Tooley’s Take

Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Grimsby Town 0 Chesterfield 1

League Two Game #16

Not sure which of the coaches has been working one-on-one with that Own Goal fellow, but after a run of just four successes in the last seven-and-a-half years, three of those in lost games, all of a sudden his potency is clear for all to see. Three goals in the last five L2 games that have helped earn two wins and a draw. Level with Naylor, Markanday and Darcy now! Progression.

And a referee who’s sent-off an opposition goalkeeper in a Chesterfield away match. Last time that happened? NEVER! Phil Barnes of Blackpool was the last gloves man to see red against the Spireites, two minutes before the end, 21 years ago at Saltergate, penalty conceded, Glynn Hurst steps up, but Derby-born defender Steve Elliott saves, though Town did win 1-0 thanks to an earlier Derek Niven goal.

Whistler Martin Woods didn’t endear himself to the home crowd, but the red card was bang on, Lee Bonis doing extremely well to get on the end of a loose back pass to round ex-Stags man Christie Pym just outside the box. Goalscoring opportunity, clear foul. League debut for Burnley loanee Charlie Casper, son of Chris, ex-Manchester United and Reading as well as being a former Bury manager, whilst his grandad, Frank, was a legend at Burnley. He made a couple of decent interventions but was powerless to do anything after Dilan’s dance and ball in hit Harvey Rodgers to record the game’s only goal.

Prior to that red card, it was all hands on deck to try and repel the Mariners. Zach Hemming, faultless, and he needed to be. The back four worked Trojan like, the full-backs acted like defenders and the centre-backs hustled, headed, harried time and again in very blustery conditions.

The stats? 87% of tackles won, 39 clearances, 11 corners defended, 22 crosses dealt with, stats confirming the new post-Colchester pragmatism that in the three travelling games since then have seen two clean sheets and only that last-gasp leveller at Tranmere Rovers to spoil the clear improvement. Pretty? No. Pretty effective? You bet.

Versus ten, Town were understandably more expansive. A bit wasteful, they easily could have got more than the one, but they never looked like throwing away that hard earned lead, undoubtedly helped by the loss of Pym, but don’t forget, ahead of the game, Grimsby were L2 top scorers and L2 top shooters, only twice this season in points offering games had they failed to score before Paul Cook’s Blues took them on.

Credit where credit’s due, especially with it being extremely damp and blustery, and more credit to the tireless Bonis, who teased out the key foul and frequently stretched the home defence with his lateral play, enabling Markanday and co to find precious space. It could have been exploited better, but we’ll always take a hard fought 1-0 away win, especially as so many similar games in recent years have gone against Chesterfield.

Should Grimsby have done better? Easy answer, yes. Jaze Kabia, nephew of ex-Spireite Jim, headed wide from a gimme position early on and they got into enough good positions to have got onto the scoreboard, though technically they wouldn’t have got onto the scoreboard because the torrential rain from Storm Claudia got inside its workings and rendered it unusable.

Well done to the Blundell Park ground staff for getting the game on at all after what I was told was three inches of rain in two days, that’s virtually the amount expected in the whole of November in 48 hours. Apart from a pesky sprinkler which popped up a tad during the game, the pitch played perfectly.

Tough conditions, tough opponents, tough game, tough luck on Grimsby, but a new resilience was clearly in evidence in the Chesterfield camp. The lads need to make it tougher for Crewe Alexandra next weekend than it was on the team’s last visit there in the Vertu Trophy.

Lee Bell’s Alex are a point and two spots behind Chesterfield having drawn at Oldham on Saturday. They’ve won their last two home games, scoring three in both contests and their five home wins is the section’s equal highest. Stoke loanee Emre Tezgel, the striker who undid Chesterfield, scoring a hat-trick, bagged another trio against Grimsby last month, so he needs to be marshalled closely.

Josh March, who’s been involved in more goals that any other Alex player this season, will be hoping to have shaken off the hamstring injury that has kept him out for the last five weeks allowing Villa loanee Tommi O’Reilly to become a key man in the side.

With Crewe next and then leaders Swindon Town, who’ve won just once in five being our next SMH opponents, those two games will begin to shape the first 40% of the season before the cup double header with Donny.

The top three is in touching distance, but Town’s last games against each of the two teams were both disasters for different reasons, 7-1 at Crewe, albeit in the Trophy, and the injury to Tyrone Williams in a 1-0 loss at The County Ground nine months ago.

But with four wins and four draws in the eight games in all competitions since Colchester, Chesterfield have stiffened up, conceding less than a goal a game whilst averaging 1.5 goals scored in that run. Good but not great, mainly solid but still prone to an unexpected error, still not making or taking enough chances, but undoubtedly on an upward trajectory in a division crying out for one team to take it by the scruff of the neck.

Chesterfield FC, that’s an invitation.

Phil’s Positive: Away win, clean sheet, close rivals beaten, no injuries, what’s not to feel good about?

Next Match: Back to Crewe next, scene of a mauling in the Vertu Trophy. They’re just a point behind Chesterfield in L2 so another vital test for Paul Cook’s side. Saturday, November 22, kick-off is at 3pm with build-up on 1866 Sport from 2 o’clock. Don’t forget you can listen to Grimsby post-match reaction in the After The Whistle podcast; hear from Gary Roberts, Devan Tanton, Kyle McFadzean and Lewis Gordon.

Chesterfield (4–2–3–1 to start): Hemming; Tanton, Dunkley (Donacien 72), McFadzean, Gordon; Fleck, Naylor; Markanday, Darcy (Duffy 85), Berry (Mandeville 85); Bonis. Subs (not used); Boot, Dickson, Daley-Campbell, Hobson.