Tooley’s Take

Phil Tooley takes a look at the game and its context

Chesterfield 2 Grimsby Town 1

League Two Game #43

Boot, you beaut! Ryan is flyin’, keeper’s a leaper, calm then palm, pen saved again.

What a return between the sticks the man from the heart of JCB country is having. Without his 12-yard prowess, there would have been no point from the Tranmere Rovers game and just one against Grimsby Town, meaning his (extended right) handywork has brought four additional points in four days. Vital.

Let’s not forget the equally fantastic work done by Sam Curtis, getting a stunning first half tackle in to deny Jaze Kabia, whose Uncle Jim played for Chesterfield. A challenge that was as good as a goal. The Irishman would have got Jamie Hewitt’s nod for 1866 Sport Man of the Match had it not be for Boot’s brilliance in stoppage time.

In front of the highest ever Tuesday evening crowd for a league game on Whittington Moor, the Spireites had to, and did, turn up. The Mariners started well but the hosts soon found their sea-legs and began to navigate their way towards what every home supporter dubbed a ‘must win’ contest.

Just past the half-hour mark, double delight for Paul Cook’s men, two terrific strikes. Great build-up puts Lewis Gordon away down the left, swift cross in and there was Mandeville to deftly flick home. Sammy Braybrooke’s contender for Pass of the Season was immaculately chested down by Lee Bonis, perfect second touch and boom, 2-0 in the blink of an eye. Some goal.

We all thought ‘get to the break at 2-0’ but that’s not how the Spireites do things, and Kabia stabbed home from close range after a free-kick into the danger zone.

But the second 45 was dominated by Chesterfield with very little threat from our chasers. Bonis and Ryan Stirk rattled the woodwork, as did the visitors on one occasion with a header from Andy Cook, in what was a controlled show, only for sub Janoi Donacien to give the referee a stoppage time decision to make, and his decision making before that had been somewhat unpredictable,

Grimsby also had a decision to make; who would take the penalty? Boot’s save against Tranmere ended a run of nine consecutive spot kick concessions by him, stretching back to Paddy Madden, then a Stockport County player, missing out in April 2022. Our #23 had never before saved consecutive penalties.

The Mariners had been awarded a huge ten penalties in L2 this season prior to this game. Half of them had been missed, Cook missed their last one 11 days earlier, Charles Vernam missed one in February and Kabia missed three out of four early in the campaign. Danny Rose scored one of one, but he’s now with Barrow (great win against Oldham on Tuesday by the way). So new blood needed.

Up steps Reece Staunton, his qualifications? Not taken a penalty in a league game, ever, but he put one away in a shoot-out victory against Manchester United in the club’s fantastic League Cup win over the giants.

Boot told me afterwards he was going to dive left, but he spotted a slight change in stance of the taker that led to a mind change, meaning a fling to his right and a stop and gather that caused around 80% of the crowd to erupt. Potentially season defining.

Ryan clearly loves a spring in spring; that’s six penalty saves during regulation time in his senior career, five have come in April (including one for Solihull Moors against Yeovil Town’s Joe Quigley) plus one in May! Augurs well.

Gordon, starting for the first time in 2026, deserves some plaudits, as does Tom Naylor, playing in the attacking three midfielders. I could list many more as it was a terrific team performance on an evening where the result was all that mattered, but in retrospect, the performance shone just as bright. The perfect antidote to the Tranmere show to earn our first win-double over Grimsby since moving home and nudge the points count to 72, two more than was achieved over the full course of last season, so some measure of progress.

No possibility to relax now, the only way to guarantee a play-off spot is to win the remaining three games. If Grimsby win their game in hand (next Tuesday at Cambridge United, tough!) the battle will go right to the wire, so no complacency at Fleetwood Town at the weekend.

The Cod Army are in position #14, four points behind the team above and three points ahead of the team below. They scored a last-minute winner on Saturday to win 2-1 at Accrington Stanley under interim manager Matt Lawlor, just one win in eight before that, against relegation threatened Crawley Town.

The Spireites have lost the last three trips to Highbury – two in the league and one in a cup-tie, whilst Fleetwood earned a draw on our grass earlier in the season, Dilan Markanday equalising an early concession. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was the last Chesterfield player to bag a winner there. Fleetwood’s squad includes experienced strikers Ched Evans, ex-Chesterfield of course, plus James Norwood, formerly of the parish of Oldham.

Tricky games at the weekend for all four chasers; Grimsby make the long trip to an unpredictable Gillingham, in-form Barnet are at Meadow Lane, Crewe host MK Dons and Oldham play Salford at Boundary Park. If results go well, Barnet, Crewe and Oldham could all be eliminated from the race.

Believe!

Phil’s Positive: Performance, result, late drama! Just what the Doctor ordered.

Next Match: Highbury up next as mid-table not going up not going down side Fleetwood Town host Spireites on Saturday, April 18, 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 Danny Webb, Sammy Braybrooke, Tom Naylor, Sam Curtis and penalty hero Ryan Boot in the Grimsby version of the podcast.

Chesterfield (4–2–3-1 to start): Boot; Curtis, McFadzean, Swinkels, Gordon (Donacien 73); Braybrooke, Stirk; Mandeville (Markanday 73), Naylor, Dobra; Bonis. Subs (not used); Hemming, Owolabi-Belewu, Fleck, Duffy, Berry.