Chorley 1, Chesterfield 2: Magpies undone by cheap goals

The Magpies dominated swathes of this entertaining game and repeatedly had an undistinguished Chesterfield side on the back foot but they couldn’t find the killer pass around the visitors’ penalty area.

In the event the Spireites found themselves two goals up soon after the hour-mark and looked set for a comfortable passage to the three points.

But a goal reignited Chorley’s fire and they subjected the visitors’ defence to sustained pressure in the final quarter of an hour, though as so often this season possession was not translated into goals.

The nuisance-value of legendary and much-travelled striker Tom Denton was soon in evidence here.

He brought a fine early save out of Matt Urwin and throughout won almost all the headers he contested. And it was no surprise that the goal which put Chesterfield ahead against the run of play on 40 minutes was Denton’s.

A corner was needlessly conceded with no danger to the home goal, the kick was flicked on in the goalmouth and Denton, unmarked at the back post, shepherded the ball into the net.

Earlier, with the Magpies playing some lovely flowing football, Chesterfield keeper Shwan Jalal had to dash out of the penalty area to beat Alex Newby to a great through-ball. Then Lewis Baines capped another neat build-up with a cracking low drive which passed just outside the far post.

Chesterfield might have had a second goal soon after the interval when Nathan Tyson broke quickly down the right but with only Urwin to beat he fired just too high.

Chorley continued to see plenty of the ball and Alex Newby tested second-half substitute keeper Ross Fitzsimmons with a well-struck shot.

However, the Magpies fell further behind after 64 minutes. A Tyson dash down the left wing culminated in a deep cross-cum-shot which caught Urwin in two minds and from beyond the far post Jordan Cropper whipped the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle for a great finish.

It looked for a time as if Chorley’s challenge was spent but in the 76th minute a free-kick in midfield, quickly taken by Martin Smith, released Connor Hall through the heart of a hesitant Chesterfield defence and the Bolton-loanee struck a fine low drive just inside the post from the edge of the box.

After that, it was largely one-way traffic as the Magpies sensed the chance to save the game and the visitors were forced to defend frantically at times.

Hall got in a good header which Fitzsimmons tipped over the bar but Chesterfield hung on to the final whistle, greeted with relief by their sizeable following massed behind the goal they were defending.

And so another hard-working display brought Jamie Vermiglio’s side no reward as Chorley slipped further towards the relegation trap-door, beaten by the odd goal for the sixth time in eight 2020 defeats.

CHORLEY : Urwin, Ross, Meppen-Walters (Blakeman,58), Baines, Kiwomya, Smith, Nortey, Duxbury, E.Newby, A.Newby (Dodds,69), Hall. Unused subs. Cottrell, Leather, Kay.

Att. 1,257.