Chesterfield beat AFC Rushden & Diamonds to win youth cup final

Alexander Duhameau, who has been on loan at Matlock Town this season, scored the winner on 53 minutes, slotting in after Archie White slid him in.

The Spireites’ side included some of the players who made their first-team debuts in the FA Trophy against Coalville Town earlier this season such as Jack Dolman, George Wilkinson, Adam Blakeley, Sam Hooper, Luke Mitchell and Duhameau.

Wilkinson has since gained more first-team experience on loan at Coalville, while Hooper and White linked-up with Duhameau at the Gladiators.

The young Blues reached the final after topping a group of Tadcaster Albion. Chippenham Town and Beaconsfield Town. They then beat I2I International in the quarter-final and Barnsley in the semi-final.

AFC Rushden and Diamonds, meanwhile, who reformed in 2011, now of the Northern Premier League Midlands Division, had a handful of players with first-team team appearances this season.

The first-half was extremely competitive with some tough tackles. Leigh Whelan set the tone in the first four minutes, resulting in a yellow card.

The feisty nature continued as the half went on but the game was lacking in clear-cut chances.

The closest either side came to opening the scoring came on 20 minutes when Whelan’s superb long-range strike was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by Regan Saunt.

As the game reached the half-hour mark Whelan, who had been involved in another heavy challenge and was feeling the effects of that, could not continue and he was replaced by Mitchell.

Ten minutes before half-time, Rushden had the best chance of the match, but Emmanuel Gbejuade dragged wide from inside the area.

As the first 45 minutes drew to a close, a nice passage of play from Chesterfield allowed White to deliver a driven low cross but the Diamonds cleared their lines.

Down the other end, goalkeeper Luke Chadwick, who has been at Handsworth this season, did well to slide in and rescue a back-pass from Dolman with the speedy Nasha Mukwada looking to pinch the ball.

Overall, the Spireites had had more of the territory and had hit the woodwork through Whelan, but Rushden had probably had the best opportunity.

Chances had been few and far between in the first 45 but eight minutes into the second-half White’s defence-splitting pass slipped in Duhameau who slid the ball beyond Saunt into the far corner to give Town the lead.

On the hour Chesterfield almost doubled their lead but Saunt tipped over White’s testing shot from around 20 yards out.

Midway through the second 45, Rushden right-back Tejan Thomas let fly from distance but his powerful strike went just over.

With 15 minutes remaining, striker Kallan Murphy, who has spent some time at Guiseley and Matlock, tried an ambitious lob from 35 yards but his attempt flew over.

As the game headed towards 90 minutes, White raced clear but his shot hit the inside of the post and bounced across the goal-line but did not go in.

Thankfully, it did not matter as Chesterfield finished the clash untroubled to lift the trophy.