Tooley’s Take

Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Chesterfield 1 Cheltenham Town 1

League Two Game #7

The weekend started off in superb fashion with a Friday night party, at the stadium of course, to celebrate Superfan Zoe Edge’s 50th birthday.

The Saturday lunchtime follow-up was a bit like a night-after party balloon; initially holding its form and looking good, doing its job perfectly, but then slowly starting to lose its shape, deflating somewhat as people that weren’t even invited to the party start to kick it around, making its movement and ability to control unpredictable, increasing the chances of a comical air-kick and then ending the day in limp mode with all the oxygen having leaked from its being.

Unlike the game at Port Vale, we were at the races, the early ones at least. From an hour before kick-off, it was obvious it was going to be difficult. Cheltenham Town’s starting XI included six men who are classed primarily as defenders, and their assistant-manager (former Spireites favourite) Aaron Downes, confirmed to me after the game that stopping Chesterfield playing was at the very heart of their game plan, not that it took long to see that in the game.

James Berry, Dilan Markanday and Armando Dobra’s raiding ahead of DJ Oldaker and Jensen Metcalfe’s midfield string pulling was there for all to see in the opening half-hour against a side who, just in case you’ve forgotten, have been two divisions above the Spireites for the last three seasons, champions of League Two four years ago and play-off participants the season before that. They are no pub team.

Berry’s brilliant burst to tee up Markanday was deserved and should have been the platform to go on and comfortably win. After conceding, there was no initial change to the way the Robins approached the game, and at half-time, it wouldn’t have surprised me if both managers were equally happy.

Cheltenham immediately looked more open after the break, with their wider players Archer and Jude-Boyd pushing further up, and it was the latter, who was extremely quick, that pressured Gordon and then Boot into making the error after a long ball through that let him in to level. As goals do, that changed the dynamic of the match. The visitors began to look more and more up for it whilst Chesterfield looked more like that balloon, somewhat deflated.

The Spireites continued to look the more likely winners, and should have won it when Dobra hit a great chance just wide after a piece of magic by fit-again Ryan Colclough. At that moment, everyone sort of knew the likelihood of three points had all but slipped away and that pesky Déjà vu had come back again to repeat the Swindon Town and Salford City scenarios. Six points dropped from a winning position at home. Ouch.

Add six points to the table, let’s make it seven as we should have had one at Gillingham, and Paul Cook’s side would be equal at the top. Shows the narrow margins, whilst the L2 table still shows the team in a far from disastrous tenth spot, and I suspect many would have taken that as a solid finishing point at the end of this season. But those straight through the middle SMH equalisers and (as Dilan confirmed to me after the game) the never in a million years offside flag at Priestfield show that there’s just that bit of extra quality in the teams at our new level. There’s a bit more strength, a bit more speed, a bit more nous, a bit more fitness as well just to make things a tad tougher.

Whilst it was undoubtedly a bit ragged at the end of the game, the return to fitness of Coco and Madden coupled with the news that Grigg isn’t a long termer is good news. Colclough looked magical on a couple of occasions and Paddy’s touch and positioning was excellent, so we look set for a classic at Donny next weekend, with 3,000 travelling supporters and a host team (P3 W3 at home) that will be looking to play on the front foot. Key midfielder Harry Clifton will be absent after a red card in the 1-1 draw at MKD, but that could see a promotion off the bench for our old Solihull Moors rival Joe Sbarra, whilst the even older Billy Sharp will be looking to add to his already impressive tally of four goals, scored at the impressive rate of one every 111 minutes.

To end on a positive note, Paul Cook and Rovers gaffer Grant McCann have gone head to head as managers on four occasions, one win each and a couple of draws, but the last meeting? Right in the heart of Covid, in a Championship match played in July 2020, Cooky’s Wigan (including Gary Roberts) beat McCann’s Hull City 8-0, in old teleprinter style, that’s (eight). 0-1 (one) will do next week!

Phil’s Positive: Colclough and Madden both looked sharp when they came on.

Next Match: Doncaster Rovers (H), Saturday, September 28, EFL2, KO 3pm. Full commentary for subscribers on the new commentary platform (find details on Chesterfield FC website). Build-up from 2pm, half-time and post-match remains on the 1866 Sport App. If you’re one of the 3,000 travelling fans next week, say ‘hi’ to Sylvia, it will be her birthday!

Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Boot; Tanton, Naylor, Dunkley, Gordon; Oldaker, Metcalfe (Colclough 69); Markanday (Mandeville 83), Dobra, Berry (Araujo 69); Drummond (Madden 83). Subs (not used): Thompson, Jacobs, Fleck.