Chesterfield start 2025 with defeat to MK Dons - how the action unfolded

First-half goals from Callum Hendry and Joe White had the visitors in the driving seat at the break.

Darren Oldaker halved the deficit with a super curling free-kick with 15 minutes remaining and they came agonisingly close to rescuing a point but the visitors held on by their skin of their teeth.

This was the injury-ravaged Spireites’ third successive league defeat and they will no doubt be keen to add to the squad before Sunday’s clash against Gillingham.

In what is an incredibly open and tight League Two, they are 10th in the table and just three points off the play-offs.

There were two changes to Chesterfield’s starting line-up from the defeat to Bradford City with Harvey Araujo and the suspended Ollie Banks replaced by Branden Horton and Oldaker. There was more strength in depth off the bench compared to previous weeks with John Fleck, the recalled Tim Akinola, Ryan Colclough and James Berry among the options.

Liam Mandeville made an important sliding block to deny Ellis Harrison early on before the midfielder then created the best chance of the game on eight minutes when he slipped in Dilan Markanday but Tom McGill reacted quickly to tip around the post.

The Spireites were getting some joy with their pressing but it was the visitors who took the lead on 18 minutes when a quickly taken free-kick from Liam Kelly sent Hendry through on goal and he dodged Horton before calmly finishing past Max Thompson.

MK threatened a second but Thompson parried over from Harrison amid calls for offside from the home fans.

Town still looked like they could hurt the visitors and some patient build-up play led to Kane Drummond hooking over from Ryheem Sheckleford’s cross and then later on Tom Naylor arrived late in the area to force McGill to parry.

Joe Tomlinson blazed over a good chance for MK but they grabbed a second goal before half-time when White’s low strike went through a crowd of bodies and found the bottom corner.

Chesterfield needed a big second-half if they were to turn the scoreline around but it was MK who had two great chances to bag a third. Hendry was denied from close-range by the feet of Thompson and then moments later Tomlinson burst into the box but was stopped in his tracks by Jamie Grimes.

The Spireites tried to respond but Bailey Hobson headed over from Markanday’s cross and then Markanday went very close himself but his brilliant long-range strike just went over.

With 20 minutes remaining Markanday was once again kept out by the fingertips of McGill who had an excellent game.

But McGill had no chance with Oldaker’s stunning curling free-kick from the edge of the box which halved the deficit on 75 minutes.

They pushed for an equaliser for the remainder of the game, including seven minutes of stoppage time, and they had one scrambled off the line in the 93rd minute and Mandeville narrowly headed over from a corner, but they could not prevent a third straight defeat.

Chesterfield: Thompson; Sheckleford, Naylor, Grimes, Horton (Akinola, 85); Oldaker; Markanday, Mandeville, Dobra, Hobson; Drummond (Colclough, 65).

Unused subs: Boot, Araujo, Fleck, Cook, Berry.