Tooley’s Take

Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Crewe Alexandra 3 Chesterfield 3

League Two Game #17

Not quite a 5-5 classic a la Whitt Moor contest in 2010, but same DNA! Last three Town trips to the Railwaymen had seen a combined total of 19 goals, but none of those games were close, unlike this humdinger. Two up and drawn. Disappointing. Pegged back to 3-3 against a rampant host. I’d have taken a draw at that point!

But it could have been different. Enter Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, Mr Fast & Furious, Maui, the shapeshifting demigod, first name David. A big help for the Spireites’ opener. Centre forward Emre Tezgel heads against the bar, assistant referee Mr. Forder-Hay flags for offside, the ball dollies into Zach Hemming’s arms. Play-on, no free-kick, ball whacked very quickly, Lee Bonis heads wide, James Berry sprints 40 yards whilst the Alex defence dawdled, angled shot, 1-0.

If the offside had led to a whistle, that goal wouldn’t have occurred. If the sleepiness in the Crewe defence had been mirrored by blue shirts, social media would have been somewhat turbulent.

Penalty? Right call, but take a look at Tezgel’s shove on Chey Dunkley out wide in the build-up. I’m all for contact in what is a contact sport, but it didn’t look like a legit shoulder charge to me (on seeing the replay, live I was miles away).

Alex’s second, brilliant cross, Calum Agius got away from Tanton to head well, great quality goal, but wind the clock back a couple of seconds and see whether you think Berry was challenged appropriately ahead of the long ball forwards. Again, live, I’m on the back row of the opposite side, the other side of the halfway line, best part of 90 yards away, but VAR would have taken a look at that (BTW, I hate VAR).

Devan Tanton’s foul that led to the free-kick that spawned the corner that James Connolly headed Tom Naylor style to make it 3-3. Was there any contact? Live, I didn’t think there was, on replay I can see there wasn’t. Lady Luck was absent again, but that said, there were chances to clear ahead of the penalty, if there was a foul on Berry, it was 100 yards away from Hemming’s goal and therefore offered opportunities to address the counter attack, and for the final concession, Connolly lost his marker well, though Kyle McFadzean had a good argument for being baulked.

Those three Crewe goals, each with events to argue about, were three of a whopping 22 shots they had, one legal effort also clipped the bar, whilst Hemming again proved just how good he is with a number of terrific saves plus some great smothers at feet to prevent more shots. Is he going to be the man that we can honestly, and at last, say is going to fill Tommy Lee’s gloves? Shaping up well. But this paragraph is all about, fouls or not, confirming Crewe Alexandra were more than good for a point, they did not earn a point through luck.

Berry scoring a Berry goal, then the purple patch man steps up again.Dilan Markanday links up with Ronan Darcy, teasing low cross for Bonis to finish brilliantly, one Will Grigg would be proud of, a goal to add to the Northern Irishman’s assist on the opener.

With the two-goal gap closed, sub Dylan Duffy delivers a free-kick, again some suspect Crewe rearguard action (cruel Crewe keyboard warriors will be melting after James Golding’s initial header), Bonis pretends to shoot but deliberately hits air (that’s what I’d claim) to enable the mesmerizer to whack home through a crowd. Back in front after a period of home ascendancy.

There was still over 20 minutes left after the scoreboard clicked onto 3-3 and the only surprising thing was that there wasn’t at least one more goal, both teams could have won it, both teams could have lost it, but in the end, the first draw of the season at Gresty Road, indeed the first since March, was entered into the record books.

Some disappointment over the outcome, at the same time as plenty of relief about securing a point against a rival, four points from this game and last week at Grimsby would have been taken by virtually every Spireite. Make it seven from nine against second placed Swindon next week, and November will have been The Nuts!

That’s six unbeaten in L2, the longest such run in the section at the moment. Next best? Five from Ian Holloway’s Swindon, who’ve drawn four and won one in that time. Beat them next Saturday and we’re above them.

I was asked after the match about when the Spireites last drew 3-3 in an away match and my immediate thought was the game at Bromley in 2019 when Joe Rowley equalised in the last minute. Having checked, I’m pleased to report I was bang on. The other two scorers that day wereScott Boden and Jerome Binnom-Williams. Scorers this time were Berry, Bonis and Markanday. Compare and contrast!

Phil’s Positive: I really enjoyed the game, the sort of contest that makes us all love football.

Next Match: Back home after a couple of trips, second placed Swindon Town visit Whittington Moor on Saturday 29 November, kick-off is at 3pm with build-up on 1866 Sport from 2 o’clock. Don’t forget you can listen to Crewe post-match reaction in the After The Whistle podcast;hear from Gary Roberts, Liam Mandeville, Dilan Markanday, John Fleck plus The DT’s Liam Norcliffe.

Chesterfield (4–2–3–1 to start): Hemming; Tanton, Dunkley (Donacien 64), McFadzean, Gordon; Fleck, Naylor; Markanday, Darcy(Mandeville 70), Berry (Duffy 64); Bonis (Dickson 87). Subs (not used); Boot, Daley-Campbell, Lewis.