Chesterfield out to spoil Notts County's big day in front of Ryan Reynolds

13 May 2023 , 06:30

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Andrew Dallas (right) has been speaking ahead of the National League promotion final (Image: REX)

Andrew Dallas has warned fans and pundits "not to count" Chesterfield out of winning the National League play-off final against Notts County on Saturday afternoon.

The Spireites, who finished third and 23 points behind second-place Notts in the regular season, earned a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over Bromley to secure their place at Wembley.

Meanwhile, Notts narrowly missed out on automatic promotion in an enthralling title race with Wrexham and had to do it the hard way in their play-off semi-final against Boreham Wood. The Magpies fought back from 2-0 down to secure a last-gasp 3-2 win against The Wood at Meadow Lane and are overwhelming favourites to win the final.

But Dallas and Chesterfield want to spoil Notts' big day out, with Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney expected to be in attendance. He told Mirror Football: " I feel like every season, you would put Chesterfield to finish at the top or second but I think even pundits, with Wrexham going to win the league, feel Notts almost deserve to go and do it.

"We have got to have that bit about us. We are in the final for a reason, we are a good team. Definitely don’t count us out because we have good players and we are here to make noise."

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Andrew Dallas (right) has been speaking ahead of the National League promotion final (REX)

"Notts are what they are, they are a possession based team, but we know there are chinks in their armour, especially at the back," he added. "For me, hopefully there is something to exploit there. But they have had an unbelievable campaign and I think they are favourites based on how the league panned out.

"They finished 23 points ahead of us, but also within that, like last year, we (Solihull) were the favourites. However, Grimsby felt like they had nothing to lose and they went for it. We have to have that underdog mentality to go and be on the front foot."

Dallas, 23, joined Chesterfield on loan for the rest of the season in March as Paul Cook bolstered his squad for their promotion push. Since his move from fellow National League side Solihull Moors, the Scot has scored six goals in 13 appearances to take his tally up to 20 in all competitions this season.

Andrew Dallas in action for Chesterfield last month (REX)

Reflecting on his time at the Technique Stadium so far, Dallas said: " I have enjoyed it, this is what I came to do. To come and play in massive games in front of 10,000 games every week to get the club in the play-offs, to the promotion final and hope to get us over the line.

"I know I can score goals in this league and it’s just to get this club up and then think about the future. In and around the town you can feel it’s a massive club."

The pressure of the play-off final this weekend is no stranger to Dallas, who was part of the Solihull team that lost against Grimsby this time last season. Neal Ardley's men were favourites going into the game at West Ham's London Stadium but fell short on the day, losing 2-1 to the Mariners.

However, Dallas is ready to use experience from Solihull's defeat and ensure he and Chesterfield are more equipped to win and earn promotion back to the Football League. Unlike last June, this game is being played at Wembley in front of almost 40,000 - compared to just over 20,000 in 2022.

Andrew Dallas played in last year's promotion final for Solihull Moors (Getty Images)

"This is the stage you want to play in as a footballer," he said. "You work hard and train everyday for occasions like this. I have family coming down from Scotland. All the boys have family coming from all sorts of places. Everyone is coming to watch and this is what I want to be playing in.

"My family was there last year and it was obviously heart-breaking to lose in the way we did. This year, it is Wembley and every boy dreams of playing at Wembley and I am really looking forward to it."

The former Rangers forward continued: " I felt like I used up on my energy and peaked too early on with all the nerves and excitement. So, having that experience of being in that situation before, this time around I am a bit more prepared and know what to expect. In itself, it is a completely different game.

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Solihull Moors loanee Andrew Dallas is spearheading Chesterfield's promotion push (Getty Images)

"We know what Notts are all about and we have prepared as well as we can because you never know what might happen when you cross that white line."

Chesterfield were relegated to the fifth-tier in 2018 for the first time in almost 100 years after a horrendous campaign in League Two. Despite reaching the play-offs in two of their four previous seasons in the National League, they have fallen short both times.

Dallas is desperate to re-create more history and help Chesterfield back to the Football League. He finished: "The gaffer (Cook) touched on that this is a massive opportunity to make history and go down in the club’s history. For me, that would be massive considering the size of the club and the history.

"This is what you look back on when you retire, these big occasions, finals and how many times your name pops up in these big games. The size of Chesterfield, compared to the rest of the league, should be a League Two club."

Kieran King