Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s Ben Smith
Chesterfield need only to avoid defeat on the final day to make the League Two play-offs, that after beating Crewe Alexandra 2-0 on Saturday.
Lee Bonis bagged a brace at the SMH Group Stadium, scoring once in either half, to help his side leapfrog Swindon Town into seventh ahead of their showdown in Wiltshire next weekend.
The Spireites came into this fixture having salvaged a point with ten men at Fleetwood Town last time out, with Ryan Stirk striking late to secure a 1-1 draw.
Paul Cook was boosted by the news that Kyle McFadzean’s red card from that game had been rescinded, bolstering his squad as they set out in search of the four points which would absolutely guarantee their place in the top seven come season’s end.
The home side made positive early steps towards recording three of those points here, with Crewe ‘keeper Ian Lawlor forced into action by both Liam Mandeville and Bonis within the opening quarter of an hour.
It would be the latter of that pair who would get the first goal on 36 minutes, with the striker’s close-range bundle unlikely to win any awards but a potentially pivotal intervention nonetheless.
Dilan Markanday then went on to test Lawlor twice more before the break, and the hosts were within inches of regretting those missed chances once play resumed as Emre Tezgel’s looping header came back out off their crossbar just past the hour.
They would make good on that reprieve less than 10 minutes later, with Bonis latching onto Liam Mandeville’s through ball before racing through and lobbing Lawlor to make it two for both him and his team.
And that eventual 2-0 triumph marked Chesterfield’s final home match of the regular campaign, though they will host a leg of a play-off semi-final should they pick up the point they need down at Swindon.
