A Fine Line: How The Spireites (Almost) Reached The FA Cup Final - Hardcover

Matthew Rhodes

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1836802978 ISBN 13: 9781836802976

Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd, 2026

Synopsis

A Fine Line: How the Spireites (Almost) Reached the FA Cup Final is a nostalgic celebration of one of the most extraordinary underdog stories in FA Cup history.

Foreword by Spireites legend Jamie Hewitt

The book revisits Chesterfield’s remarkable 1996/97 cup run, when the Spireites came within a whisker of being the first team from outside the top two tiers to reach the FA Cup final.

Filled with personal memories and behind-the-scenes insight, it includes:

• Exclusive interviews with Chesterfield players from the era, supporters who witnessed the cup run first-hand, sports journalists who covered it, plus a rare insight from one of English football’s most famous referees, David Elleray
• Rich, detailed anecdotes that capture how the cup run unfolded and how it affected both the club and the town of Chesterfield
• Photos of key moments and personalities
• A look at how following a football club has changed since the 1990s, including the effects of 90s culture on the game
• An exploration of the FA Cup’s place in the modern football landscape

A Fine Line is a feel-good chronicle of a classic giant-killing adventure, perfect for Spireites fans and FA Cup romantics alike.

About this title

About the Author

Matthew Rhodes was born and raised in Chesterfield. A freelance sports journalist and broadcaster, he provides live audio commentaries on football matches and on-the-whistle written match reports for Flashscore. From 2021 to 2025, he was North Derbyshire Radio’s senior sports editor. A Fine Line is his first full-length book.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1836802978
• ISBN 13: 9781836802976
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240