'˜Sheer joy' for Caldwell who says Town are still in the fight

Gary Caldwell felt '˜sheer joy' as Reece Mitchell hit the net and gave the Scot his first win as Chesterfield manager.
Picture by Gareth Williams/AHPIX.com. Football, Sky Bet League One; 
Swindon Town v Chesterfield; 04/03/2017 KO 3.00pm;  
County Ground; copyright picture;Howard Roe/AHPIX.com
Gary Caldwell celebrates victory for his Chesterfield side at SwindonPicture by Gareth Williams/AHPIX.com. Football, Sky Bet League One; 
Swindon Town v Chesterfield; 04/03/2017 KO 3.00pm;  
County Ground; copyright picture;Howard Roe/AHPIX.com
Gary Caldwell celebrates victory for his Chesterfield side at Swindon
Picture by Gareth Williams/AHPIX.com. Football, Sky Bet League One; Swindon Town v Chesterfield; 04/03/2017 KO 3.00pm; County Ground; copyright picture;Howard Roe/AHPIX.com Gary Caldwell celebrates victory for his Chesterfield side at Swindon

The Spireites picked up their first victory in eight outings and thanks to results elsewhere reduced the gap between themselves and League One safety to eight points.

A 1-0 win against fellow strugglers Swindon, who had won their last two going into today’s clash, suggests to Caldwell that his men aren’t down and out yet.

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“The celebrations show what it means to the football club, myself, the staff and the players,” he said after Mitchell’s late winner sparked joyous scenes.

“I think it shows that we’re very much still in this fight and we will keep going.

“That will turn out to be a big goal for this club in the coming months and years.”

Caldwell made no apologies for getting caught up in the moment after victory eluded him in his first seven outings as Town boss.

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“I beat Ritchie (Humphreys, coach) to the celebrations and that’s the first time I’ve ever beaten anyone in a race in my career,” he quipped.

“I don’t think you can describe those thoughts at that time and if anyone can then they’ve got a better vocabulary than me.

“It was just sheer joy and happiness that it went in.

“They deserved it for the effort they put in, but you’re also trying to give them information on what to do for the last minute to win the game.

“It’s a feeling that I’ll never be tired of getting.”

The game appeared to be heading for a 0-0 draw as time ticked away, before Mitchell’s first ever senior goal.

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That wouldn’t have been enough for Caldwell, whose side now have 11 games left to rescue their League One status.

“We need to win in this situation so I wouldn’t have been happy with a 0-0,” he said.

“We had a clear game plan to do that and we had a clear tactical plan, which the players carried out as well as I’ve ever seen.

“You need the players putting in shifts like this to be successful.

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“I don’t want to praise them for that because that should be the minimum in every game.

“The effort was outstanding but it needs to be a minimum going forward.

“They’ll be praised for that extra bit of quality but not the effort because that’s what’s needed.”