'Talk of top three finish needs to be parked for now' - Chesterfield talking points from Walsall draw

Here are some talking points from Saturday’s game..

PARK IT

The feeling after the game behind the scenes felt a bit flat. When Gary Roberts spoke to the media, almost an hour after the full-time whistle, you couldn’t help but feel gutted for him as he stood in front of the cameras extremely disappointed. Looking at the league table, this result feels quite damaging. None of the top 10 lost and six of them won. Cambridge United have won five in a row. Notts County have won four on the bounce. Teams are putting runs together now. Notts, Walsall, Swindon Town are all in action in midweek so the picture could look even gloomier by then. Chesterfield are only seven points off third - which isn’t that big of a gap - but it is if you aren’t winning regularly yourself. Talk of wanting to get into the automatic promotion race should be parked for the time being because, as it stands, they sit four points outside the play-offs and have only won one of their last seven.

SEASON SUMMED UP

Chesterfield had done the hard work. They had scored first - and early - against a stubborn Walsall side who they had not beaten in four attempts last season and in the reverse fixture in this campaign. They had even netted a second. For 40 minutes they were brilliant. Anyone would have been a worthy man of the match. They were in control and managing the game nicely. For the other 60 they were complacent and sloppy. They gave Walsall a lifeline when Daniel Kanu headed in four minutes before the break. That changed the game and all the momentum was with the visitors. The equaliser was coming and it arrived on the hour. The only surprise was that they didn’t grab a third and go on and win it. Ask yourself this. If Walsall had been 2-0 up would they have allowed Chesterfield to score from two close-range headers? Not a chance. The game probably sums up the Spireites’ season so far. They looked great in spells but they looked soft and average in others. It is so frustrating.

DIL AND GRIGGY

There were positives. For 40 minutes it was up there with their best performances this season. Tom Pearce was probably my man of the match, the left-back assisted the first goal and showed his quality on the ball throughout. He looks a shrewd addition. Sil Swinkels hardly put a foot wrong again. He has got a bright future. Liam Mandeville played a really important role with his off-the-ball runs. Dilan Markanday has two goals in his last three games since his return from injury. And Will Grigg was back on the scoresheet. He normally scores regularly in the second-half of seasons so hopefully this can be the start of him hitting some form.

Chesterfield: Hemming; Curtis, McFadzean, Swinkels, Pearce; Stirk, Braybrooke (Ladapo, 86); Markanday (Berry, 75), Mandeville (Naylor, 75), Duffy (Dobra, 66); Grigg (Bonis, 66)

Unused subs: Donacien, Dunkley.