Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
AFC Wimbledon 0 Chesterfield 0
League Two Game #43
At least we’re better off than had we won, combined with a Grimsby Town win against Swindon Town in Cleethorpes! Beat Bradford City on Monday (big ask, attainable) and link that with home wins for the top two, Port Vale and Doncaster Rovers (who host Grimsby and Colchester United respectively) and Paul Cook’s side will be in the play-off zone with just bottom placed Morecambe (H) and fourth bottom Accrington Stanley (A) to play.
Town’s last ten games, 21 points, multiply that over the 43 games played, you get 90 points. Leaders Port Vale have banked 76. Solid form at just the right time. Hold the front page.
AFC Wimbledon, big, strong, terrific home record, needing to win, loud crowd, tough task for Town. The gaffer selected a side to try and combat some of the Dons’ strengths, with Tom Naylor and Ollie Banks in two of the three attacking midfielder roles plus battle hardened Bim Pepple ahead of them and Harvey Araujo at left-back for his first appearance in 2025. In the first half, that worked extremely well, with the Spireites eking out the two best chances (for Banks and Liam Mandeville) though Ryan Boot had to intervene well on a couple of occasions to keep the sheet clean.
Banks’ injury was a real blow, he was a key cog in the game plan and his absence along with Armando Dobra’s will make Monday’s match with the Bantams even tougher.
Second half, a fair bit more defending had to be done and it was done as impressively as any game this season. The Dons brought on even more height off the bench, but the back four, protected by the impressive Jensen Metcalfe and John Fleck, held firm under periods of relentless pressure. Even wide man Michael Olakigbe joined in the defending. He made a couple of brilliant runs back to cut out potentially damaging deliveries.
Over the 90 minutes plus extras, this show was right at the top end of the effort and endeavour category (for both sides) and on the final whistle, many of the players (in both sets of colours) slumped to the floor, clearly in disappointment, but more realistically, with energy totally spent. If quality means working your socks off, giving your all, being a solid team player, leaving nothing out there, this was a match full of quality. I thoroughly enjoyed it from first whistle to last. Goalless, sure, gutless, as far from that as possible! And keeping an eye on Swindon’s goal-fest by the River Humber added to the excitement.
With Colchester and Crewe Alexandra drawing (and the hosts missing a last-gasp penalty against ten men) plus Salford losing, the disappointment at not winning our first ever away league game at AFC soon evaporated, especially when Monday’s fixtures were noted, but the other games become a bit irrelevant if Chesterfield continue to find ways not to beat Bradford City. Seven straight defeats in league and cup games for the Spireites, the last win coming in March 2015, three points that helped Paul Cook’s side reach the play-offs. Now, there’s a thing. Sadly, no wins in nine on our own grass.
The Bantams are mustard at home, but on the road, just five wins this season. Barrow, in position #15 are the next highest side with so few away triumphs. An impressive 12 wins from their last 14 homes, but it’s just one point from Graham Alexander’s side’s last four excursions.
Leading marksman Andy Cook picked up a season ending injury on New Years’ Day, so 21-year-old Calum Kavanagh has been doing a fair bit of heavy lifting in front of goal, six in six of late, whilst key midfielder Antoni Sarcevic is just about back to full fitness after playing in the last two games following a few weeks out. City will be without his midfield colleague Richard Smallwood, who was the team’s only outfield ever-present. He is suspended after picking up a straight red a couple of games ago.
Stat of the Day? Not mine, all the work of club historian Stuart Basson. PC brought on just four subs at Plough Lane, the tenth time the gaffer hasn’t used his full allocation of subs in the EFL this season. Of those ten, only one win! Get ‘em on is the chant we need!
Phil’s Positive: Slugged it out, toe to toe, with EFL2s biggest side, and on the final whistle, you could see not one ounce of effort was left unspent. Not pretty, but extremely encouraging.
Next Match: Easter Monday, April 21, at home to promotion-chasing Bradford City. The match kicks-off at 3pm. All of the build-up on 1866 Sport from 2 o’clock, 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.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Boot; Mandeville, Palmer, McFadzean, Araujo (Gordon 61); Fleck, Metcalfe; Olakigbe (Grigg 81), Banks (Madden 43), Naylor; Pepple (Colclough 61). Unused Subs: Thompson, Grimes, Duffy.
Referee: Carl Brook
Bookings: Mandeville (Chesterfield), Johnson, Kelly, Neufville, Tilley (Wimbledon)
Attendance: 8,506 (908 from Chesterfield). We need to take 1,002 supporters to Accrington Stanley to average 1,000 away fans per match for the EFL season as a whole, which would be a magnificent achievement.
Galaxy Travel 1866 Sport Man of the Match: Michael Olakigbe (chosen by Josh Marsh). A total of 25 different players have won Galaxy Travel MOTM awards this season, showing the strength in depth of the squad.
