Report by North Derbyshire Radio’s Senior Football Correspondent Ben Smith
Chesterfield were consigned to a third consecutive League Two loss on Saturday, going down 3-1 against Crewe Alexandra at the SMH Group Stadium.
Shilow Tracey and Max Conway gave the visitors a two-goal lead heading into half-time; a cushion that would be restored late on by Tom Lowery after substitute Dylan Duffy briefly halved the deficit.
Losses at Walsall and Swindon Town left the Spireites desperately needing to rediscover the form that saw them dismantle Doncaster Rovers 5-2 in their last outing on home soil if they were to keep their fading play-off hopes alive.
However, it would be Crewe (who arrived in possession of one of those coveted top seven spots) who started the brighter, with Tracey passing up a glorious chance to open the scoring with less than five minutes on the clock.
It wouldn’t be long before the forward atoned for that error though, eventually guiding the ball home after the hosts failed to fully clear their lines following a set-piece.
Further disorganisation gifted the Railwaymen a second on 22 minutes, with Jenson Metcalfe dispossessed in midfield before Conway was allowed to glide past two defenders to fire into the bottom corner.
That lightning start prompted chants of “we’re going to win five-nil” from the away end; an apparent reference to their side’s humbling defeat in the reverse meeting of these two sides back in August.
Paul Cook’s team would at least make it to the interval without falling further behind and started the second 45 on a more positive note, with Armando Dobra having two quick fire efforts blocked and Metcalfe also then going close.
And after surviving a few scares at the other end they would indeed find a way back into the game, with Duffy applying a controlled finish at the back post to spark hopes of an unlikely comeback amongst the home support.
Those hopes grew further still as the fourth official signalled nine additional minutes to be played at the end of the game, but would ultimately be extinguished three minutes into that period.
Omar Bogle, introduced in place of the impressive Tracey, was judged to have been onside despite complaints to the contrary and subsequently laid the ball across to Lowery, who slotted past Ryan Boot to definitively put the game to bed.
This latest result leaves Chesterfield now needing a minor miracle if they are to challenge for promotion, and attention will now turn to attempting to secure what would at least be a morale-boosting victory at Colchester United on Tuesday night.
