Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Chesterfield 3 Accrington Stanley 3
League Two Game #15
James Berry’s cross in and Tom Naylor’s fine header. Messi. Dilan Markanday’s steal, through ball to Lee Bonis and the striker’s finish. Messi. Mesmerizing Markanday’s teasing run and cross for Berry’s finish. Messi. All the other bits. Messy.
Any game when you’re 2-0 down but draw has to feel good, doesn’t it? Nope. Any game when you’re 3-2 up, on top and get a stoppage time penalty has to feel good, doesn’t it? Nope. Any game against low-budget Accrington Stanley that makes them look like World-beaters and Town look pretty pedestrian can’t happen often, can it? Yep, feels like that happens time and time and time again.
Last season, Remembrance fixture, game #15, Chesterfield go into it (against Accrington) on an eight-game unbeaten run, in seventh spot, concede three but fail to score, end the day in tenth.
This season, Remembrance fixture, game #15, Chesterfield go into it (against Accrington) on a five-game unbeaten run, in seventh spot, concede three and end the day in tenth. At least PCs lads scored three this season and the current tenth spot has seen 24 points banked, two more than a year ago. Small mercies.
First home league penalty since February 2024, against Daggers, Ollie Banks steps up and the sandwich man (Justham) makes the save. Same old same old as Wright’s right guess to dive right to save Bonis’s 12 yarder denies us a last gasp victory. Last gasp at Tranmere, last gasp against Accy, four lost points that would have seen the team in the automatic promotion positions.
Great volley from Tyler Walton to open the scoring after Chey Dunkley had blocked a shot immediately before, but the opening should have been prevented. Shouts for offside for the second, the Chesterfield staff had no issues on that score, ‘onside’ was the verdict, but how central defender Devon Matthews found acres of space on the edge of the six to head the ball into the danger area was criminal, and Liam Mandeville won’t be delighted by the way he wellied the ball out for the crucial corner.
Then Spireites woke up from their nightmare. Naylor heading home as he has done so many times, deep into first half stoppage time, and then 90 seconds into the second half, a Bonis leveller that teed up the hosts for victory, Berry’s header all but confirmed that the three points would be staying on Whitt Moor.
But despite a much improved second half, there seemed to be a series of concentration lapses and communication errors as Chesterfield conceded a corner, that looked as though it should have been a goal kick, and confronting the referee seemed to me to mean several players were out of position as the corner was cut back, ball delivered in, confusion galore, all-square and a third for Stanley who’d only scored four away goal in seven previous L2 trips this season.
Then the final lifeline, wrestling in the box from a corner, penalty, hit well enough but saved and huge disappointment after a really chaotic encounter. The home side had 18 shots, six on target, the most on both counts in the last 15 games in all competitions. Trouble is, Stanley’s stats were 16/8; in their 7-1 Vertu Trophy win against Town, Crewe only had a total of 13 shots!
Any neutrals would have loved it. Accrington fans will have loved it. Chesterfield’s players, coaches and supporters hated it, another two points dropped in a game that could easily have ended with no points at all, or all three points.
A bit like much of the season to date, confusion. Fantastic, tight defending at Stevenage, followed by sloppiness at the back a week later. No team has scored more home goals in L2, but half of the games on our grass have been draws. Lots of hope remains, lots of hope seems to be snatched away. Should be third, are tenth with Grimsby, fifth, Crewe, seventh, and Swindon, second to come this month.
But before those games, Liverpool U21 in the Vertu Trophy. Will we progress? As with the Stanley game, who knows? Burton play Crewe on Tuesday at The Pirelli Stadium. If Crewe win, a draw (with or without the penalty bonus) will see us through. If Burton win, we’d need to beat Liverpool by a bucket full. If the other game ends in a draw, a win against Liverpool would see us progress, whilst a draw with The Reds would need us to win the bonus point AND Crewe to win their shoot-out bonus. Lose and we’re out, unless Burton lose by seven more goals than us! Got that? I’ll test you before (the early) kick-off on Tuesday!
Phil’s Positive: Sadly, more negatives than positives, but the most shots and most shots on target in any game since the win against ten-man Bristol Rovers in August has to be seen as a positive.
Next Match: Back to cup action as Rob Page’s Liverpool U21 side come to the SMH Group Stadium on Tuesday November 11, kick-off is early at 7pm. Don’t forget you can listen to Accrington post-match reaction in the After The Whistle podcast; hear from Gary Roberts, Chey Dunkley and John Fleck.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Hemming; Daley-Campbell (Donacien 46), Dunkley, McFadzean, Gordon (Tanton 86); Fleck, Naylor; Markanday (Lewis 86), Mandeville (Darcy 61), Berry (Duffy 69); Bonis. Subs (not used); Boot, Dickson.
Goals: Naylor 45+3, Bonis 47, Berry 62 (Chesterfield), Walton 17, 26, Caton 75 (Accrington)
Referee: Tom Parsons
Bookings: McFadzean, Fleck, Berry (Chesterfield), Matthews, Love, Whalley, Bauress, Conneely (Accrington)
Attendance: 7,822 (154 from Accrington)
1866 Sport Banner Jones Man of the Match: John Fleck (chosen by Jamie Hewitt)
