Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Chesterfield 5 Doncaster Rovers 2
League Two Game #29
It was Take That Thursday. Someone clearly re-lit Town’s fire, hopefully the real Chesterfield are back for good. Fans have had to show a lot of patience and the team now look capable of going on to rule the world (at least the bit that resides in EFL2). We’d prayed for Spireites to shine, and whilst, sure, this may not quite have been the greatest day, there were plenty of giants in blue. Everything changes in football, never forget that, and fans will now be collating a million love songs for the new lads, could it be magic every week now, it promises to be so?
And right at the end, Ollie Banks proved that it only takes ten seconds, not a minute, his goal coming straight from the re-start enabling Spireites fans to find heaven once more.
Best game of the season from a spectacle viewpoint. Doncaster were superb in the first half, Chesterfield were right on it in the second. There were great goals, mistakes, terrific defending, fantastic commitment from every player, top atmosphere and Billy Sharp missed a sitter. Loved the Rovers Where’s Wally kit too. What more do you want from a match?
As regular readers will know, I love a stat! Town less than 50% possession (just), Donny 21 shots to 10 from the hosts, but the Spireites were more clinical, 7-4 winners of on-target efforts, plus Rovers clipped the post with another strike. Another interesting one, Chesterfield were not caught offside at all in the game.
But the one I was asked about time and again before and after the game. Preston, away, play-offs in 2015. Our last Thursday night encounter! Sad day all round. Before that, a 2-0 win at Watford in 1997, like this game, switched due to a Cup run! Last (and I think ONLY) home Thursday night game, also our only ever competitive match played in July, the 1-0 Anglo-Scottish Cup win over Sheffield United in 1980. Phil Bonnyman scored in front of 7,693, and just as a perfect link to that Thursday game, the Doncaster match was played on Bonnyman’s birthday, he was 71 on the day. Many happy returns, Phil.
Rovers (unbeaten on their last five visits to our grass) raring to go, fast, high press, quick breaks, you could see why they sat in second spot. Then Armando Dobra delivers to Dylan Duffy and the Irishman hit low and keeper Ted Sharman-Lowe will have felt pretty low, but we’ll take that (shut up!) Goal #18 scored this season by either player #18 or Dilan/Dylan.
Donny hum again, but Michael Olakigbe pops the ball onto Tom Naylor’s head, a perfect nod back for Bim Pepple to poke home to join Dylan as a first-time Town scorer. Better team two down (we know the feeling all too well). Luke Molyneux’s goal just before the break was fully deserved, it no doubt changed Paul Cook’s half-time chat, but whatever the gaffer said, it worked.
Oodles of fire in the belly in the blue camp after the interval. Lovely stuff. The five minutes between goals three and four was textbook #Cookball. Olakigbe’s first goal for the club was a peach. Dobra at left back, invites DJ to run, the entire crowd spots the pass, a very difficult one, inch perfect, one on one, BANG. Then more lighting up from Jack Sparkes, perfect cross, Bim-bam-bosh, it’s four.
If you think reporting on football is a doddle, you’ve never had to determine what’s occurin’ when the opponents make a quintuple substitution. Mayhem. Where isn’t Wally? With the possibility of earning a starting spot against Premier League Palace on Monday, the subs gave it everything and even at 4-1, it was still a teeny-weeny bit nervy for all the Chesimists out there!
Then, Danny Disaster, Donny Delight. Chesterfield’s first league concession of the season from a corner, the first thing I said to Mr Webb after the game! I’ll be happy if it’s 29 more games before the next similar goal, or if they come in stoppage time when Town are three to the good. Never mind, ten seconds after the restart, Banks’s open play Panenka meant the game ended on a real high note for Spireites supporters. Thursdays are the new Tuesdays.
Team #2 despatched, Team #1 next up. Walsall, one point from the last nine on offer, play twice between now and then, on Saturday and again Tuesday. Top scorer Nathan Lowe has returned to parent club Stoke City and second top goal-getter Jamille Matt is reported to be fit again after a calf injury picked up a couple of weeks ago. It’s bound to be tough, but beating the Saddlers’ nearest rivals 5-2 is something of a confidence booster.
Fives and threes for Chesterfield, that’s the third five-goal salvo this season, the previous two were away at Morecambe and Crewe. The last Spireites home fiver in the Football League (as opposed to National League) was really a lucky seven, 7-1 against Shrewsbury Town in January 2016, the one before that was a six (6-0 Colchester April 2015), so the last actual FIVE was one to remember. Friday night is Telly night, Jack on fire, Rotherham United, 5-0, 10,089 inside, what a day. Let’s hope for a few more between now and the end of April.
Phil’s Positive: Sparkes, Olakigbe, Duffy and Pepple all looked like proper Paul Cook style players and all put in a terrific shift. New talent in a new team. Plus all seems A-OK with John Fleck and the supporter who needed medical attention, and it was a heart-warming minute of applause to remember Harvey Willgoose, the 15-year-old whose life tragically came to an end earlier in the week just a few miles away from Chesterfield and Doncaster. RIP.
Next Match: Bit of a wait! Saturday, February 15 and a trip to the leaders Walsall (who play twice between now and then), the match kicks-off at 3pm. Full commentary on the commentary platform (find details on Chesterfield FC website). Build-up on 1866 Sport from 2pm, half-time and After the Whistle remains on the 1866 Sport App, online and on smart speaker.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Thompson; Sheckleford, Williams, Grimes, Sparkes; Oldaker (Metcalfe 75), Naylor; Olakigbe (Banks 63), Dobra (Colclough 75), Duffy (Mandeville 57); Pepple (Madden 63). Unused Subs: Boot, Jacobs
Goals: Duffy 11, Pepple 37, 59, Olakigbe 54, Banks 90+4 (Chesterfield), Molyneux 45+4, Ironside 90+3 (Doncaster)
Referee: Greg Rollason
Bookings: Sparkes, Dobra (Chesterfield), Sterry, Crew, Molyneux, McGrath (Doncaster)
Attendance: 8,707 (1,042 from Doncaster)
Galaxy Travel 1866 Sport Man of the Match: Bim Pepple (chosen by Jamie Hewitt)
