Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Bristol Rovers 2 Chesterfield 3
League Two Game #30
The Spireites have really turned on The Gas! (no pun intended, well, maybe just a bit). Despite the draw last week against Walsall, the style of play and the 13:7 shots / shots on target was a numerical step up.
At The Memorial Ground, Paul Cook’s team, as he’d predicted, started on the front foot and, as against the Saddlers, looked world beaters early doors and by the time the final whistle blew, had racked up a 15:8 shots ratio. For good measure, both of the two games were brilliant (for the neutral) to watch.
A few notables in the Rovers game too. Most notable, a first league win on the Pirates’ own ground, attempt #19 across Eastville, Twerton Park and their current grass. Almost exactly 21 years ago, the previous ‘most trips without a win’ hoodoo was broken, 20 unsuccessful excursions to Bristol City, which was ended with a 3-2 win just a few miles away. Spooky!
Hull City now take on the mantle of most trips without maximum points. Like with the Pirates, the Spireites have won there in a cup tie, but 17 league visits to Anlaby Road, Boothferry Park and the KC Stadium have never spawned a win. The Tigers sit in the Championship play-off zone, so it may be a while before we can address that unwanted record!
The win also marked the first back to back away wins of the season, the first come from behind win of the campaign and a career first brace for the ‘his best foot is his head’ man Tom Naylor.
The game started with a lung busting box to box run from the three fist pump man, and his early doors opener, thanks to a brilliant deep cross from Dilan Markanday and an ever better volley back in by Liam Mandeville (ninth assist in L2 this season, a divisional high), unbelievably after such a short spell of time, seemed inevitable, Town’s start was that good.
It should have been two, three, maybe four as Dylan Duffy, Lee Bonis and Mandeville all were painstakingly close to adding to that goal as Spireites purred, with Sammy Braybrooke the heartbeat in the middle. But then, as the gaffer said pre-match, balloon, needle, burst!
Clear foul up the park, Tom et al all appeal, but the experienced midfielder forgot the first thing you learn as a six-year-old, play to the whistle. Rovers break, win a corner, Shaq Forde levels. For a while, playing to the whistle was good, but the second thing you learn as a six-year-old, that it’s a team game, seemed to elude the visitors; from strolling to struggling in a moment. Those balloons need to be hidden.
Forde put Rovers ahead after a downward header from just off the bench for his debut cult hero Big Joe Quigley, and all of that early pomp was forgotten. Moments before the goal, Duffy had defended a break single-handedly, holding the ball on the edge of his box for a good while waiting for his teammates to get back and help him out. They regrouped but then possession was gifted to Gas and we’re in familiar losing in Bristol territory.
Not for long though. Sam Curtis cross in, takes the slightest of deflections, but Naylor’s protractor was spot on, angles perfect, cushioned, looping header right into the top corner, the travelling fans base on that end delirious (just how good were they?)
Ten minutes later, triple substitution by Cook. Berry, Dobra and Will Grigg, fresh legs on a heavy pitch, on which the home side had played twice in the previous week, winning both games to clean sheets. Then Curtis delivered again. Deeper this time, the ball just eluded Dobra but travelled towards Berry, seemingly impossible position, but he acrobatically rose to volley home an absolute beauty that immediately made it onto my Goal of the Season contenders short list. That finish will rival Ronan Darcy’s at Harrogate for watch after watch on YouTube. Sensational. Nice chest dive celebration too, reminiscent of Tony Lormor at Walsall in the 1994/95 promotion season.
A few last-gasp corners to defend, their keeper up, bodies on the line, Armando told me afterwards that his brave stop was the first ever such block in his career! It was tense, and with just seconds remaining, Curtis won a free kick in his own half and, whilst still on his back, did a celebratory dying fly sort of wiggle indicating he knew the game was won and knew how vital that was.
After 30 games last season, Town were tenth, on 42 points, seven off the play-offs, which were achieved despite losses in games number 31, 32 and 33. This season, the team is six points better off, in eighth, with a seven points gap to the automatics, with a almost fully fit squad and a bit of form.
Games 31 and 32 this time around are both at home, Harrogate Town, then the rearranged Gillingham fixture, so taking maximums from those encounters looks vital.
Harrogate, still never Whittington Moor losers, had taken just four points from the last possible 60 before seeing off Cambridge United on Saturday, who themselves had been unbeaten in 14, having taken 32 points from those games, a run which took them from position #13 to second. I’m sure we’d all take that in the Spireites’ next 14 games.
The Sulphurites are bottom of the table, but they’ve drafted in seven new faces this window, including QPR loanee Emmerson Sutton, who scored the winner against Cambridge, and they’ve also re-registered Josh Falkingham, no need to explain about him, who’d retired at the end of last season, whilst familiar keeper James Belshaw departed last month, moving to Notts County.
I’ll remember the win at Bristol Rovers for the rest of my life, which equates exactly to the length of time I’ll remember, always with a smile on my face, the contribution to this club and this community of Jamie Grimes, who helped Boston United to a vital 1-0 home win over Sutton United on his Pilgrims debut. The best part of 200 games for Chesterfield, a ‘Champion Captain’, there’s not been a huge amount of those over the years, and he’s a fantastic person. Good luck, big man.
Phil’s Positive: Off on the front foot as promised, three goals away from home, Berry back on the scoresheet, maximum points at Bristol Rovers, and another fantastic game of football. Plenty to get excited about, but a swe could all see, plenty more to learn from.
Next Match: Saturday, February 14, Valentine’s Day, and wouldn’t we love a first ever home win over bottom of the pile Harrogate Town! As usual, a 3pm kick-off. Listen to the build-up on 1866 Sport from 2pm with commentary being on the subscription platform, then back on the App for After the Whistle. Hear from Gary Roberts, James Berry and Armando Dobra in the After the Whistle podcast from after the Bristol Rovers win.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Hemming; Curtis, Dunkley, Swinkels, Pearce; Naylor, Braybrooke; Markanday (Donacien 85), Mandeville (Dobra 71), Duffy (Berry 71); Bonis (Grigg 71). Subs (not used); McFadzean, Ladapo, Dickson.
Goals: Naylor 3, 61, Berry 78 (Chesterfield), Forde 28, 58 (Rovers)
Referee: Matthew Russell
Bookings: Bonis, Markanday (Chesterfield), Mola, Kilgour, Forde (Bristol Rovers)
Attendance: 8,210 (927 from Chesterfield)
1866 Sport Man of the Match: Tom Naylor (chosen by Bob Bloomer)
