The young Spireites produced a phenomenal performance to sweep aside Heather St John’s FC 6-0 away from home and reach the first round proper of the FA Youth Cup. The win was secured with braces from James Simmonite and Koby Eratt-Thompson, along with goals from Oliver Bointon and Tom Pawson.
It was a tight opening to the game against a difficult opposition, with both sides having chances to take the lead.
The opener arrived for the Spireites just before the break when Jerome Bedeau drove into the box and looped the ball over to Simmonite, who headed home to the delight of the away support.
The first half ended with Chesterfield having the edge, but the tie was yet to be sealed.
Following continuous pressure from the Spireites, the second goal came. A corner was played out to Eratt-Thompson who lashed the ball home from 25 yards out.
Chesterfield then put the game out of reach by making it 3-0 with half an hour to play. Simmonite received a cross into the box and buried the chance with a fine finish.
The domination continued when the lead was extended to four. Charlie Wood’s corner found 16-year-old Bointon, who capped off his FA Youth Cup debut with a brilliant bullet header.
The young Spireites added two more goals in time added on. Eratt-Thompson’s attempted cross found its way into the back of the net, before substitute Pawson broke the off-side trap and fired in Chesterfield’s sixth.
Goalscorer Bointon said: “It was a surprise (scoring a goal), I won’t lie. The game was done by then, so it was just icing on the cake for me personally. My job is to get a clean sheet and we did that.
“I thought we were solid throughout the whole game. We had to adapt to the conditions so played a bit more direct.”
Looking towards the next round, Bointon spoke with excitement about the prospect of a potential huge fixture and was optimistic about Chesterfield’s chances of a cup run.
“We will take each game as it comes. I would love to get a big draw in, maybe, round three.”
Bointon is from Chesterfield, and after being released by Sheffield United, he is back playing in his home town.
“I have had to adapt quite a lot, such as different ways of playing football, maybe playing out from the back more often or being more physical and dealing with the long ball. But I have enjoyed it. I love the players and staff so it is great.”
