Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s Senior Football Correspondent Ben Smith
Chesterfield extended their unbeaten run to four League Two matches on Saturday as they played out a goalless draw with Harrogate Town.
The Spireites came into this game on a run of three consecutive victories, having claimed the notable away scalps of both Salford City and Notts County in their most recent pair of outings.
But it was Harrogate who made the brighter start to this one, with Ryan Boot forced into two smart saves in quick succession, first to guide a goalbound free-kick away to safety and then to prevent a neat counter-attack from producing the opener.
The away side, doing most of their work on the break, would continue to look the more threatening of the two throughout the majority of the first-half, but were unable to make that pay before the interval.
When proceedings resumed things fell into a bit of a lull, though Boot would again have his reactions tested from a set-piece, this time guiding Bryn Morris’ effort behind for a corner.
But having dominated possession with very little to show for it for most of the match, the hosts truly started to click into gear towards the closing stages, with Armando Dobra firing the first warning shot which opposing ‘keeper James Belshaw could only palm away.
Belshaw would again be required to stop an in-swinging delivery from finding its way in, before substitute Ryan Colclough twice went close within seconds of being introduced from the bench.
The late storm was fitting for a second 45 played amidst driving North Derbyshire rain, but it was a period of pressure from which Paul Cook’s side were ultimately unable to conjure a winner.
And so 0-0 it would finish at the SMH Group Stadium, with both sides left to wonder if they could’ve made more of their respective stronger spells.
Chesterfield will now turn their attention to the trip up to Barrow next weekend, before returning to home soil for a midweek clash with Carlisle United on April 1.
