A WIN tomorrow in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final would cap what has been a fantastic week for Paul Benson, both on and off the pitch.

The 32-year-old has had to endure a nervy fortnight, with his wife due to give birth at any moment.

The latest member of the Benson household arrived early last Sunday morning and while there have been plenty of sleepless nights since then, the Swindon striker is now looking forward to being able to focus fully on his football again.

“We got back from the Crewe game late on Saturday night and pretty much half an hour after I got in, my wife started feeling early contractions,” Benson told the Advertiser.

“In the end we headed to the hospital at half two in the morning and by 11 the little one was here.

“It was obviously a great moment but I have not had too much sleep since then, as probably my performance against Torquay showed, but the relief means I can relax and focus on tomorrow.”

It does, however, mean that his wife and newborn child will be unable to cheer on Benson at Wembley.

“It is too soon for the missus to be able to go and my little boy is only a week old so it wouldn’t be fair to take him,” he said.

“It is a shame they won’t be there but the rest of my family and friends will be coming so it will be a good occasion.”

Benson and the rest of the Town players will be able to enjoy a relaxed day today, even though their League Two rivals are in action.

Tuesday’s win over Torquay ensured that no team can supplant Town at the top of the standings, meaning all the focus can be on tomorrow’s game.

“The league is the main priority,” said Benson. “I would have taken three points on Tuesday over a win tomorrow.

“I know it sounds silly but I would have done because it takes us three points closer to where we want to be next season and that is League One.

“So to win that game and create a bigger gap over the chasing pack is vital because if we had lost that then we could have found ourselves off the top spot without even playing a game.

“It is nice to have that buffer there where whatever happens today we will still be top of the league. It helps us with going into tomorrow’s game because this game is a massive bonus for us really.

“We can go there with no pressure and just express ourselves, give it our all and know that come Monday morning we will still be top of the league.”

Despite being a league below, Town are viewed as favourites to win tomorrow against a Chesterfield side struggling for form and confidence.

The Spireites head into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield in midweek that pushed them a bit closer to relegation back to League Two.

Having seen Chesterfield earlier in the season, Benson is surprised that they find themselves where they are, and knows Town cannot take them for granted.

“I know a little bit about Chesterfield. They played Charlton earlier on in the season and they were not a bad side,” he said. “Funnily enough their best player that day was Leon Clarke, obviously he is no longer there.

“But overall they were a solid side, Charlton beat them but they did not look too bad and I am surprised they now find themselves at the foot of the table because they are a bit better than that.

“But league tables don’t lie, you are where you are for a reason so while we have to respect them there are obviously weaknesses there we have to exploit.

“It will be a good game. Top of League Two against bottom of League One, so not much in it and hopefully we can go and get a positive result.”

And as for the player to watch, Benson is wary of another wily old head who will be tasked with scoring the goals tomorrow.

“I like Jack Lester,” he continued. “Every time I have played against him he has been a handful.

“He is a very intelligent player and a very good footballer. If he does play he will have to be closely watched because he is definitely one of the dangermen.

“Hopefully he won’t be fit in time for tomorrow but if he is then we need to be aware of him.”