By Mark Mitchener

I've been really excited about coming here Paul Shaw

Striker Paul Shaw hopes he can help Chesterfield to surpass expectations in League One once again this season.

Since promotion in 2001, the Spireites have confounded the bookmakers' odds to retain their status at this level, despite being tipped for relegation.

"It's pretty much what Chesterfield have had to put up with for the last few years, but that doesn't bother the players," Shaw told BBC Sport.

"We work hard, we've just got to go out there and prove people wrong."

Having joined from Rotherham in the summer, Shaw was on target on his debut for his new club on Saturday.

The 3-0 win at Bournemouth even temporarily lifted the Spireites to the top of the table - albeit with 45 of the 46 games still to be played.

"I think we thoroughly deserved the win. We'd worked a lot on our shape in pre-season, so it was the ideal start for us," Shaw, 32, said.

"It'll be nice to see the league table on Ceefax, even though it's only after one game.

PAUL SHAW FACTFILE Born: 4.9.1973 Position: Striker 1991-1997: Arsenal 1995: Burnley (loan) 1995: Cardiff (loan) 1995: Peterborough (loan) 1997-2000: Millwall 2000-2004: Gillingham 2004-2006: Sheffield United 2004: Rotherham (loan) 2006: Rotherham 2006-date: Chesterfield

"But we've been stressing to everyone in the dressing-room that it is only one game - we've got two home games coming up now."

Home rule was a problem for Chesterfield in 2005/06 - as despite finishing 16th, their record of just six wins and seven draws on their own turf was even worse than that of all four relegated clubs.

However, Shaw had no hesitation in moving to Saltergate in the close season after speaking to Spireites boss Roy McFarland, who is just beginning his 41st season in the game.

"I met the manager and his assistant Lee Richardson in the summer, and I was really impressed. There's nothing he hasn't seen in football," he said.

"Chesterfield have improved over the last few seasons and did really well last year, before they got a few injuries at the back end of the season.

"So I've been really excited about coming here and hopefully having a good season."

The former Arsenal trainee does have some sympathy for his former team-mates at Rotherham, who have begun the season with a 10-point deduction after going into a Company Voluntary Agreement with their creditors.

"I feel for Rotherham, as I was there for six months and we were really struggling against relegation the whole time, but we pulled through to stay up," Shaw explained.

"So, to then hear that you'll be starting next season 10 points down was really tough.

"They've brought in some good players and I really hope they can avoid relegation, but it's going to be tough."

Allison, like Shaw, is a former Sheffield United player

After playing for four clubs in the last two-and-a-half years, Shaw is hoping to put down some roots following his move.

"I've signed a two-year contract but I want to be here for at least two years. I think it'll be a decent league this season," he insisted.

"It's hard to tell at this early stage, but you've got some tough sides in this division like Forest, Swansea, Millwall and Crewe who have come down, and some good sides have come up.

"So it'll be a tough league to get out of, even for those sides. But if we can just avoid injuries to important players, we can have a good year ourselves.

"The spirit's brilliant, there's a lot of talented young players, and we've got four strikers in myself, Colin Larkin, Caleb Folan and Wayne Allison.