Tooley’s Take

Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Woking 0 Chesterfield 2 National League Game #20

And the winner of this week’s 50-50 is …….. CHESTERFIELD FC! The first team in the top six levels of the pyramid to reach 50 points and score 50 goals. What an achievement in just 20 games (of which 11 have been away). That’s 2.5 points per game and 2.5 goals per game. Just Wow.

Last season after 20 games, NL points record-holders Wrexham were on 46 points, and back in 2003/04, the Arsenal Invincibles, the incredible team that went through the season unbeaten, were on 47 points after 20. Puts PC’s team’s efforts into some perspective.

A solid show, nothing too fancy-dandy against an out-of form-side, but an out-of-form side who were tipped by just about everyone to breeze into the play-offs this season. A goal in each half was enough, especially with another clean sheet in the bank, with keeper Harry Tyrer having to make only one direct save plus a few decent crossing interventions.

Town were the better side in both halves, but there were still too many five or six out of tens on the park; Quigley, Sheckleford, Grimes, Dobra and a back in attacking midfield Mandeville were the players threatening the eights, and that was just enough to keep the Cards at bay, as they struggled to shake off their run of five straight home defeats ahead of this game.

Ace in the pack was Big Joe, shirt tugged from knees to forehead, who latched onto Tom Naylor’s through ball to hold off his markers and put Town into a lead a few minutes before the break. His scoring record this season is colossal, a goal every 66 minutes. He knows the right route to his intended destination. On Saturday, ex-Spireite and current NL top scorer Paul McCallum will be on Whitt Moor with a tally of 15 at a rate of one every 91 minutes, Joe is 38% more prolific! Just saying.

For me, Ryheem Sheckleford was the stand-out. His first NL start in three months, his last ended with an injury in the 1-1 with Oldham Athletic. From the outset he was rapid in feet and thought, making tackles, runs and crosses that may mean Liam Mandeville has to see how he goes as an attacking midfielder! Assist #11 shows he knows what’s needed there.

Jamie Grimes was again immense. In his 90th consecutive start in the NL / Play-offs, the skipper ensured that the very dangerous Padraig Amond was hardly involved and some of his trademark diagonals were superb.

The ‘pressure off’ goal, on 80, saw some exquisite work down Chesterfield’s right, the best football of the night, leading to Mandeville teeing up the effervescent Dobra to tap home from close in, having left his marker quicker than any McLaren F1 car that has been made just down the road at their Woking HQ.

The main downside was Mike Jones’s late yellow card, his tenth in the league, meaning he’ll miss the Eastleigh and Hartlepool United games, but he’ll be eligible for Leyton Orient and Southport in the cups, which will give the manager the opportunity to keep him match fit.

Six changes were made to the XI that tasted a rare defeat at Roots Hall on Saturday, and all six players will have given Cookie plenty to think about. Miguel Freckleton should give supporters something to think about. Social Media comments are still divided on the Blades loanee, but in eight NL starts, he’s played in seven wins plus the draw at Maidenhead United. I’d say that means an awful lot in a sport where winning is pretty important.

So, a great win if not a great performance, an eighth away win with less than half of the season’s excursions made. The club’s best ever away win tally is only 12 (1994/95) and in the memorable gung-ho championship season in 2010/11 under John Sheridan, only eight away games were won all season, so that’s equalled already.

Eastleigh will arrive in Chesterfield having scored just ten goals in ten away games this season, just two of them won, with McCallum as their outstanding threat having scored 47% of all of their goals this season. They’ve not won a game he’s played in but not scored in this season, so keeping him quiet looks like being a major part of the Spireites’ game plan, but big Ollie Palmer and tricky Enzio Boldewijn can’t be ignored.

There’s bound to be another big home crowd who will be hoping to see another home win that will help to exorcise the disappointment of last Saturday’s defeat on the Essex coast. I’ll take any home win, but hopefully not as nervy a one as last season against the Spitfires, who were 2-0 up and still 2-1 up on 89 before Colclough and Andrew Dallas made the stadium erupt after they turned things around.

Phil’s Positive: Straight back on the horse after a fall, a steady if not spectacular return to the saddle.

Next Match: On Saturday, November 25, Eastleigh and the National League’s top scorer Paul McCallum visit the SMH Group Stadium. Kick-off is at 3pm with 1866 Sport on air from 2pm.

Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Tyrer; Sheckleford, Palmer, Grimes, Freckleton; Naylor, Jones; Mandeville (Jacobs 86), Dobra, Berry (Colclough 62); Quigley (Grigg 84). Subs (not used): Banks, Horton.