Tooley’s Take

Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Accrington Stanley 0 Chesterfield 1

League Two Game #39

On the way to the Wham Stadium, I received a message from club historian Stuart Basson urging me to turnaround and return home! Why? On a day when it was all about bounce-back, indeed the first day of Spring, I was informed that the Spireites had never won an away game on March 21.

Thankfully, I ignored the information and was able to be inspired by the poem my grandparents always used to recite to me, and popularised by the great Spike Milligan, ‘Spring is sprung, grass is riz, well done Will Dickson for doing the biz!’ Something like that.

Team news; six changes, big statement, Dickson and Ryan Boot the main surprises. We later found out that, ideally, Lee Bonis and Dylan Duffy probably shouldn’t even have been on the bench due to nasty bumps and bruises, but the keeper switch was not based on fitness issues. Like many of us with fuel prices rocketing, a bit of running on fumes for the squad.

It was a fluid 4-3-3 formation with, initially, Ryan Stirk playing further ahead than Sammy Braybrooke, but as the game developed, that switched. Dilan Markanday and James Berry both patrolled very wide, but regularly cut in, whilst Tom Naylor (plus Stirk or Braybrooke) pushed on into old-fashioned inside forward positions. It took a while to become as fluid as the theory, but on the day, it worked.

The first half was a half of four quarters! Ten-ish minutes of Accrington bossing it, then it was Town’s turn for a similar period, Stanley stepped up again and then PC’s boys arrested the flow of home raids. Boot did everything necessary, a couple of good saves and a couple of confident punches. Home defender Donald Love didn’t rise to the occasion, heading over when he should have done better, whilst during Spireites’ superior spells, Kyle McFadzean hit the post from close range and Markanday forced the half’s best save with a box-edge left-footer. Goalless at the break, probably about right.

Kicking towards the Chesterfield fans, bathed in sunshine, in the second half, the Spireites turned it up half a notch and began to wrestle control. With Braybrooke further up the park and prepared to run at the defence, as did the two wide men, and with skipper Naylor as a supplementary forward, the momentum was with the visitors and a Markanday raid, Braybrooke recycle, Sam Curtis fancy feet pass to the overlapping Naylor, who had a fantastic game, led to the inch perfect cross that Dickson rolled in after a perfectly timed dart and stretch into the six. Best move of the game and a deserved outcome.

First sub saw 18-year-old giant striker Dave Abimbola come on, he looked to rough things up, whilst Stanley’s second change, Tyler Walton, forced a fine one-on-one stop from Boot, who also save well from the second phase effort of that attack from Josh Woods. That was the only time after the goal that Accrington really threatened, whilst Spireites sub Bonis hit the post and the ball somehow stayed out.

A solid if unspectacular second 45+5, but it was the sort of workmanlike show that earns clean sheets and maximum points. I bet we’ll see more of this approach between now and the end of the season.

Only the second win on this grass, the last match of the regulation season last term saw our other Will, Mr Grigg, score in the 1-0 win that confirmed a play-off spot, and keeping Stanley out that day was a certain Boooooooot, in his last points-offering match for the team. Well done Ryan, spot-on showing.

A break now, which hopefully will enable some of the walking wounded to heal a tad, but no Grigg, Pearce or Ladapo for the remaining seven scheduled fixtures, the next of which is on Good Friday against Cheltenham Town. The Robins have taken four points from their last two visits to Whittington Moor, but prior to that had a shocking record in Chesterfield (six home wins and a draw in seven). Like Accrington, though they’ll not admit it, they’re all but safe from relegation, a dozen points above the dreaded dotted line.

Prior to losing 5-2 at Notts at the weekend, Steve Cotterill’s side hadbeen unbeaten in eight, six drawn, which accumulated the points that has enabled them to move away from the bottom two, so it will be another day to be patient against a team that’s become hard to beat, though they will be without key midfielder Sam Sherring who was red-carded at Notts, and like us, their trip to Derbyshire is their next game.

Grimsby Town (still to play at home), Crewe Alexandra (still to play at home), Walsall, Oldham Athletic and Barnet are now our rivals. With the top three seemingly out of reach, it’s about cementing a place in the play-offs so, for me, if a top six team comes up against any of these guys, they can happily win, and that starts off on Tuesday with Oldham v Notts, so Come on You Pies, but we’ll let the Latics bag a point next Saturday when they visit Crewe!

Phil’s Positive: Lots! Work ethic, solid shows all over the park, but as will be the case for the rest of the season, the three points are all that count.

Next Match: It’s close on a fortnight to the home game with Cheltenham Town on Good Friday, that’s April 3, 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 Kieron Dyer, Ryan Boot and Will Dickson in the Accrington Stanley podcast.

Chesterfield (4–3-3 to start): Boot; Curtis, McFadzean, Swinkels, Owolabi-Belewu (Donacien 89); Naylor (Mandeville 89), Braybrooke, Stirk; Markanday, Dickson (Bonis 71), Berry (Dobra 85). Subs (not used); Hemming, Dunkley, Duffy.