Chesterfield eyeing third spot after excellent win at Southend United

The Spireites backed-up their victory at Gateshead on Saturday with an impressive 2-1 win on the road at Southend United on Tuesday night.

The win, along with defeats for Woking and Barnet, means Town have closed the gap to third.

"Over the moon,” said coach Danny Webb after the win at Roots Hall.

“It is hard not to be ecstatic when we have been on a really bad run.

“You can’t help but be ecstatic when you think you have turned a corner, like all the supporters will be.

“What is great is that in the last two games there has been a lot of pressure on us because the winless run could not keep going on.

“Tonight we showed the courage you need to be a successful team, defending our box, and managing the game properly. We kept the ball and made sensible decisions.

“It is great to have that winning feeling again.

“There are a lot of positives tonight. We have got to remember how quickly that turned into a bad run so we have got to make sure that does not happen again.

“We are now looking at third again rather than seventh and that is how football changes.”

Laurence Maguire headed the Blues in front with his first goal in a year and Ryan Colclough doubled the lead after the break. Harry Cardwell pulled one back soon after but Chesterfield stood strong to claim a valuable three points.

On Maguire’s opener, Webb said: “You can say where to stand and where to go but if Mandeville’s corner is poor it goes out the window. If Laurence does not attack with the aggression he does he misses the target.”

He added: “He (Maguire) is the only one who has not really had a game so he has probably felt a bit on his own with it but he has not shown that. He has trained excellently, been professional and supported the lads and home and away. The manager has given him his chance and he is repaying that at the moment.”

Chesterfield are back in action at home to Yeovil Town on Saturday.