The first away day of the season if a glorious thing. Waking up early, getting in the car, coach or train carriage and journeying, making the trip you’ve been looking forward to for months. You get to the ground, feel the buzz of your fellow fans, maybe nip to the pub for a couple to calm your pre-match nerves. You’ve missed it and its finally back.

Chesterfield’s first away day was on the not-so-sunny Fylde Coast as they came up against AFC Fylde at Mill Farm.

Mill Farm is a nice, tidy ground. The impressive main stand, fully seated and equipped with hospitality for home fans is the centrepiece, with three covered terraced stands covering the other sides of the pitch. The Chesterfield faithful were packed into one of the end terraces and a couple blocks of the main stand. At over 1,100 the Spireites nearly outnumbered the Fylde fans who sparsely populated the other stands and seemed less excited for the first game at Mill Farm for the season.

Chesterfield started brightly and never looked back. In the 6^th minute centre half Tyrone Williams bundled the ball over the line after it was brilliantly headed down by the Spireites’ captain Jamie Grimes.

Chesterfield ‘keeper Harry Tyrer was tested a couple of times in the first half. The Spireites’ number 1 showed off his great reflexes when he made a fantastic save from a well hit shot that was deflected. A few minutes later a well struck freekick from Nick Naughton smashed the crossbar- some of the Fylde men suggested that Tyrer got a fingertip on the ball beforehand and if he did it was an excellent save.

On 34 minutes Chesterfield got their second through a wonderfully worked goal. Some fancy footwork by Armando Dobra set Liam Mandeville up perfectly for a well hit shot that found the bottom corner of Fylde’s goal. Theo Richardson in the Fylde goal, signed from Buxton over the summer, was powerless to save it.

Just before halftime Chesterfield added insult to injury and made it 0-3. An awful back pass from former Chesterfield midfielder Josh Kay was intercepted by Will Grigg. All Grigg had to do was control the ball and pass it into Theo Richardson’s empty net.

At half time the game was dead and buried, and apart from the goals there was little of note to talk about at half time.

Right at the start of the second half however Chesterfield made it 0-4. A fantastic through ball played by Liam Mandeville was collected by Ryan Colclough on the right wing and he made no mistake dribbling it into the box and sending Richardson the wrong was with a powerful shot across the face of goal. Over 1,100 town fans went crazy.

Unfortunately, at 0-4 up Chesterfield severely took their foot off the gas. Passing became sloppier, and the intensity fell off. Understandably so. Liam Mandeville still worked tirelessly making interceptions in midfield and trying to connect with runners on the overlap.

On 75 minutes Fylde got one back. Substitute Jon Ustabasi went practically unchallenged by Chesterfield right back Ryheem Sheckleford and was able to run down the left wing with ease and slot the ball past Harry Tyrer at the near post. On 87 minutes another lapse in concentration allowed Harry Davis to head in a second for Fylde. To top off Fylde’s poor day, In added time Davis the goal scorer was given a red card.

If it wasn’t for some heroic blocks from central defenders Ash Palmer and Jamie Grimes, and a couple of good saves from Harry Tyrer the result may have ended up quite different, but Chesterfield did enough to see the game out as 2-4 victors.

Against Fylde, Chesterfield showed how clinical they were in attack, an attribute they lacked the season prior, and with four scorers in the match how dangerous they were from all over the pitch. It’s understandable that at four goals up and at the start of the season a side will choose to drop their intensity levels, but the end of the match showed some of Chesterfield’s shortcomings at the back, especially with their fullbacks. More must be done if the Spireites don’t want to be caught napping by a better side than Fylde. I mustn’t be too negative though. Paul Cook has created a side that should beat any team in the division and the goals are already flowing. With two wins from two, Chesterfield is obviously brimming with confidence and will go to Oxford City on Tuesday with only one goal in mind.