Several Chesterfield legends gathered last weekend for the opening of the new Brampton Brewery, much to the delight of Managing Director Chris Radford, a long time dedicated Spireite.

Former managers John Duncan, Frank Barlow and Kevin Randall were joined by all time top ten appearances makers Ernie Moss and Andy Kowalski plus regular goal scorers Bob Newton and Steve Norris.

Duncan formally led the ceremony to mark the re-birth of a name last active in 1955 saying: "It's good to see a local brewery starting up again, I'm pleased and honoured to be asked to come along and cut the ribbon."

The man whose sides were renowned at achieving and holding on to a 1-0 lead commented on the current sides inability at keeping clean sheets: "Any win's the name of the game in football, if you win 3-0, 2-0 or 1-0 it's three points but being just 1-0 up means the other side can always nick a goal so you need to be able to stand up to pressure. When I was manager here, we had the players that could stand up to that pressure most of the time."

JD cut the ribbon

The man who twice led Chesterfield to promotion plus an FA Cup Semi Final is still heavily involved in the game: "I'm involved with the League Manager's Association, representing managers in whatever comes up, I enjoy doing that. I'm also involved in sponsorship in that side of things."

He also revealed that he's involved in coaching again: "One of Chesterfield's former players Tom Curtis is the head football man at Loughborough and he's asked me to help him there with the team on Saturdays. I'm really enjoying that as well."

Barlow, currently first team coach under Steve Bruce at Wigan Athletic got his priorities right: "The first pint's gone down very well! Mind you after Wigan's 5-3 win over Blackburn yesterday, it was bound to taste better after our first win since August."

On Wigan's plight he said: "First of all, anybody would take being in the Premiership, whichever end you're at. We're very aware of the task ahead and you can't afford to get too devastated by the defeats. We need to try and win the games against the teams that are around us."

Barlow's not seen Spireites play in competitive games this season: "I saw a couple of pre-season games and I usually catch the midweek games but haven't managed to do so yet. Away from home though, they're going well, it's the home form that's letting them down. I hope they get promotion, I'm sure they'll be there or thereabouts."

Anglo-Scottish heroes Barlow, Moss & Kowalski

On his time at Chesterfield, Barlow is perhaps best remembered for leading the side to the 1980-81 Anglo-Scottish Cup win: "The best memory of that is what you can see here at the Brewery, the people. Quite a few of us from that time are still friends and still see each other regularly, testimony to the team of the time, and it was a good team."

"Perhaps looking back we did underachieve, we probably should have gone up a league and there's a tinge of disappointment but then there's the Anglo-Scottish Cup. That still gets talked about. Even when people don't know anything about me or about Chesterfield, they remember we beat Rangers. Eric Black, Steve Bruce's Assistant, was talking about it at Wigan the other week, so it was a significant win that we all enjoyed."

Former midfielder Kowalski, who also played for Doncaster Rovers, is No.9 on the all time Chesterfield appearance list agreed with Barlow: "The beer's very nice. I don't normally drink pints, I'm a half man, but when it's free and tastes as good as it does, a pint's good!"

Andy's watching football this season on behalf of Sheffield United Chief Scout Kevin Randall: "I've taken a few games in for Kevin this season, mainly down at Nottingham Forest, generally looking for players that may be able to step up a level and I'm quite enjoying it, seeing a few friends I used to play with and it's a break from the mundane day to day routine of work on Monday to Friday."

The player who's impressed him the most this season is a man well known at Saltergate: "Sammy Clingan could step up. He's got good ability, good attitude and he's the sort of player you'd want in your side, an all round, versatile player who works for the team. He's got International experience as well and that's brought his game on as well."

As for Randall, never one to pass the opportunity of a pint: "I'm really a lager drinker but the Brampton Bitter is quite nice."

On Spireites: "They're doing very well, they've been playing some good football. I'm pleased for Lee Richardson, a smashing lad. I met him when he first came to Chesterfield and was very impressed with him as a player and a person as well as a coach and I think he'll continue to do well."

"Obviously a disappointing result at Accrington, which I though was an away banker, but I'm sure they'll bounce back and do well."

On life after Warnock at The Lane he said: "It's always going to be different after Neil but I've been very impressed with Bryan Robson as a person, nice bloke, good to work for. Results have been a bit up and down but that's not unusual when someone new comes into a club so if we can get a bit of consistency going, we'll be OK."

Newton, with the eye of a striker, said: "I like the lad Jack Lester up front, he looks pretty lively and it looks to me as though Lee's got the balance just about right. You've got to have people that have got goals in them, a 20 or 25 goal a season man to get you up there with someone else capable of getting 15. You're set for promotion then aren't you."

Newt and friend

The man who scored more goals for Chesterfield than anyone else, Ernie Moss, was delighted to catch up with some pals: "We've never altered. I don't know some of Chesterfield's newer players but some of our older players from way back, you meet them and it's just as though you saw them yesterday."

He sees plenty of well known old guard players in the frequent charity games he still plays in: "Since Johnny Quinn handed on the mantle of organiser to Mel Sterland, myself and Gordon Simmonite, we get together to play and we all enjoy the game and each other's company, we'll play anywhere and play the best we can for any charity in the area."

Saltergate has been graced by his presence several times this season: "John Dungworth, who's at Huddersfield, has asked me to look at some games for them and I've seen Chesterfield two or three times, mind you they've not won a game when I've been up there, I better stay away! I saw the Morecambe game when they scored in the first minute and the last minute. That was a good game that Chesterfield should have won."

Goal poacher supreme Steve Norris, now a seller of beer, was complimentary on the new brew: "I like the strong one, very nice, but I'd not manage many of these in a session! Bringing back an old, well known name can only be good for the area."

Nozzer went straight for the strong brew!

He's had to rely on hearsay about Spireites showing this season: "I've heard there are some good players but they seem to be lacking a bit of the finishers instinct apart from Lester and they seem to be giving away a few too many goals in the last ten or fifteen minutes. That didn't happen when I played here for John Duncan because we were always defending! Lee though seems to have got a good set of lads but he probably needs more funding to takes things up to another level."

"Jack's done it everywhere, he's a proven finisher and has been doing it for ten or fifteen years, he'll always do it. Jamie Ward's still a young kid and the poor lad had an injury straight away which dented his confidence but no doubt his excellent goal at Accrington will give him some more confidence."

Phil Tooley from the Green Un