Chesterfield U23s secured the National Football Youth League title following a comprehensive 6-0 win against i2i International Gold U23s at the SMH Group Stadium.
The visitors were the only side who could have caught up with the Spireites prior to kick-off.
Alexander Duhameau and Ryley D’Sena both scored braces whilst Connor Cook and Thomas Marshall also got on the scoresheet.
It took less than two minutes for the Spireites to take the lead as Fernando Tavares’ cross could not be cleared and bounced to the back post for Duhameau to finish off.
Cook doubled the Spireites’ advantage after just 15 minutes, tapping home the follow-up from Duhameau’s shot which was initially saved by Isacc Libotte.
Duhameau could have had his second of the game just two minutes later as Archie White’s shot was saved acrobatically by Libotte – the striker denied a tap-in at the back post by Julian Abrams’ goal-line clearance.
Duhameau got his brace less than a minute later, converting first time from Liam Jessop’s cut-back cross from the right to put the Spireites 3-0 up in less than 20 minutes.
Skipper D’Sena put the Spireites four goals to the good in the 33rdminute, finishing from a deep cross first time past a helpless Libotte.
i2i had their first big chance of the game just a few minutes before the break through Kalonji Cowan whose audacious shot from range looked to be dipping in before Ashton Rinaldo tipped the effort onto the crossbar to keep his clean sheet intact.
The Spireites led 4-0 at half-time.
Libotte prevented a fifth Chesterfield goal immediately after the second half kicked off, parrying Jessop’s shot that was fired goalwards from the right corner of the penalty area.
D’Sena scored his second and Chesterfield’s fifth in the 50th minute but he did not know much about it as a corner was crossed right on top of Libotte whose clearance fired off the Spireites’ captain and into the back of the net.
White came close to scoring a sublime goal just short of the hour-mark with an excellent touch at the back post from a deep cross, but his curled effort just bent past the far post.
Libotte pulled off another fingertip save to deny Sam Hooper’s header from point-blank range.
The resulting corner led to Chesterfield’s sixth goal with two substitutes combining as Harvey Thomas’ header was tipped onto the crossbar and Marshall headed home from no more than three yards out after 66 minutes.
Chesterfield U23s will now look towards their National Football Youth League Cup Final next Tuesday, against North Leigh FC U23 at Derby County’s Pride Park Stadium.
Spireites: Rinaldo, Jessop, M.Cook, Hooper, Wilkinson, D’Sena ©, Duhameau, Aftab-Mohiuddin, Tavares, C.Cook, White
Subs: Dolman, Marshall, Thomas, Mitchell, Bamba
