Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Chesterfield 2 Ebbsfleet United 2 National League Game #32
I kept expecting Cilla Black to jump out of the tunnel and shout ‘Surprise Surprise’ at some stage after just about everyone in another pretty full stadium couldn’t quite get their heads round the result.
Town did more than enough to have scored more, but lacked a bit of their trademark killer instinct, whilst lowly Fleet created enough to have potentially won maximum points. Harry Tyrer’s not had as many saves to make for ages, no-one in blue this season has made a better last gasp intervention that Jamie Grimes, with a stupendous bit of defending at 2-2. If Liam Mandeville’s 93rd minute shot had been the width of a crossbar lower, we’d have all been crowing!
An intriguing game in which, according to Ebbsfleet’s interim manager Danny Searle, saw Chesterfield being ‘unplayable’ for large chunks of the game. Scoring two at home but not winning hasn’t been on the menu for a while, over a year in fact, and Championship side West Brom, in FAC3 in January last year, was the last time that occurred, and Spireites almost won that game 3-2.
When Rakish Bingham dashed forwards and confidently (just check the thesaurus work there) hit home with just 42 seconds on the clock, home supporters no doubt though a bit San Marino, one up against England before folks had sat down, 7-1 at the end. All good.
And as Chesterfield gradually wound things up and Will Grigg levelled shortly before Armando Dobra struck for goal #10 this season, the hosts were beginning to show what the opponents gaffer went on the say post-match. Turning round at 3-1 would have been deserved, but for once, we didn’t manage to get what was deserved. That said, we’re a second half team. No visitors to the SMH have ‘won’ the second half since Good Friday 2023 in the team’s last home reversal, when they lost 3-1 to York City. No worries.
Sarll made a number of positional and formation changes during the first half and he made two personnel changes at the break and that bore fruit when Ben Chapman, who’d switched from left to right, levelled things up early in the second period. Still no worries, there’s always a 46-90 plus goal. But this week, there wasn’t. There could have been but there wasn’t. Keeper, blocks, bar, you name it, it got in the way.
But it was far from one-way traffic. Ebbsfleet, with half-time sub Darren McQueen’s pace at the heart of the visitor’s excellent counter-attacking threat, coupled with Bingham and Dominic Poleon’s huge goal-threat (they got 52 between then in the NLS last season, which Ebbsfleet won by 20 points), despite territorial and possession being hugely in Chesterfield’s favour, the game was always on a knife-edge and at no stage, based on the play rather than League positions, did a home win look odds-on. You have to credit Ebbsfleet, who played way above their league level, for that.
As I said to Danny Webb post-match, hopefully the next time I’m as disappointed as I was at the final whistle, we’re only 23 points clear of the pack! Just to put what 23 points means into some sort of perspective, if next to bottom Fleet had 23 more points at this very moment, they be a single point behind Barnet and in fourth spot. It’s that big a gap. Doom-mongers, be assured, there’s no doom coming.
Bromley next weekend is a big game. Not as big as it seemed it would be a few weeks ago, but 2024 results of WWWWWWD for Chesterfield compared to DDDLL show how well Paul Cook’s men have used their games in hand and how Andy Woodman’s troops, who are still in the FA Trophy, have lost a bit of form.
But they still have the huge plastic pitch advantage, hated by many at the SMH, and they still have the edge on Spireites from a results perspective, five wins to four (three draws) in League and play-off games. George Carline is the only man ever to have scored a Chesterfield winner at Hayes Lane. Surely we’d all take another draw?
So no win to celebrate the gaffer’s two-year anniversary of his return to Whittington Moor, clearly all to do with being awarded the NL Manager of the Month Award; should have gone to Phil Brown at Kiddy and then all would have been well!
My stat of the day? An easy one. Dobra’s goal was the 50th home league goal of the season. Only twice in the last 66 years has that figure been reached. Last time in 2010/11, CHAMPIONS, and the previous time in 1969/70, CHAMPIONS. Need I say more?
Phil’s Positive: Unbeaten in 25 home games in all competitions, 23 points clear, another excellent attendance, the width of a crossbar off another win. It’s not even a blip!
Next Match: On Saturday, February 17, Chesterfield travel to second-placed Bromley, with the game kicking-off at 3pm. 1866 Sport will be on air from 2pm, and don’t forget this Friday’s Weekend Warm-Up with me and Ellie Yates, 7pm – 8pm.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Tyrer; King, Williams, Grimes, Horton; Naylor, Oldaker (Hobson 85); Mandeville, Jacobs (Banks 75), Dobra (Berry 75); Grigg. Subs (not used): Sheckleford, Quigley.
Goals: Grigg 30, Dobra 34 (Chesterfield), Bingham 1, Chapman 49 (Ebbsfleet)
Referee: Stuart Morland
Bookings: Horton, King, Banks (Chesterfield), Cousins (Ebbsfleet)
Attendance: 8,033 (135 from Ebbsfleet)
Netcoms IT 1866 Sport Man of the Match: Tom Naylor (chosen by Josh Marsh)
50-50 Winning Number: 142783 (£1230)
