Penalty miss costly as Chesterfield miss out to Notts County in exciting play-off first leg
Chesterfield will have to do it the hard way if they are to make it to the League Two play-off final at Wembley.
They will take a deficit into the semi-final second leg at Notts County next Friday after falling to a 1-0 defeat in tonight’s first tie at a packed SMH Group Stadium.
Lee Bonis’ early penalty miss proved costly as the visitors struck through Jayden Luker to inflict the Spireites’ first defeat in nine.
The match came to life on six minutes when Liam Mandeville was upended in the penalty area.
Referee Will Finnie pointed to the spot and although Bonis’ spot kick was hit sweetly and sent keeper James Belshaw the wrong way, it cannoned back off a post.
That missed proved costly on 26 minutes.
A mistake by Ryan Stirk let County in down the right and the ball across from Tom Iorpenda was turned in at the far post by Luker desplite Ryan Boot’s best efforts to claw it away.
It was harsh on the Spireities, who had looked threatening in and around the County box. The loss of Armando Dobra to injury before half time added to the problems, with Will Dickinson replacing him.
The match was every bit and combative as manager Paul Cook had predicted, and he made another change at half time as Sam Curtis made way for Janoi Donacien.
Chesterfield came out for the second half with all guns blazing.
Dilan Markanday’s header drifted just wide, a ferocious drive from Donacien had the same result and then third sub Tom Pearce’s stinging free-kick demanded an excellent save.
Tempers boiled over and yellow cards were flashed as County clung on by fair means and foul.
Will Grigg and Tom Naylor were thrown into the fray in the hunt for a leveller but despite plenty of action in and around the County penalty area, clear sights of goal were harder to come by as the visitors snapped a run of three straight defeats against them.
Despite the setback, there was enough in this game to encourage Chesterfield for the return.
Salford take a lead into their second leg after winning 2-1 at Grimsby Town earlier in the day.
Chesterfield (4-2-3-1): Boot; Curtis, McFadzean (capt), Swinkels, Gordon; Stirk, Braybrooke; Markanday, Mandeville, Dobra; Bonis
Subs: Hemming, Donacien, Pearce, Naylor, Berry, Dickson, Grigg
Notts County: (3-4-2-1): Belshaw; Ness, McDonald (capt), Bedeau; Tsaroulla, Norburn, Iorpenda, Jones; Luker, Robertson; Jatta
Subs: Griffiths, Grant, Kouhyar, Palmer, Hall, Ndlovu, Bennetts
Referee: Will Finnie
Attendance: 10,013 (1.013 away)