Skipper Chey Dunkley ended Chesterfield’s long wait for a win over Harrogate by securing a 2-1 away victory.
The Spireites had not won any of their previous six meetings against the North Yorkshire side, but Dunkley’s header earned the three points after Ronan Darcy’s opener had been cancelled out by Stephen Duke-McKenna’s third goal of the season.
Chesterfield forged ahead in the sixth minute after Lee Bonis had wrestled possession from Tom Bradbury close to the halfway line.
He then fed Darcy, who showed immaculate composure to drop his shoulder twice and leave Bradbury and Warren Burrell on their backsides before curling the ball beyond goalkeeper James Belshaw from eight yards.
That lead might have been doubled from the game’s next attack, with Belshaw reacting brilliantly to deny Dylan Duffy.
Paul Cook’s men then had two more excellent chances to extend their advantage early in the second half, but Armando Dobra fired out of the ground from 12 yards with the goal at his mercy and a clean-through Bonis also cleared the crossbar after dinking the ball over Belshaw.
That profligacy was punished after 50 minutes when Shawn McCoulsky released Duke-McKenna through the left channel and his firm and low strike found the far corner from 15 yards.
But more Belshaw heroics went on to deny Dobra, before Dunkley made no mistake from seven yards when he rose to head in a Liam Mandeville corner in the 81st minute, handing Harrogate their first league defeat of the campaign.
