Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Accrington Stanley 0 Chesterfield 1
League Two Game #46
Another fine mess match you’ve gotten us into Stanley. Thanks too to Belinda Carlisle, Heaven is a Place on Earth indeed. Hope you bounce straight back for your help.
A first ever win at The Crown Ground, coupled with Salford City not managing to grab a third after equalising at Brunton Park with the best part of half an hour remaining, combined to send the vociferous away army bananas (literally in many cases), but it was great to see a pretty measured reaction from the Spireites camp. Paul Cook will have drilled it in that all was won was one match, three points, nothing else. Not yet.
But as supporters, is was a lot more than just three points. It was the culmination of a fantastic regulation season that, but for a litany of injuries, not just your stubbed toes, but full-blooded, nasty, long-term out for months stuff, time and again, would have seen the top three achieved.
Scorer supreme Will Grigg (Oops I did it again, we should call him Britney) was out for a run of 15 games, from which just 17 points were gleaned. Key summer signing Chey Dunkley, out since the first weekend in October. Midfield general John Fleck, signed in September, not able to play in L2 until the turn of the year after a series of niggling injuries, Ryheem Sheckleford (one of six right-backs used due to unavailability) having to wait until December for his first ever League game. Mike Jones, Ash Palmer… no need to go on listing, we all know the drill.
Couple that with 13 goals and seven assists leaving in January through Dilan Markanday and James Berry, firepower that it’s very tough to replace, just ask Walsall what that means.
A total of 28 points from the final 13 games (just where did that Tranmere performance come from?) compares to 26 from the final 13 from champions (and twice defeated by three clear goals) Doncaster Rovers. After returning crushed from Colchester United on March 4, everyone had all but given up hope of clawing back the NINE places and THIRTEEN points to seventh-placed Crewe Alexandra (the top six that night all finished in the top six), with just 13 games left to play. No chance.
But that run in saw Spireites overhaul Newport County, Swindon Town, Cheltenham Town, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Colchester United, Bromley, Grimsby Town and Crewe Alexandra to slot into seventh place for the first time in 2025. That’s why the fans celebrated, that’s why there were tears of joy, that’s why we love PC. A phenomenal achievement.
And they celebrated extra hard because first of all, right at the end, Liam Mandeville took on the mantle of ‘THAT TACKLE’ from initially Nathan Smith and more recently Mike Jones, and even closer to the end, Ryan Boooooooot made a miraculous double save amidst the goalmouth scramble of the season to somehow earn his clean sheet bonus. Hearts in mouths didn’t even come into it! We deserved that luck (and skill) after a season that has had three parts of naff-all in that department.
Game as a whole? Best team won, best team should have won by more, best team were very lucky to end up with three points!
We know nothing is won, we know the season is just about to re-start, we know we may be playing Barnet next season. But we also know that we’ve hit the season’s extension on form, with a pretty full squad (Sparkes and Dobra on the verge of a return) and we are all dreaming of a bit of Wembley revenge (no need to explain that).
But how will Walsall’s players and management be feeling? On January 18 they beat MK Dons 4-2 at home to make it nine wins on the bounce. Points wise, 12 ahead of second-placed Crewe and 15 clear of the play-off zone with 21 games remaining. If they had picked up just a point a game from there on in, they would have gone up automatically. Third bottom Newport County got 49 points in 46 games. Wow.
On Saturday, they were 1-0 up at Crewe whilst Bradford City were goalless at home to Fleetwood. The Saddlers were riding on into League One. Then Antoni Sarcevic scored for the Bantams in the sixth minute of stoppage time to shatter Walsall hearts. They were up in January, they were up on Saturday, they are in the play-offs now.
Whilst key striker Nathan Lowe’s recall by parent club Stoke City was a massive part of Walsall’s second half of the season problems, one player should not make such a massive difference. With him this season, Walsall won 64% of their games, without him, 29%. Incredible. Their last win at home? Mid-February against the Spireites, they were still ten points above the play-off zone then.
The Spireites’ key striker Will Grigg, who started his career at Walsall, has played against them nine times, four wins, four draws, just one loss (for MK Dons, he was injured when we lost there this season), four scored. Three of those games have been with Paul Cook as manager, two for Wigan, two wins and a draw, two goals scored. Decent, just three more fire days required.
Just to end on, last season’s L2 play-offs were won by Crawley Town, who finished seventh.
Phil’s Positive: Do I really need to say?
Next Match: Sunday, May 11, 3.30pm kick-off, at home to Walsall in the first leg of the L2 play-off semi-final. Sounds good. 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. For post-match reaction from Ash Kirk, John Croot, Danny Webb, Ash Palmer, Ryan Colclough and Will Grigg, listen to the Accrington edition of After the Whistle on the club’s podcast channels.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Boot; Mandeville, Palmer, McFadzean, Gordon; Fleck, Metcalfe (Grimes 90+6); Olakigbe (Jacobs 79), Naylor, Colclough (Duffy 79); Grigg (Pepple 79). Unused Subs: Thompson, Oldaker, Drummond.
Goal: Grigg 32 (Chesterfield)
Referee: Tom Parsons
Bookings: McFadzean, Pepple (Chesterfield)
Attendance: 3,969 (1,371, including 20+ bananas, a can of beans and several S.Pirates from Chesterfield).
Galaxy Travel 1866 Sport Man of the Match: Liam Mandeville (chosen by Ellie Yates)
