League 1

Scunthorpe United 1-1 Chesterfield – League 1

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Jamal Campbell-Ryce scored on his debut to earn Chesterfield a valuable point against in-form Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park.

The hosts were largely dominant in the first half and took the lead after just 18 minutes when top-scorer Paddy Madden rounded Tommy Lee to score his 17th league goal of the season.

But the Spireites were much improved after the interval and Campbell-Ryce got on the end Jay O’Shea’s cross to score just seconds after coming off the bench to move his new side five points clear of the relegation zone.

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Chesterfield 1-4 Walsall – League 1

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Chesterfield’s unbeaten run was brought to end by Walsall on a miserable afternoon for the Spireites at the Proact Stadium.

Sam Mantom’s second-half brace, along with a goal from Jordy Hiwula, earned the Saddlers a 4-1 victory in interim manager Jon Whitney’s first game at the helm.

The first half had been an even affair with chances at both ends and a goal for each side, both coming from own goals – James O’Connor and Tom Anderson being the unfortunate defenders who found their own net.

But a moment of madness from Dion Donohue saw the defender sent off in a scuffle following the visitors’ second goal and this ultimately proved to be the turning point as the Saddlers ran riot from then on to re-establish their promotion push with a dominant victory.

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Chesterfield 1-1 Blackpool – League 1

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Jay O’Shea’s wonder strike earned Chesterfield a point against fellow relegation strugglers Blackpool on Tuesday evening.

An action-packed first half saw the woodwork hit on no less than four occasions, three of which came from the visitors, but it remained goalless until the break.

Brad Potts opened the scoring in the 54th minute thanks to a big deflection that helped his hopeful effort lob the goalkeeper from range.

But the lead lasted only four minutes before O’Shea’s stunning effort found the top corner to earn his side a point.

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Chesterfield 3-1 Crewe Alexandra – League 1

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Chesterfield-born Connor Dimaio scored on his Spireites home debut to help Chesterfield to a 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Crewe Alexandra.

The hosts got off to a perfect start with two goals in the opening twelve minutes from attacking duo Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Lee Novak.

Zoumana Bakayogo pulled one back for Crewe shortly before the half-hour, but Dimaio’s dream moment early in the second half regained the two-goal advantage and earned the Spireites only their fourth home win of the season.

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Chesterfield 7-1 Shrewsbury Town – League 1

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Chesterfield kicked off the new year in style with an incredible 7-1 demolition of fellow League 1 strugglers Shrewsbury Town.

A wonder-strike from Jay O’Shea, followed by a penalty converted by the same man put the home side in the ascendancy before Lee Novak added himself to the scoresheet short before the break.

A comeback was briefly threatened by the visitors when Zak Whitbread bundled the ball home from close range. But the win rarely looked in doubt and the Spireites romped to a dominant victory with two more goals each from Rai Simons and hat-trick hero Novak on an unforgettable day for the side.

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Doncaster Rovers 3-0 Chesterfield – League 1

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Chesterfield slumped to a third consecutive defeat as Doncaster Rovers exacted revenge on former boss Dean Saunders with a 3-0 victory at the Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday evening.

It was a hugely disappointing display from the Spireites, who failed to register a single shot on target all night as goals from Nathan Tyson, Andy Williams and Cameron Stewart earned the South Yorkshire club their fourth win in five in comfortable fashion.

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Port Vale 3-2 Chesterfield – League 1

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Chesterfield fell to a second consecutive defeat as AJ Leitch-Smith’s fourth goal in three games helped Port Vale to a victory at a frosty Vale Park.

The wintry conditions made for an unpredictable contest that got off to a lightning-fast start with three goals in the opening ten minutes.

Sam Kelly’s first ever league goal put the Valiants ahead inside six minutes and Leitch-Smith regained the hosts’ lead four minutes later after Lee Novak had hit back immediately for the Spireites.

Louis Dodds furthered the advantage early in the second half and, despite Rai Simons scoring an excellent consolation in stoppage time, it was Vale who held on for a second win in three days.

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Chesterfield 1-2 Oldham Athletic – League 1

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Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s fifth league goal in as many games wasn’t enough to stop Chesterfield being defeated by Oldham Athletic at the Proact Stadium on Saturday.

The experienced forward capitalised on a loose ball in the box to give the Spireites a first half lead. But just as they looked to be heading for a fifth win in six, Dominic Poleon scored the Latics’ first goal in over five and a half hours to level the game.

Disaster struck for the hosts three minutes from time when Danny Philliskirk’s seemingly harmless strike from range squirmed under the body of Tommy Lee and somehow found the net via both the post and ‘keeper’s back.

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FC United of Manchester 1-4 Chesterfield – FA Cup 1st Round

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Chesterfield booked their place in the second round of the FA Cup with a comfortable 4-1 victory against non-league FC United of Manchester.

Any hopes of a cup upset at the impressive new Broadhurst Park were killed off after just twelve minutes as goals from Gboly Ariyibi and Lee Novak gave the Spireites a commanding lead.

Strikes from Rai Simons and former FC United man Ollie Banks made it 4-0 in the second half. And despite Luke Ashworth’s stoppage time consolation for the hosts, the outcome never looked in doubt and Chesterfield will now face Walsall in the next round of football’s oldest competition.

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Chesterfield 3-0 Southend United – League 1

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Sylvan Ebanks-Blake struck twice as Chesterfield beat Southend United 3-0 to record their first home victory since the opening day.

The Spireites were on top from start to finish and it took just eight minutes for a confident Lee Novak finish to put them ahead. Ebanks-Blake then showed his strikers instinct to pounce on the ball and make it 2-0 before the break.

Joe Pigott had a couple of opportunities early in the second period to give the Shrimpers hope, but failed to convert, and it was all over when the ex-Premier League forward smashed home his fifth of the campaign from close range shortly after the hour.

A third win in four outings for Dean Saunders’ men moves them up to ninth, remarkably now a point better off than they were at the same stage last season when they reached the play-offs!

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