Report by North Derbyshire Radio Senior Football Correspondent Ben Smith
Chesterfield collected their first win of pre-season in style, beating Burton Albion 5-0 in Tuesday night’s friendly.
A brace from Will Grigg got things going, Ryan Colclough made it three just before half-time, before Lee Bonis and Adam Lewis helped their side pull further clear once play resumed.
The Spireites returned to the SMH Group Stadium having lost 2-1 at eighth-tier outfit Matlock Town in Saturday’s running of the annual Ernie Moss Challenge Cup contested between those two sides.
That result didn’t dissuade Blues boss Paul Cook from handing some of the younger members of his squad another chance to impress against League One Burton, however.
And it was a bit of a baptism of fire for some of those more inexperienced players as Burton launched an early barrage, only kept at bay by what was a very busy Ryan Boot in the opening stages.
The home side did steadily start to find the rhythm of the game, however, and won themselves a penalty just after the half-hour mark as Colclough was brought down in the box.
Grigg then stepped up to coolly convert, and it would be the same duo that combined from open play for the second just minutes later, with the latter sweeping home an inviting pull back.
Colclough then capped a very productive period with a goal of his own, though opposition ‘keeper Harry Isted will likely have been frustrated not to have held his free-kick at the near post.
Cook, as in that game at Matlock, then opted to change his entire XI during the half-time interval.
That sweeping alteration wouldn’t disrupt the momentum his team had built up before the break though as they took less than 15 minutes to find a fourth.
And it would be brought about by some great work by Bonis who, in his first outing since signing from Dutch side ADO Den Haag, charged down Isted’s clearance to send the ball barrelling back goal-bound.
Another new signing would complete the rout soon after, with Lewis embarking on a marauding run from full-back before applying a composed finish from the edge of the area.
Chesterfield will look to carry the confidence from that result into what promises to be a very tough test on Saturday, as Premier League side Nottingham Forest make the short trip to North Derbyshire.
