Tooley’s Take

Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Barrow 0 Chesterfield 1

League Two Game #38

Right then. Whose fault was that? Who’s culpable? Always the first thing supporters want to think about after a tight defeat, because it’s always got to be someone’s fault. So let’s turn the tables and think about whose fault it was that Town won a tight match, where neither side looked like they quite had what it takes to steal the points, but, on this occasion, Chesterfield were the kleptomaniacs.

Was it Paul Cook’s fault? Must have picked the wrong side, no shots in the first half, and he must have got lucky with the substitutions as usual, the fact that the Spireites have scored more goals off the bench than any other club in the league just shows he gets the team selection wrong regularly.

Was it Liam Mandeville’s fault? As a right-back, why on earth was he bombing forwards to try and keep a loose ball in when, surely, he should have been thinking about defending, not leaving Chesterfield’s right side potentially exposed by bombing forwards, then simply rolling it to Ollie Banks who passed for Michael Jacobs to become player #17 to score for the Spireites in the EFL this season.

It could be ‘Crackers’ fault as his shot was so poor, it had to hit a defender’s knee to go in. Mandeville got away with it again a bit later, bombing back to help Ryan Boot keep out Tyler Smith in another one-on -one, should have been camped on the edge of his own box to stop the Barrow break at source. Serves him right that Boot whacked into him after he’d belted the loose ball away.

Was it Ryan Boot’s fault? He got his mates out of jail, denying ‘Elvis’ Aaron Pressley in another one-on-one at nil-nil. The big striker looked all shook up and he never recovered from that.

Was it Jensen Metcalfe’s fault? He had no idea where to be throughout the game, randomly following the play, meaning his Chesterfield colleagues had to continue passing the ball to him when they were surrounded by a swarm of Bluebirds. Let the others have a kick, fella!

Was it those two big lads at the back’s fault? Ash Palmer and Jamie Grimes strutted around like they owned the place, ruining the fun of the team that was kind enough to host the match and provide the ball. Selfish.

Was it the weather’s fault? Freezing, blowing a hoolie, precipitation galore. It’s as though, on winning the toss, the skipper deliberately chose to kick into the wind in the first half, ensure it was no worse than 0-0 at the break, then take advantage of the Barrow Breeze for the second 45 and see what that brings us. You can’t control the weather, so that was all a waste of time.

Was it Ben Partridge, the physio’s fault? It must be his fault when players get injured, so it must equally be his fault when they get fit, so having a strong bench again is Ben’s fault and this game was undoubtedly won by Chesterfield having a stronger bench than Barrow. Subs on, different dynamic, game in the bag.

So whose fault was it? Looks like everyone’s culpable for notching up a hardworking, tight as a tick performance that, somehow, due only to a scrappy goal given to us by the Barrow #5 means 13 points from the last possible 15, a first win at Barrow in 60 years (a stat that shows how stats can be manipulated) means there’s a continuation of hope for a late, late run in. Really, you can’t beat a scrappy 1-0 away win, always my favourites!

Just look back at some of the ‘live’ social media posts throughout the game, many beggar belief. Danny Webb confirmed after the game that the first half was all about survival in the conditions, not losing the match. Job Done. Back to a strong bench, a quadruple change, Barrow blown away by the fresh legs and different challenges. Their subs didn’t lift their team’s performance.

Whilst the entertainment level of this game was nowhere near as good as a trip to Barrow Hill Engine Shed, it was never going to be a classic in the conditions, so if playing properly isn’t an option, play to win, and I’m sure a quick check in Sunday morning’s papers will confirm that Chesterfield won. Eight more of them will give the team at least two more matches. Yes please.

Cumbria Part Two on Tuesday, Carlisle United at the SMH. Five defeats in their last six away games (they won at Barrow) and they seemingly look doomed. Ninth-placed Crewe host target team Grimsby on Tuesday in the most important other game from a Spireites perspective, and if everything goes right for Paul Cook’s side, the gap to seventh could be down to four points with a game in hand.

You must be a bit excited!

Phil’s Positive: A 1-0 win, away from home in a tight match played in awful conditions. Perfect!

Next Match: Tuesday, April 1 at home to struggling Carlisle United. The match kicks-off at 7.45pm. All of the build-up on 1866 Sport from 7pm, 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 available as podcasts on the club’s official channels. Post-Barrow, hear from Jamie Grimes, Liam Mandeville, Michael Jacobs and Danny Webb.

Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Boot; Mandeville, Palmer, Grimes, Gordon; Naylor (Jacobs 69), Metcalfe; Banks (Fleck 90+1), Dobra (Duffy 69), Colclough (Olakigbe 69); Pepple (Grigg 69). Unused Subs: Thompson, Madden.