The last match before Christmas saw 7th place Aldershot travel up to the league leaders Chesterfield FC. Aldershot were without potent Swiss striker Lorent Tolaj which came to the relief of a few town fans considering his 11 goals already this season. For the home side, Liam Mandeville was absent from the match day squad, Paul Cook made four changes from the Spireites’ away win against Hartlepool the week before.
The match started with a bang. After just 3 minutes Aldershot took the lead through Josh Stokes. A quite obvious pull on Ash Palmer’s arm impeded the defender, although it wasn’t noticed by the referee and Stokes was allowed to lash the ball into the back of the net.
This wasn’t the smash and grab game that Aldershot were hoping to pull off, however. Just three minutes after going a goal down Chesterfield did what they’ve been doing all season so far and produced a great out of nothing. Darren Oldaker had a freekick from just outside the box and he took it perfectly seeing the ball sail past Jordi Van Stappershoef in the Aldershot net.
The scoreline might not suggest it but Aldershot’s Dutch ‘keeper had a good game producing some fantastic saves. His giant stature proved difficult to get past in the first half for Chesterfield and for a long period he made the difference between Aldershot staying in the game.
The most important factor in the second half, apart from Chesterfield’s sheer quality, were two yellow cards to Aldershot’s Haji Mnoga and the enormous Coby Rowe. The right back and right centre half respectively, committed several fouls on Dobra and Colclough on the right-had side in the first half, doing anything to impede the two players’ advanced and both were rightfully shown yellow.
For the second half both players were on thin ice and Chesterfield punished Aldershot’s right-hand side. With both players in the book neither wanted to make the sort of fouls they were committing in the first half to stop a Chesterfield player from advancing into a dangerous are for risk of a second yellow. For this reason, they pulled their punches, and Chesterfield exploited this to great effect.
On 65 minutes Chesterfield finally made the breakthrough they were pushing for all game. Miguel Freckleton found himself with the ball at his feet on the right of Aldershot’s box. Haji Mnoga, who would have easily scythed the player down in the first half in such a position, decided to stay on his feet and was far to slow to react when Freckleton passed the ball to Ryan Colclough. Colclough now had plenty of space to dribble into the box and more time than he could ever wish for to calmly pick his spot and hit the back of the net to put Chesterfield ahead for the first time in the match.
The Spireites didn’t stop there however, the league leaders wanted to prove how good they were. On 73 minutes they grabbed their third goal and again it came from play down Aldershot’s right side. Substitute James Berry executed one of his fierce penetrating runs down the wing and into the box and the lumbering Coby Rowe could do nothing about it. Berry was free to take the ball to they byline, pass it across to Will Grigg a yard away from goal who dutifully poked the ball across the line.
In stoppage time Chesterfield grabbed their fourth and final goal, this time through Armando Dobra and again it came from Aldershot’s right-hand side. Tom Naylor received the ball on that side and faced no opposition, he produced an inch perfect pass to Armando Dobra at the edge of the six-yard-box who made no mistake, slotting the ball home to cap off an emphatic Christmas fixture.
Chesterfield showed a canny understanding of the match as it went on and exploited the two first half yellow cards perfectly to carve out their goals. Some domineering defending from Ash Palmer and captain Jamie Grimes also proved important.
With four goals coming from four different players and with the mentality to keep it together after conceding so early in a match you’re expected to win, Chesterfield proved why they’re still favourites to win the league. Paul Cook has created a terrifying side, one that’s filled with goals and has incredible depth, confidence and camaraderie.
We mustn’t jinx it, it’s far too early for speculation, it’s not even Christmas yet, but come on, this Chesterfield side is one of the best I have ever seen and I’m secretly a little bit confident.
Leave a comment