Midfield schemer Peter Leven didn't recover from injury in time for today's game, so Lee Richardson brought Jamie Winter back in, after serving his one-match ban for amassing five bookings. The most welcome face was that of Jamie Ward, returning to the bench after a stretch of hamstring trouble. The Spireites took to the field in the "Argentina" kit looking for a win that would take them back into the automatic promotion places.
Lester nearly played Niven in during the first minute but the Shrews countered in lively fashion until Kovacs read the danger well. The home side worked the ball well from Hunt's long throw and Drummond wasted a good chance from the edge of the box.
Both sides were playing the game at a lively pace and the home side pushed forward in numbers, taking the lead on five minutes. Chesterfield failed to clear a ball into the box and Hibbert converted from close range.
Ashton won a corner off Picken as Chesterfield looked to consolidate. Symes eventually gave away a free kick to relieve the pressure. Bastians took a pass from Niven and shot, forcing Garner to save.
Bastians turned away from Hunt on 16 and shot powerfully, but too wide, as Garner scrambled across his goal. Again the ball was allowed to linger in the visitors goalmouth after a 19th-minute long throw but Roche was equal to Drummond's shot.
A couple of Chesterfield corners presented Kovacs with a good heading chance; Lester went down under a strong challenge in the box on 25 but good-looking penalty claims were waved away in favour of a corner. Rooney got a glancing header to Bastians' flag kick but guided it narrowly off-target as Chesterfield began to show more. Lester shaped to shoot on 28 but Kempson came in with a timely tackle. Winter took a pass from a free kick and smashed it at the keeper from 35 yards; The Shrews struggled to clear the rebound.
Downes and Roche were on different planets in the run-up to half time as the defender rolled the ball back and past his keeper to present Shrewsbury with a corner. Thankfully, Hunt's delivery didn't cause further problems. Lester was being left to play almost as a lone front man as Rooney dropped back more.
Lester won a corner on 45 which Lowry took; Downes rose but Murdock was able to clear. Kovacs stayed forward and was a troublesome presence as the ball was returned; Lowry worked it to ADAM ROONEY who belted a shot into the back of the net for the equaliser. Four starts, four goals for the Irishman. There was still time for Symes to have a chance at the other end but Roche was big and held the ball.
With a strong contingent of big lads, Shrewsbury were causing problems from set pieces, but didn't really show a lot beyond that; Chesterfield weathered the early storm without going further behind before deservedly equalising just before the break.
Halftime: 1-1.
Rooney managed to get a shot away on 47 after intelligent work from Lester but the effort squeezed wide. Chesterfield took the lead on 49 with a finely-constructed goal when Lester made space and time to look up and find Rooney; he picked out JAMIE LOWRY who converted his third goal of the season. Chesterfield won a corner a minute later, but Garner claimed the far-post ball. The homesters brought the pacy Nicholson on for Symes as they sought an immediate return to parity. The introduction of an energetic multi-ball system coincided with the home side going 2-1 down.
Lester went through and was caught by Hird on 55, earning a booking for the Shrews defender.Winter stormed through and played a 1-2 with Niven on 58 before lashing a shot goalwards. Lester played another good ball through to Rooney on the hour and a corner resulted.
Lester and Rooney had swapped roles, somewhat, with Lester playing a little deeper, and the change was paying a rich dividend as the Spireites piled the pressure on.Murdock took Niven out but no free kick was given. The visitors were playing some lovely, incisive football and a penalty was awarded when Langley held Lester to prevent him breaking for goal. JACK LESTER took the 64th-minute spot kick and coolly chipped the ball home for his ninth goal of the season.
Ward replaced Bastians in the wake of the penalty and the visitors shaped up to play three up front. Shrewsbury made a second substitution, bringing Tierney on for Humphrey, but Chesterfield put the move of the match together to craft a chance for Lester, which was fired just over.
Lowry gave away a free kick and Murdock rose unchallenged on 68 to head Hunt's kick home and bring the home side back into it. Now the home side took the bit between their teeth. Langmead and Winter collided on 70 and the Chesterfield man needed Jamie Hewitt's attention before being taken off, to be replaced by O'Hare. Would the sight of the prostrate Winter being stretchered off, combined with the lengthy break in play, have had a detrimental effect on the visitors' concentration?
Another long throw ballooned into the Spireites box but was cleared by Kovacs, only for Ashton to have space for a shot as the visitors crowded into their own area. Hibbert was spoken to by the referee after a foul. Ward fouled with Hird as the game threatened to take an ugly turn and Kovacs fouled Langmead as the ref battled to keep his cards in his pocket. From the set piece Drummond flashed an apparently unmissable header wide.
The referee had serious words with Shrewsbury's bench on 88 but booked Lester on 89, apparently for simulation. Ward broke forward but couldn't find Lester, as the fourth official advertised six minutes to be added on in the wake of Winter's injury. Chesterfield threw their backs to the wall and defended increasingly desperate efforts from Shrewsbury's forward line, which by now consisted of almost every Shrewsbury player. The Spireites badly needed their forwards to play close together and hold the ball up to relieve the tension. Lowry looked as though he clipped Langmead but the referee gave nothing, and told Langmead why in no uncertain terms, much to the home player's frustration. Roche scrambled across his goal but was struggling to get to another Drummond header as it went wide.
Kovacs and O'Hare made telling, lengthy clearances as Chesterfield held on for a fine 3-2 win that pushed them back up into second place, but there must be concern for the condition of the injured Jamie Winter. Apart from defending against set pieces (and the continued giving-away of them!) Chesterfield had too much for Shrewsbury and, on this showing, should have too much for much of the rest of the division, too. Next week's tactic? Meet at Saltergate at 7.30 in the morning, get on a coach, drive around for six hours and play in the away kit!
