Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s Ben Smith

A 2-1 defeat saw 10-man Chesterfield exit the FA Cup at the second round stage on Saturday evening, marking a second loss to League One outfit Doncaster Rovers in the space of a week.

Lee Bonis briefly had fourth-tier Town on course for an upset prior to Owen Bailey’s equaliser, before Jack Senior eventually took advantage of a red card shown to fellow substitute John Fleck to complete the turnaround.

A much-changed Spireites side were beaten 5-1 in a reverse running of this fixture in the Vertu Trophy in midweek, meaning they returned to the SMH Group Stadium perhaps particularly eager to prove their true strength.

And just past the half hour mark it was the Blues who struck first as Bonis, scorer of the winner against Stevenage in round one, was in the goals again, following in after Liam Mandeville’s initial effort had been saved.

The post-goal celebrations had hardly finished before things were all level though, with visiting skipper Bailey arriving on the end of a wicked cross to head home.

Manager Paul Cook was likely frustrated to see his team squander momentum so swiftly, and his mood would deteriorate further after the break as Fleck, only selected to come on a short time prior, was shown a straight red card on 60 minutes.

Rovers wasted no time trying to make good on their numerical advantage, a fact perhaps best illustrated by the attacking exploits of right-back Jamie Sterry who first stung the palms of Zach Hemming before dragging just wide from the edge of the area.

Billy Sharp, who netted a hat-trick in Tuesday’s meeting, briefly looked to have played a deciding role again, only for his would-be goal to be denied by the linesman’s flag.

But just as it appeared the hosts may cling on to force extra time Senior would strike, firing in at the near post to settle the tie in the final minute of the regulation 90.

Having exited two cup competitions in as many matches, Chesterfield will now be firmly focussed on their League Two campaign, which continues with a trip to Cambridge United on Tuesday.