By North Derbyshire Radio Sports Correspondent Arthur Inglis
Chesterfield suffered a narrow defeat on the road as they were edged out 1–0 by Walsall at the Bescot Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The decisive moment came just before half-time when a misplaced pass was punished by Walsall’s Daniel Kanu, who coolly slotted home his first goal for the Saddlers.
Despite the setback, the Spireites grew into the game and applied consistent pressure after the break. Their task was made slightly easier when Walsall were reduced to ten men midway through the second half – Charlie Lakin dismissed after picking up a second yellow card.
Paul Cook’s side pressed hard in the closing stages, with several promising attacks and set-pieces testing the Walsall back line, but the equaliser proved elusive.
The result means Chesterfield leave empty-handed despite a determined performance, but there were positives to take: resilience, improved second-half tempo, and the character shown against one of League Two’s early pace-setters.
Manager’s Reaction
Speaking after the game, Chesterfield boss Paul Cook reflected:
“We’re disappointed with the result because I thought in the second half we were the stronger side. Once Walsall went down to ten men we created chances, but our final ball just wasn’t quite there today. The lads kept going, they showed fight and spirit, and that’s important. We’ll dust ourselves down and be ready to go again next week.”
The Spireites will now look to bounce back quickly as attention turns to their next league fixture.
