A Chesterfield XI narrowly lost 2-1 to top-of-the-table Salford in their latest Central League fixture.
Ash Palmer played his first game since pre-season, whilst Vontae Daley-Campbell was back on the grass for the first time since suffering an injury back in October in a fixture that allowed the wider squad to get minutes in the tank.
The Ammies were 2-0 up at the break before Liam Mandeville pulled one back in a dominant second-half display from Chesterfield.
Salford enjoyed the first effort of the game after three minutes, but the strike was straight at Ryan Boot.
They took the lead on nine minutes after Will Wright broke through and slotted into the bottom right.
Chesterfield thought they’d equalised from a corner shortly after, but the referee blew for an apparent foul on the goalkeeper.
The lead was doubled on the half-hour mark as a low cross from the left was turned home at the far stick by Jai Curran-Nicholls.
The Spireites started the second half the strongest, creating chances down the left through Michael Jacobs, but the Salford keeper stood strong more than once to keep it out from close range.
Daley-Campbell then struck towards the bottom left with a curling effort from the edge of the box, forcing a strong save out of the keeper.
It looked as though a goal was coming midway through the second half when Mandeville crossed for Tim Akinola at the far post, but his looping header went narrowly wide.
Mandeville got one back with 20 minutes to play, picking out the far left corner with a fantastic effort from 25 yards out.
Boot was called into action minutes later, getting down well to turn a strike from the right behind.
Jacobs looked as though he’d levelled two minutes from time as he drove into the box from the left and dinked over the keeper, with the effort going inches wide of a post.
Spireites: Boot, Daley-Campbell (Cook 77), Scott, Akinola, Palmer, Metcalfe, Mandeville, Banks, Drummond, Jacobs, Hobson
Bench: Cook, Reah, McKernan, Whitney, Vergari
