well as transfers.

The duo injected a further £1.6m into the club in 2023 and in March this year, a proposal for the Kirk brothers to become majority shareholders was approved.

The pair's share in the club stands at 80%, with the community trust owning 15%, while the fans own 5% of the club.

The local business community have invested another £2m into the Spireites over the summer, which will have helped the club complete the high-profile signings of John Fleck, Paddy Madden and Chey Dunkley.

Phil has a background in oil and was previously executive director at Harbour Energy, which, according to Reuters, had annual profits of $32m in 2023.

Despite having new owners in town, there have been no changes to the board and life under the Kirk brothers has started well, with 12 new players signed in the summer, as the Spireites search for successive promotions.

On the pitch, the Spireites have made a decent start to the season, despite key players Madden, Colclough and Liam Mandeville having missed large chunks of the season.

Four years on from Cena’s rallying cry, and the club have moved on from the Community Trust’s majority share, but whatever the future holds for the Kirk brothers, they won’t be quick to forget those who trusted in the Trust during the darkest era of the club’s history.