Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Chesterfield 0 Rotherham United 0
(Rotherham win 4-3 on penalties)
Vertu Trophy, Last 16
Context. Ten of Chesterfield’s starters were Spireites players last season in the National League. Debut-maker Bim Pepple played for Bromley in 2023/24, in the National League, and didn’t make any appearances for his parent club, Luton Town. For the Millers, seven of the starting team played in the Championship last season and three in League One. The other player, Jack Holmes (23), was playing non-league football with Stamford, but he’s made 13 sub appearances in League One this season. Big difference.
United improved after their substitutions – three of their replacements made Championship appearances last season, the other two played in League One. Town’s subs last season? One hadn’t played since November 2023, one played two minutes in the National League, one was in the Northern Premier League, one was with a Qatar second division side and the fifth replacement, Rotherham-born Ollie Banks, playing against his home town team for the first time, has never played higher than League One. Even bigger difference.
Chesterfield 13 shots, Rotherham United 9, and a physical Millers side ‘won’ the foul count 18-5. The difference between the sides over the 90? Less than the thickness of a Rizla paper. Paul Cook’s side, 60% possession, better technical team, some lovely spells. Steve Evans’ charges created the better chances, but former £1.2m man Jonson-Clarke Harris and Jordan Hugill, who’s moved for £2.5m and £8m, plus sub striker Sam Nombe, a £1m signing just over a year ago, were unable to hit the target. A trio who have between them moved for more money than Chesterfield FC has spent on transfers in its entire history. All of a sudden, 0-0 over 90 minutes sounds decent! And it was the first Spireites goalless draw since one of our best ever results, 0-0 at Maidenhead United on April Fools’ Day, 2023. A point at York Road, massive.
Pepple, strong and mobile, Jamie Grimes immense, Branden Horton, best game for a while, Ryan Colclough, continuing to get back to his true level, Armando Dobra, periods where he was unplayable, and had his shot after a phenomenal run through the middle gone in, it would have been a Goal of the Season contender. Had Bim had the rub of the green when the ball wouldn’t settle on the edge of the six, he too could have won it. Never a pen either. Plenty to be pleased about.
Lottery time. Kane Drummond, who looked excellent when playing wide, scored against Man City U21 in the shoot-out, but saw ex-Spireites loanee Cameron Dawson save. Things levelled up when Joe Powell, who once replaced Mikael Antonio for West Ham in a game that also included Declan Rice, Issa Diop, Robert Snodgrass and Grady Diananga, against Jamie Grimes’ Macclesfield Town in a League Cup match (Hammers won 8-0, don’t remind Skip), he broke a window in Aldi to level things up. Step up set-piece expert DJ, who must have missed having a wall to evade, and he too hit high, enabling Mr Humphreys, who’s played for Man City in the FA Cup against Villa and Chelsea, to win it for the Millers. He joined Rotherham from Belgian top-flight side Waregem in 2022. When asked how much he cost, I believe he said, ‘I’m free’. That may be made up! (ask an old person).
Disappointed not to progress, but far from devastated. More disappointed to hear Danny Webb say Dilan Markanday was at this stage, ‘not in the building’, but heartened to hear that all bar Grigg, Dunkley and Gordon were not too far away from being in the squad, and with the improvement in the weather, Pepple and fellow debut-maker Janoi Donacien can join their new team-mates on grass.
Every Spireites follower would have looked at the Rotherham and forthcoming game at Grimsby and, given the choice of one win, would have selected three points in Cleethorpes. The Mariners are three points clear of us with a game in hand, so it’s a huge game, where a widening of that gap would be hard to take.
With reinforcements from other clubs as well as from the treatment room, the bench could be the strongest we’ll have seen in a while at a notoriously difficult place to win, though with victories in the EFL and the Vertu this season already, a hat-trick of wins over David Artell’s team would give a massive lift.
The Spireites go there on the back of no points from three games, whilst Grimsby have lost their last two, both away, but won their last two at home, including a 3-0 victory over Port Vale.
The atmosphere is bound to be as tasty as fish and chips wrapped in newspaper on the banks of the River Humber. Let’s hope future fish is in short supply after the Spireites sink the Mariners. That would be good. Yup.
Phil’s Positive: Solid defensively for 90 minutes against a side that was in the Championship last season. Pepple showed promise.
Next Match: Grimsby Town (A), Saturday, January 18, League Two, KO 3pm. Full commentary for subscribers on the commentary platform (find details on Chesterfield FC website). Build-up from 2pm, half-time and After the Whistle on the 1866 Sport App.
Chesterfield (4-1-4-1 to start): Boot; Sheckleford (Donacien 73), Naylor, Grimes, Horton; Oldaker; Hobson (Banks 73), Mandeville (Akinola 85), Dobra, Colclough (Drummond 58); Pepple (Cook 85). Subs (not used): Thompson, Palmer.
Penalties:
Chesterfield (3): Banks scored, Dobra scored, Drummond saved, Cook scored, Oldaker missed.
Rotherham (4): Clarke-Harris scored, Nombe scored, Odoffin scored, Powell missed, Humphreys scored.
Referee: Steve Oldham
Bookings: Dobra (Chesterfield), Jules, Odoffin, Kelly, Nombe (Rotherham)
United assistant manager Paul Raynor was booked.
Attendance: 3,517 (943 from Rotherham)
Galaxy Travel 1866 Sport Man of the Match: Armando Dobra (chosen by Jamie Hewitt)
