Tooley’s Take

Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Chesterfield 2 Altrincham 1 National League Game #27

Ambrosia is said to be the food of the Gods. Not sure they sell Rice Pudding on the concourses, but Paul Cook (aka Zeus, King of the Gods) is feeding his squad with something special. With 12 consecutive NL home wins and the team 12 points clear, still with a game in hand, having just 19 games remaining, the players in this squad are threatening to reach God-like status amongst Spireites mortals, by laying down a potentially mythological season.

With Ares, the God of Courage, back in the side after suspension and Hermes, the God of Cunning, scoring the first and assisting the winner for Dionysus, the God of Parties, to start an SMH-based celebration, having seen off their toughest opponents of the season. Altrincham were worthy opponents, with Titans and Gigantes in every department, giving Town a right scare from first to last whistles.

The Robins had conquered the Spireites in their last battle, back in August, a day when Chesterfield were well and truly sunk in a Poseidon Adventure sort of way, as Alty found Town’s Achilles Heel, and they started this game in determined fashion, working like Trojans.

However, Michael Jacobs (God of Crackers) pulled back a beauty for Ollie Banks to hit home very much against the run of play. That goal gave the hosts a load of confidence and they enjoyed a solid spell for 20 minutes, only for a rare mistake from the God-like Tom Naylor to enable a four on two Alty overload and, right on the break, gatecrashing the event like a hammer blow from Thor, the much coveted Chris Conn-Clarke levelled.

That goal will have changed the gaffer’s team talk, but it’s theme will surely have been the same as before the equaliser, to look after the ball a bit better, plus a reminder of the Spireites’ legendary second-half strength. The opening 45 had seen too many fives or sixes out of ten when, against a side the calibre of Alty, we needed sevens and eights.

Jacobs, Banks, Horton and Oldaker had been the pick of the first-half performers and post-break, DJ’s effervescent here there and everywhere play led Town’s team, which stepped up half a gear without quite reaching purring engine status. The Robins continued to be a right pain who could pass, run and break away dangerously. Very dangerously.

Time for subs. Just take this in. We all know Cook seeks to use his subs (injury apart) to add fresh legs to his front four. Well, it works pretty well when you delve into the stats. Since the manager’s return in February 2022, James Berry became the 22nd scoring sub in the NL for Chesterfield. Against Barnet this season and Torquay United last season, two subs scored, meaning the replacements have changed the scoreboard in 20 games in this managerial spell.

Of those 20, the record is W17 D3 L0. That shows pretty good players, and bang on management. Our subs don’t generally weaken our on-the-park 11 and that’s one of the biggest reasons we are where we are.

And Blue Berry’s appearance off the bench got the juices flowing and gave him what he told me was his greatest ever moment on a football field. 83rd minute. Palmer, Oldaker, Grimes with a killer pass, a quick first -time ball by Berry to Banks, first time flick back one-two, run at a red wall, slip through, curling shot. Goal. Limbs. Win. Contender for GOTS. #Cookball in a microcosm. It took something that special to beat a very special opponent.

Oldaker was a millimetre away from calming our nerves with a fantastic free-kick that defied Isaac Newton’s Third Law. If every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the ball should have rebounded off the post and in, not out. Physics is rubbish.

Final whistle, much relief, Naylor’s triple fist pump and three very, very hard earned points and the realisation that, in seven days, Chesterfield had played two of its three games in hand and extended the lead at the top to a dozen points. Bonkers.

I’ve not checked every match in every season, but I suspect when Town beat Cheltenham 2-0 in February 2001 in a Friday night televised game, the 16-point gap that opened up ahead of our promotion rivals playing the next day, is probably the biggest lead we’ve ever sat on. Just one win in the next three plus a nine-point deduction saw that gap reduce and be overhauled, though the ultimate aim of promotion was achieved at the end of that off-the-pitch disaster season.

Defeat avenged, now only Southend United can achieve a win-double over Chesterfield this season and if they don’t, it will be a three-season run with no teams winning both games in a season. Such a triple would be another club record.

Not long to wait for another potential humdinger. Barnet on Saturday tea-time. It will be the sixth game on the bounce that the Spireites’ opponents will have kicked-off in a play-off spot. Four wins and a draw in the previous five is a more than decent return against top-notch teams. Would you take a draw now? I would. Similarly, the Bees have won four and lost one (to Altrincham) in their last five NL games, so two evenly balanced sides are set to do battle.

The last seven meetings with Barnet have very much gone the way of the Derbyshire side, six wins and one defeat, lots of goals (23 scored and nine conceded), so more of the same would be very welcome. Nearly 1,000 tickets sold to travelling fans already, so another fantastic following will be there to see the visitors attempt to go 16 points clear of the team in third spot.

It’s all a bit of a dreamworld season, but the reality is, we’re not dreaming. This is very real. This is very special. This is no myth. Town deservedly at the top of Mount Olympus, fighting off every foe.

Phil’s Positive: Not at your best, playing the best team to have visited the SMH this season, and picking up maximum points. The perfect raw ingredients.

Next Match: Huge game at The Hive on Saturday. Third-placed Barnet host Chesterfield for a televised game with a 5.30pm kick-off. If you can’t get or aren’t able to watch on TV, join us on 1866 Sport, on air from 4.30pm.

Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Tyrer; Sheckleford, Palmer, Grimes, Horton; Naylor, Oldaker; Jacobs (Mandeville 69), Banks, Dobra (Berry 69); Grigg (Quigley 82). Subs (not used): Williams, Jones.