Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context
Notts County 2 Chesterfield 3
League Two Game #37
Armando Dobra and Liam Mandeville, Town’s only two current players who know what it felt like at Wembley in 2023, both on the scoresheet, both with their third goals against the Magpies, neither man has scored more against any other club. They get this fixture!
County’s Matty Palmer and Jodi Jones, the latter who was responsible for setting up both home goals, were Wembley winners against the Spireites in a game refereed by the same man as this fixture, Matt Corlett, who’s been in charge of matches between these near neighbours on four occasions now. He’d previously sent-off Jeff King, so that’s a statistic that’s now levelled up! #BootGate, enacted by a man who hails, would you believe it, from Bootle!
Our recent series of games against County has been fantastic; two footballing teams slugging it out, late goals, red cards, big crowds, loads of drama, and this game was no different. Played in front of the biggest ‘paying’ crowd in L2 this season (MKD v Harrogate last week had free admission and 23,456 were there), right from the off, it was breathless.
Early booking for Ollie Norburn, ‘He studded my butt’, said Dobra afterwards, and it was the Albanian Arrow who shot Chesterfield into the lead a few minutes later. Good strike, but it was the build-up that was the story. Sam Curtis tackles on the chalk ten yards in his own half, Dilan Markanday picks up the ball and runs, and runs, and runs, and runs, Maradona, Messi, Markanday, all much of a muchness, delivered left to Tom Pearce, back into Dobra, squirms to Markanday, excellent lay-off, boom.
Put the search criterion ‘weirdest red cards’ into an AI engine and there’s Jamie Carragher for chucking a coin back into the crowd, a man who was watching on at Meadow Lane, Kieron Dyer for a fight with his team-mate Lee Bowyer, Eden Hazard for kicking a ball-boy and even Edin Dzeko, playing for Bosnia & Herzegovina, for pulling down an opponents’ shorts (Gary Roberts, please note); but next time anyone Googles the same, surely it will incorporate Ollie Norburn clipping Dobra’s heel, off flew a brightly coloured boot, which the Notts midfielder subsequently picked up and chucked off the park. Unsporting behaviour. Yellow card offence. Folly from Ollie, stud in the butt, shoe then flew, dreaded red. Only 19 minutes played.
Tom Naylor headed onto the post and Zach Hemming had to save a real twister from Tom Iorpenda as the game really opened up and Notts started to look dangerous.
Quick break, Jones delivered, Matthew Dennis menacing at the far stick, so Sil Swinkels sought to intervene but, with no real culpability, stabbed it into his own net, disappointing for sure. Spireites rallied, and Pearce delivered a beauty for the late and lonely arrival into the box of Naylor, perfect header this time, lead restored, half-time will be a happy place. WRONG!
Additional time signalled, Jones delivers again after receiving a rapidly taken free-kick, Dennis had a point-blank header saved, but defender Matty Platt was on-hand to toe-poke in from inches. Late first-half drama, from 1-1 to 2-2 in the blink of an eye. Breathless.
County’s expansive frequently gung-ho approach with ten men worked well, but after the break, they seemed to sit back and look for breakaways, which very rarely came, as Paul Cook’s side began to boss the contest and look very comfortable, with Sammy Braybrooke string-puller in chief, and it was his glorious dinked in ball for Mandeville to stoop onto and head in what turned out to be the winner. Assist of the season? Right up there with the very best.
Notts suffered from a few bumps and bruises, which kept breaking up the game and forced them into unplanned changes, but they couldn’t resurrect the dangers they posed in the first half, and Chesterfield, despite being fragile late-on several times of late, went on to deservedly claim the points and register only their second ‘win-double’ over Notts in history (2008/09 the other).
A high shot-count again, 20 following on from 23 against Shrewsbury Town, the first back to back 20 plus shots games of the season and Club Historian Stuart Basson tells me it’s the first ever 3-2 defeat followed by a 3-2 win in the club’s history! It was also the first time Notts conceded more than one goal in a game since Boxing Day, when (I’m sure you’ll remember) their match ended Chesterfield 2 County 0.
Tuesday’s opponents, Oldham Athletic, have also been miserly in front of their own goal this season. Fewest away concessions in the division, whilst only Cambridge have conceded fewer in all games. In their current run of W5 D2 L0, four clean sheets have been registered and just two conceded.
Leading scorer Michael Mellon, on loan from Burnley and son of Latics boss Mickey, is out for the rest of the season, former Spireite Joe Quigley has, of course, moved on to Bristol Rovers, meaning midfielder Jack Stevens looks the dangerman in front of goal, with six this season. Remember him? Ex-Solihull Moors, wound up Jame Grimes enough for him to get red carded right at the end of a 2-0 defeat next door to Land Rover.
Mike Fondop and Kane Drummond, both ex-Spireites, have four and two L2 goals respectively whilst Josh Hawkes, who came off the bench on Saturday to score in Latics 1-0 win over Grimsby Town, has also netted four times.
Town are back in the play-off zone and from hereon in need to cherish that spot and go all out to strengthen it against Oldham, who’ve not lost in their last six visits to our grass over a close on 20 year period. Last maximum pointer at home? December 2006, 2-1, a brace from Irishman Colin Larkin, so what odds another from the Emerald Isle makes the headlines on St Patrick’s Day? Lee Bonis, Dylan Duffy, Sam Curtis, Will Grigg. Your Guinness awaits.
Finally, all my best wishes go to Tyrone Williams, who’s had to give up the game after that shocker of a neck injury picked up at Swindon Town just over a year ago. Lovely man, played a big part in getting us back into the EFL and I remember him beaming with pride when I spoke to him after his EFL debut against Barrow, a 1-0 win with the goal being scored by his ex-Kidderminster teammate Jamie Grimes, a game that came just a few weeks after he reached the age of 30. Good luck Ty.
Phil’s Positive: Win double over Notts, plenty of chances created again. Let’s hope we don’t lose the initiative against the side with the most solid away from home defence, Oldham Athletic.
Next Match: Tuesday, March 17, Oldham Athletic at the SMH Groups Stadium, 7.45 kick-off. Listen to the build-up on 1866 Sport from 7pm with commentary being on the subscription platform, then back on the App for After the Whistle. Hear Kieron Dyer, Kyle McFadzean, Armando Dobra and Dilan Markanday on the post Meadow Lane match edition.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1 to start): Hemming; Curtis (Donacien 46), McFadzean, Swinkels, Pearce (Duffy 49); Braybrooke, Naylor (Owolabi-Belewu 87); Markanday, Mandeville, Dobra (Stirk 87); Bonis (Grigg 76). Subs (not used); Dickson, Berry.
Goals: Dobra 16, Naylor 44, Mandeville 66 (Chesterfield), Swinkels (og) 36, Platt 45+1 (Notts)
Referee: Matt Corlett
Bookings: Curtis, Swinkels, Braybrooke, Naylor (Chesterfield), Tsaroulla, Dennis, Bedeau (Notts)
Chesterfield manager Paul Cook was cautioned
Red Card: Ollie Norburn (two yellows, second on 19)
Attendance: 12,604 (1,954 from Chesterfield)
1866 Sport Man of the Match: Sammy Braybrooke (chosen by Ellie Yates)
