Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Chesterfield 1 Woking 3 National League Match #27
As regular readers of this column will know, I generally compile it the morning after a match, giving me time to reflect, and any highs or lows subsequently become not quite as high or not quite as low after a sleep and a cuppa. This time (which is probably no bad thing after an evening low of Mariana Trench proportions), my real life away from football work commitments made it impossible for me to sort until Wednesday teatime.
Sitting watching House of Games, with a nice joint of pork in the oven, I’ve still not been able to adequately process Town’s first half performance against the team immediately above us in the League (at kick-off time at least), Woking played well, Chesterfield didn’t. I’ve not known as bad a 45 since Agadoo. On the left, on the right, jumping up and down, just not right. The ball got changed a couple of times, we’d have been better playing with that shaken from the tree pineapple.
Individual culpabilities, collective errors, over and under-hit passes, crazy decisions, on the ball gaffes, off the ball stumbles, combined with a capable opponent who were on it, all fused together to shock and stun every Spireite at the technique-less Technique. Two down in the blink of an eye, three not long after, bringing back memories of the Dagenham & Redbridge first half four months ago, but thinking back to that match, it didn’t seem to be quite as grim as the Cards calamity.
We could all see the errors, no need to dissect them here, but they were so numerous and (frequently) so avoidable, it seemed like someone was making a Disney+ documentary of bloopers with a season’s worth of faux pas condensed into one evening. Welcome to Chesterfield. The half time whistle was a blessing.
Better second half, decent goal, but whilst ever there was a two goal cushion, Woking were able to play low-risk-no-risk stuff and give a masterclass in NL dark arts. They earned that right / They were handed that right on a place (delete as appropriate). I’m not complaining about it, but I would complain if it had been my team!
Every individual will have their own thoughts, their own theories as to what went (and is generically going) wrong having endured three straight defeats. We all have our favourites, we all have our whipping boys, we all think we should have signed so and so and shouldn’t have sold wotzisname, that’s (as the gaffer says) football. But whether you are gutted and frustrated to the end of your tether, don’t boo your own players during the game. Congratulations to the supporters who, at the start of the second half, lifted the team immeasurably and after Mandy’s goal created an atmosphere of hope rather than despair.
The last triple disaster, with that Daggers match sandwiched between losses against Maidenhead United and Eastleigh, was followed by 28 points from the next 11 games, and there’s no reason why that return to form can’t be repeated. With Notts in town on Saturday, that will feel unrealistic and unattainable to many, I get that, but sometimes it’s the most unlikely result that gets you back on the horse (we want Frankel rather than Muffin the Mule though).
Does Paul Cook need reinforcements? Of course, no question about it. Do the players need to take a good look at themselves in the mirror? I’m sure several will have done just that before midnight on Tuesday, and I’m sure Cookie will have done the same, you don’t achieve the level of success he’s achieved in his managerial career without some degree of introspection. Most managers will be extremely jealous of his 59% win-rate in the NL to date this season (for comparison, in his successful first spell, his win rate was 45%).
Will we see changes to the line-up on Saturday? I’d be amazed if we didn’t, but some of the players that are currently being ridiculed on social media (and in the heat of the stadium action) have been fundamental in getting the team into what remains a more than decent spot, they’ve not suddenly forgotten the basics, and of course, none of us know what goes on in training, behind closed doors, in the medical room or in players’ private lives that may impact on their performances.
I suffered from the nasty virus that’s been doing the rounds recently and, for three weeks, knew I was under the weather and not able to perform my day job to the max, not really relevant, but just saying. And the work meeting I had just ahead of sitting down to write this stuff, the chap I went to see told me he’d been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. The football on Tuesday was, for half the time at least, pretty dire, but at the end of the day, it was a football match.
Time to mope now, but come 5.20 on Saturday, thousands of Spireites will have a belly-full of renewed hope as we seek to shoot down the Magpies for only the second time this season.
Phil’s Positive: ….. still thinking ……..I’ll get back to you!
The Spireites’ next game is on Saturday, February 11, 2023, when we host Notts County, kick-off 5.20pm; 1866 Sport will be live at the stadium from 5pm and feel free to synchronise your TV pics with our commentary.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Covolan; King (Sheckleford 82), Palmer, Grimes, Horton; Banks, Oldaker (Akinola 68); Dobra, Mandeville, Colclough (Uchegbulam 68); Quigley. Subs (not used): Maguire, Jones.
Goals: Mandeville 49 (Chesterfield), Amond 6, Daly 8, Kellermann 34 (Woking)
Referee: Lewis Smith
Bookings: Banks, Sheckleford (Chesterfield), Daly, O’Connell (Woking)
Attendance: 5,499 (121 from Woking)
Netcoms IT 1866 Sport Man of the Match: Liam Mandeville (chosen by Jamie Hewitt)
