Chesterfield wait for news on Janoi Donacien after half-time withdrawal - Port Vale reaction

The defender made his first league start in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Port Vale, playing the first 45 before coming off at half-time and being replaced by Ryheem Sheckleford. The 31-year-old did not play much last season because of a groin problem and the Spireites have their fingers crossed that it has not flared up again.

Danny Webb said: “He had a bit of a tight groin so he had to come off as a precaution. He wanted to play on but he hasn’t played all season. It was a good 45 minutes under his belt. Hopefully it is nothing too bad.”

Donacien was in the back four alongside fellow new boys Kyle McFadzean and Jack Sparkes and Town fell behind after just two minutes. When asked if it was a risk to start all three, Webb told the DT: “I think after two minutes people might say that but as the game went on I thought they grew into it. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. You have got to get those players some game-time and get them on the pitch. Sooner or later you have got to give them that debut.”

On Vale’s opener, scored by Jayden Stockley, Webb continued: “It was a back pass which went out for a throw-in and then after that we didn’t stop the cross. If we had started the first-half better maybe we would have got the three points. It was such a shaky start but sometimes that happens in football. To start like that was gutting.”

The visitors went down to 10-men on 50 minutes when substitute Mitch Clark was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Bim Pepple. On the sending-off, Webb said: “I was the first one to jump up, without trying to get the lad sent off, it looked a bit naughty. I think when the lad came off he spoke to Gary Roberts and said he went over the top. But Port Vale might have a different opinion.”

Chesterfield took charge after that and equalised through Armando Dobra but couldn’t find a winner.

“We didn’t work their goalie (after equalising) and they defended well to stop us getting a chance to work their goalie,” Webb told the DT. “And we gave them a chance to cross the ball in the box and they took it. I think a draw was fair. We didn’t have a penalty or something like that you can moan about.”

He added: “We made a poor start and there were a few mistakes but we grew into the first-half. Playing against 10-men in the second-half helped us but it doesn’t mean it helps you to win the game because they are a big, strong, physical team. They had a flat five at the back at times in the second-half and were very hard to break down. It was a great finish from Dobra but we are disappointed not to have tested their goalie more after that. But when you go 1-0 down against a team in the top three and you get a point you can’t be too disappointed but with the run we are on we really came into today bang after the three points.”