Match report: AFC Fylde 1-3 Chesterfield
Tom Denton grabbed a double as Chesterfield booked a place in the FA Cup First-Round Proper and ended a 13-game winless streak with a 3-1 victory at AFC Fylde.
Danny Rowe’s early strike had the hosts in front but Will Evans’ free-kick and a Denton penalty swung the contest in Chesterfield’s favour at the break in the fourth-qualifying round.
Industrious striker Denton made it three midway through the second-half, powering a header from a corner to seal progression.
Spireites goalkeeper Callum Burton was forced into action within five minutes, beating away Joe Cardle’s effort, while up the other end Alex Kiwomya’s low shot from outside the penalty area was held by Fylde stopper Jay Lynch.
The Derbyshire side were behind on 12 minutes when Rowe drove into the bottom left corner through a sea of players from 15-yards after Chesterfield failed to clear a corner.
Chesterfield levelled after 26 minutes as defender Evans smashed a low free-kick into the bottom right-corner.
Martin Allen’s men turned the tie on its head when referee Josh Smith awarded a penalty after Denton was fouled in the penalty area following a corner.
Denton stepped up to take the spot-kick himself, rolling the ball right-footed into the bottom left-corner, sending Lynch the wrong way, to hand his side a 35th-minute lead.
In the second-half, Dave Challinor’s Coasters went close when Danny Philliskirk looped his header from Cardle’s cross just over Burton’s crossbar, while Gime Toure also bundled wide.
Denton notched his second and the visitors’ third on 70 minutes when he guided a header beyond Lynch after Zavon Hines’ corner from the right.
Substitute Kyle Reid could have made it four, drawing a smart stop from Lynch before Hemmings thumped the crossbar for Fylde, as Chesterfield professionally saw the tie out to secure a place in the hat for the First-Round Proper.
AFC Fylde: Lynch, Birch, Tunnicliffe, Francis-Angol, Byrne, Cardle, Philliskirk (Tasdemir 72) Croasdale (Toure 60) Hardy, Hemmings, Rowe
Unused subs: Bond, Burke, Griffiths, Kellerman, Brewitt
Chesterfield: Burton, Binnom-Williams (Reid 56) Evans, Maguire, Hollis, Rowley, Muggleton, Weston, Kiwomya, Shaw (Hines 64) Denton (Amantchi 90)
Unused subs: Anyon, Nelson, Antoine-Fortune, Wakefield,
Referee: Josh Smith
Attendance: 1, 092.