VIDEO: SPIREITES' GOLDEN GOALS '” Lee Novak screamer helps Chesterfield to safety in unexpected win at Gillingham

Each week we are taking a look at some of the best to hit the net for Chesterfield over the past decades. If you have a goal you would like us to feature, email [email protected] with brief details and your memories of the strike and we will try to include in a future article.

This week we go back just over a year to a vital, but spectacular strike from Lee Novak that helped Chesterfield pull away from the League One relegation battle.

At the end of last February Gillingham were flying high in third place, while the Spireites, under Danny Wilson, were deep in trouble.

But against the odds Sylvan Ebanks-Blake tapped in Gboly Ariyibi’s cross to open the scoring in the 36th minute and then in first-half injury-time came Novak’s big moment.

The striker — on a season-long loan from Birmingham City — had already scored seven goals in the previous eight matches and his confidence showed as he took one touch from a simple lay-back from the edge of the area.

Novak then looked up and arrowed an unstoppable right-foot shot into the top corner corner to stun the promotion-chasing Gills, who pulled one back in the second-half but were unable to prevent Chesterfield taking home waht proved to be three crucial points.

WATCH Lee Novak’s long-range strike hit the back of the netREAD match reportNovak’s spectacular goal and a fine defensive rearguard action in the second half helped to lift Chesterfield three points clear of the bottom four

They took that boost into the rest of the season, although safety wasn’t confirmed until the end of April as they eventually finished seven points clear of the drop.

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