Tooley’s Take

SpireitesTV Commentator Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Cheltenham Town 2-1 Chesterfield

League Two Match #8

Nuclear Fission is the process where the nucleus of a heavy atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei, releasing a massive amount of energy. A free neutron hits the nucleus of a heavy, unstable atom, generally Uranium-235 or Plutonium-239.

I made the decision to drop physics at school when I was just 13, never quite got on with it, but I’ve decided it will be much easier to explain about the most complex elements of the subject, which very few people in the World fully understand, because I’ll find it significantly easier than determining how Chesterfield Football Club lost its game at Whaddon Road!

The Spireites fired in 27 shots (11 on target, one hit the bar, ten from outside the box) whilst having to deal with a total of seven at the other end (one Ryan Boot save), 50 (FIFTY) goalmouth touches, that’s more than in the excellent York City win, more than Barnet had in the 3-3 mayhem, more that Town plus City in the 5-3 FLT game recently, and it’s only one fewer that both England AND Spain mustered BETWEEN THEM in the non-stop, end-to-end international we listened to on our way home; it’s a very, very lot!

There were 37 Chesterfield crosses, six from The Robins, who made 46 clearances (we did nine) and there were 188 final third successful passes. Steve Cotterill’s side were well and truly mullered, but won the fight!

But why did Paul Cook’s side lose? Bad luck for sure, not taking chances for sure, a couple of key refereeing decisions for sure, but the main reason was Cheltenham Town are the division’s best side so far this season at scoring the type of goals they got; stealing the ball deep and busting a gut and some to get forwards quickly.

Former Manchester United academy player Charlie McCann, who’s also played in the SPL for Rangers, isLeague Two’s hottest property at the moment and he was on the end of a rapid break to score his seventh goal in eight games, wholly against the run of play, as was Andreas Weinmann’s goal eight minutes before the break, which started when George McEachran won a tackle but the ball rolled kindly for the home side.

Weimann, who prior to joining Cheltenham in the summer, had played over 500 games in England, none lower than the Championship, 113 in the Prem, and Derby County paid Villa £2m for him a few years ago was in exactly the right spot to unexpectedly double the deficit. He’s scored against France in an international for Austria, he can play. Defences can always stop goals, but both of the concessions were really well crafted by Cheltenham. If they’d have been scored by the team in blue, we’d all have been purring.

Even at 2-0 down, it felt like Chesterfield would get back into the game, so positive was their play, which featured quick, crisp passing, athletic pressing, solid tackles, intelligent running on and off the ball. From minute one to minute 97, it was, result apart, a complete performance, delicious, delightful, dreadful outcome.

When Louie Marsh continued his excellent form in front of goal early in the second half, a draw was the minimum every Spireite inside the stadium expected. Before the turnaround, what looked like a clip on Dilan Markanday by the keeper didn’t impress the referee, whilst the lino wasn’t impressed when Wyll Stanway clawed a ball back from a Lee Bonis header that looked to all intents and purposes to have sailed well beyond the goal-line. Could it be that the Northern Irishman has now scored a goal at Whaddon Road that was real, as opposed to his real goal there last season which really should have been Lewis Gordon’s?

Stanway, brother of two times European Champion Lioness Georgia, became the central figure in the game with save after save, too many too regulation for sure, but he somehow kept an effort out that deflected off his own defender Robbie Cundy, which looked destined to level up the scoreline as Spireites pushed forwards time and again. Cheltenham, at home and now second in the table, didn’t have a single second half shot.

There were Man of the match contenders aplenty; my commentary colleague Ben Smith picked out Marsh, but Markanday, George McEachran, Remeao Hutton or first-time starter Joel Randall could all have got the nod, and others were right up there too; Spireites were really on it, for 90 plus minutes, it should have ended 5-2 to the visitors. Play like that every week and, as Del Boy would say, the World’s your lobster.

Lunchtime kick-off against Tranmere Rovers next weekend. They’re alongside Chesterfield on 11 points, having drawn a few but lost only one L2 game so far, a 2-0 defeat at Gillingham. Darrell Clarke, from the wrong side of Junction 29, became manager in the close season and he’s brought in experience in the form of Will Vaulks, Tom Ince and Jordan Davies, plus last season’s York City keeper Harrison Male. This weekend they conceded a last gasp goal at home to Walsall in a 1-1 result with Rovers’ goal being scored by Doncaster loanee Bobby Faulkener, whilst their three-goal top scorer is Norwich City asset Dylan Jones.

I’ll close back on the physics theme; Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion states, ‘Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, accept when you’re in Gloucestershire when all sorts of unexplainable stuff happens.’

Phil’s Positive: Play like that every week and the team will win most weeks.

Chesterfield (4–2–3-1 to start): Boot; Hutton, McFadzean, Simpson, Gordon (Pearce 78); Stirk, McEachran(Dyer 78); Markanday, Marsh (Naylor 84), Randall (Mandeville 78); Bonis (Bryden 70). Subs (not used); Eccleston, Duffy.