Relegation strugglers Chesterfield and Fleetwood Town played out a scrappy goalless draw at the Proact Stadium as the two sides looked to move closer to League 1 survival.
Proact Stadium
England 3-1 Turkey – U17 UEFA European Championship Elite Round
England Under-17’s got their European Championship Elite Round campaign off to the perfect start with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Turkey at Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium.
Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson put the Three Lions ahead two minutes before half time and two minutes after the restart, the hosts advantage was doubled courtesy of 16-year-old Jonathan Leko.
Nelson doubled his tally from the penalty spot six minutes later to put England out of sight and despite Furkan Korkut scoring a late consolation for the visitors, it was a good start for two-time Under-17 European champions as they look to qualify for the finals in Azerbaijan.
Chesterfield 1-4 Walsall – League 1
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.
Chesterfield 2-0 Scunthorpe United – Final Third Development League
Chesterfield’s reserve side made it two consecutive wins in the Final Third Development League by defeating a youthful Scunthorpe United side 2-0 on a comfortable afternoon at the Proact Stadium.
A goal in either half, both coming from defenders, earned the Spireites three points in a game that they dominated from start to finish.
Liam Graham got on the end of Jordan Slew’s low cross to open the scoring in the 13th minute. And Slew was once again the creator when Laurence Maguire got on the end of his strike to poke home from close range early in the second period.
The result makes it two home wins in a row for the Chesterfield reserves following on from the 7-0 victory over Gateshead last month.
Chesterfield 1-1 Blackpool – League 1
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.
Chesterfield 2-2 Notts County – Final Third Development League
Byron Harrison’s brace earned Chesterfield’s reserve side a draw against Notts County in the Final Third Development League.
Harrison’s composed stoppage time finish salvaged a point for the Spireites after Kyle De Silva thought he had won the game for the visitors just moments earlier.
Chesterfield had led at the break courtesy of Harrison’s opener but a 75th minute header from Jimmy Spencer levelled a game which rightly ended level after a dramatic conclusion.
Chesterfield 7-1 Shrewsbury Town – League 1
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.
Chesterfield 1-1 Walsall – FA Cup Round 2
Sam Morsy’s last minute equaliser earned Chesterfield a replay as they drew 1-1 with Walsall in Mark Smith’s first game as the Spireites’ caretaker manager.
Jason Demetriou’s deflected effort had given the Saddlers a 19th minute lead and despite numerous good chances for the hosts in the second half, including a Sylvan Ebanks-Blake overhead kick off the underside of the crossbar, it looked as if Walsall would be heading through.
But in the final minute of normal time, Morsy scrambled home an Ollie Banks free kick to salvage a draw. The two sides will now meet at the Bescot Stadium a week on Tuesday to decide who joins the big names in Round 3.
Chesterfield 1-2 Oldham Athletic – League 1
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.
Chesterfield 3-5 Notts County – Final Third Development League Cup Group Stage
A strong reserve Chesterfield side were defeated by Notts County in an eight-goal thriller at the Proact Stadium.
Three headed first-half goals, two from Mani Dieseruvwe and the other from Byron Harrison, put Chesterfield 3-1 ahead after Colby Bishop had given the visitors a tenth minute lead. But an eleven-minute spell turned the game on it’s head and made it 4-3 before Wes Atkinson’s wonderful strike wrapped up the victory for the Magpies in this Final Third Development League Cup group stage fixture.
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