Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Chesterfield 0 Harrogate Town 0
League Two Game #37
Regular readers will know my modus operandi for a Saturday game ‘Take’ is, think about it overnight, grab a Twinings on Sunday morning and rattle on the keyboard sitting up in bed. Delay all by 24 hours this week. Good old Aunty Biotics nursing me to try and get rid of a nasty bout of Portugal throat, picked up when I was in Lisbon instead of the Dirty Old Town of Salford.
Subbed from commentary due to an inability to speak, and generally feeling sorry for myself after witnessing a frustrating goal-less draw (our first since April Fools’ Day 2023 at Maidenhead). It’s now Monday morning and I’m sitting on the bed, voice still pretty absent, but I’m a bit perkier, but no more joyous than I was at the final whistle against the Sulphurites. I could have done with some of their smelly but apparently effective spa water in the last few days.
First half, very disappointing, Harrogate looked the more dangerous side and Ryan Boot had to be at his best again. More disappointment when ‘JD’ pulled up lame after a lung bursting run back to try and regain possession.
Second half, much better, but not enough quality when it counted. With the rain pouring down, there felt an increasing air of disappointment as a team we just can’t beat, defended ever more stoutly and earned what looks like a massive point for them.
Having had the extra 24 hours to think about things, I’ve come up with a perfect game-plan for games like this one, where the Spireites totally dominate, but don’t win. PC, take note. Every now and again, just deliberately give the ball away, let the opponent have a go. That should do it.
My theory isn’t based on learning something at St George’s Park whilst studying for my UEFA ‘A’ Licence, something I’ve not done, but on simple facts. Firstly, on my way back from the airport after my trip to Lisbon, whilst doing a smidgeon over 70, the double flash of doom popped up in my rear view mirror. Going over 70 gets you nowhere fast.
The Harrogate game was the sixth time this season the Spireites have clocked up at least 70% possession in a league game. The six dominant games? Walsall at home, drew 2-2, 70%; Colchester at home, drew 1-1, 77%; Accrington at home, lost 3-0, 78%, Fleetwood away, lost 2-0, 72%, Port Vale at home, 1-1, 75%, Harrogate at home, 0-0, 73%. Just keep it under 70 guys, it’s simple, you never win if you push it over the limit!
Compare to our best wins of the season, Crewe 5-0 away, 62%, Doncaster 3-0 away, 58%, Morecambe 5-2 away, 56%, Tranmere 3-0 home, 51%, Salford 4-0 away, 64% and Notts County 2-1 away, 43%. Let the others have a kick and we’re more likely to win! Tactical masterclass over.
Best bits of the game? Ash Palmer and Jamie Grimes, solid. Michael Olakigbe, lively. Will Grigg, back, Armando Dobra, avoided a yellow which would have meant a two-game ban. No-one gave up, no-one believed the match couldn’t be won until the final whistle, and a clean sheet is never a bad thing.
But it was another frustrating result on Whitt Moor. The Spireites have only lost three at home. Of the teams above us, only Vale and Bradford, with two each, have lost fewer on their own turf, but no team above us has drawn as many as eight home games or won as few as seven at home. Turn half of those draws into wins, 60 points, seventh spot. Half of the eight saw Chesterfield lead only for Swindon, Salford, Cheltenham and Notts to level. Narrow margins, but there’s still hope.
What do you need after failing to beat a team you’ve never beaten? Nip to a ground where you’ve not won in sixty years! In fairness, we’ve not played Barrow all that much in the last sixty years due to their long spell outside the Football League, but that last Holker Street win in March 1965, was in a run of six straight wins that saw the team rise five places in the league table. Think we’d all take a repeat of that right now.
And can we now call Harrogate Town the new Maidenhead United? No wins in six encounters now, has the baton of doom moved from York Road to Yorkshire and the team from Wetherby Road?
Phil’s Positive: The first home goal-less draw in a points-offering match since Woking in May 2022, and that single point was the one that was needed to lift the team into the play-off mix. Could it end up being a vital point this season?
Next Match: Saturday, March 29 at Barrow, a place we’ve not won at for 60 years! The match kicks-off at 3pm. All of the build-up on 1866 Sport from 2pm, then onto the commentary platform (find details on Chesterfield FC website), with half-time and After the Whistle remaining on the 1866 Sport App, online and on smart speaker. All After the Whistle shows, with the first and most comprehensive post-match analysis, are always available as podcasts on the club’s official channels. Post-Harrogate, hear from Ash Palmer, Will Grigg and Danny Webb.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Boot; Donacien (Olakigbe 37), Palmer, Grimes, Gordon; Naylor (Fleck 87), Metcalfe (Madden 87); Mandeville, Banks, Dobra (Colclough 87); Pepple (Grigg 68). Unused Subs: Thompson, Duffy.
Referee: Ben Speedie
Bookings: Morris (Harrogate)
Attendance: 8,540 (367 from Harrogate)
Galaxy Travel 1866 Sport Man of the Match: Ash Palmer (chosen by Jamie Hewitt)
