Tooley’s Take: Salford City (A)

SpireiresTV commentator Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context.

Salford City 0-1 Chesterfield

Sky Bet League Two – match #2

A match, a win of statistical significance! A proper team performance where, in old money, numbers 1-11,plus subs did their bit, or should that be did their lot? A trip that, according to the pre-season odds, should have been as difficult as they come. Three points that say Town can win in ways we’ve not seen before.

Chesterfield possession? Just 36.2% according to the BBC statistics. Since Paul Cook guided the team back to the EFL, that’s the first time in any of those 94 league games plus all cup-ties, that Spireites have had less than 40% of the ball. The last time the Blues saw less of it, they were in red; at the European Champions, Chelsea! Great memories.

Despite that, 14 shots were taken, meaning that this season’s three competitive games have seen 14, 15 and 16 efforts at goal by the team. Last season, it took a total of 26 games in all competitions for Chesterfield to have notched up three 90 minutes with 14 or more shots. Getting forward more.

Undoubtedly the message again is ‘take your chances’ as following Lee Bonis’s goal after just 105 seconds, Town could have had a few more to have made it a slightly more comfortable lunchtime, but having only a one-goal lead meant the guys at the back had to be on it for every second of the game; and they were.

Salford’s walk-out tune is ‘Dirty Old Town’ and Spireites showed a bit of filth; more tackles and more fouls than the opposition, another statistical rarity for PC’s XI. Plenty of commitment, great to see. Despite that, there was also patches of delightful play. Goal assistor Josh Koroma’s powerful runs, plus a peach of a cross in the second half that saw Bonis’s header saved, Remeao Hutton’s movement on and off the ball, Liam Mandeville being Liam Mandeville, the performance had lots of extremely positive vibes.

Six of the players who played a part for Salford plied their trade in League One last season, whilst Macauley Langstaff was in the Championship for Millwall. They’ve undoubtedly ‘gone for it’ in a big way this season, and in the latter stages they’d got four players classed as forwards and only three defenders by trade on the park, meaning they really threw the kitchen sink at it. But Kyle McFadzean and Jack Simpson, reinforced by subs Junior Eccleston and Malik Owolabi-Belewu, stood firm, rode their luck, to ensure that three points were earned at Moor Lane for the third consecutive season.

It was the team’s fourth straight win at Salford, the trip there before the three in the EFL was in the cup, a victory that led to that day at Stamford Bridge, so a nice bit of symmetry there.

The two men who sit at the top of the most ever World Championship victories in Snooker, former Chesterfield residents Joe Davis (15 wins) and his brother Fred (8 wins), all well before the Crucible days, avenue introduced by Chesterfield’s very own Mike Watterson, himself an ex-pro, would have been well impressed by the rapid assimilation of angles computed by West Midlander Ryan Stirk, born not too far away from a certain Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The central midfielder undoubtedly worked out the best way to clear the ball was to head it, bullet fashion, onto his own post at such a precise angle, enabling his colleagues to complete the clearance very late in the game, a calculation that only the very best cue-wielders could work out as rapidly. Never in doubt Ryan! How’s your snooker?

Some other random stats; Chesterfield had just one corner, and that came with just two minutes of normal time remaining. It’s the first time in 2026 that Lee Bonis has scored the only goal in a 1-0 win. All three competitive games to date have ended 1-0, with all goals being in the first half, making it the first time since 1988/89 that Chesterfield’s opening three games have all ended as 1-0 scorelines; the fourth game that season? A 2-0 win over Rotherham United.

So, Millers up next in New York. They’ve suffered two relegations in the last three seasons and they have to face the team that has beaten them a record 38 times in the League. Since Paul Cook returned to Whittington Moor in 2022, United have had seven different permanent managers, Alex Bruce is the current incumbent with Steve McClaren as Director of Football.

The Millers haven’t won at home since February, but they drew with York City on their own grass this weekend. Any team with Paul Mullin in it always has a chance, and their other summer recruiting has included Aaron Nemane, Fabio Tavares and Tom Bradshaw, all from teams currently at a higher level.

I really enjoyed the game at Salford. Chances created, solid defending, a bit of grit and plenty of guile, all within a squad that clearly cares and works extremely hard, but lads, please can you take a few more of those chances, it’s very early in the season to completely destroy my fingernails.

Phil’s Positive: Away win, clean sheet, what’s not to like? Admittedly, could have been a wider gap on the scoreboard, but the rearguard action was character-forming.

Chesterfield (4–2–3-1 to start): Boot; Hutton (Eccleston 77), McFadzean, Simpson, Gordon; Stirk, McEachran (Naylor 69); Markanday (Owolabi-Belewu 77), Mandeville (Brydon 84), Koroma (Lamptey77); Bonis. Subs (not used); Pond, Aniskjo.