Lee Richardson made six changes to a Spireites side desperate to shake the demon of poor form from its back. Roche returned to the goalkeeping position while Leven and Lester came back after injury. They were joined by the three new lads; Kerry in central midfield, Hartley at left-back and Dowson up front.

Chesterfield started brightly and went ahead in the fourth minute. Kerry won the loose ball in midfield and fed Lester, just inside the Brentford half. His turn made Osborne concede space and Lester threaded the ball into the path of DOWSON, who advanced into the area, held off a challenge and coolly slotted home from ten yards. Timed at 3'10", it was one of the fastest debut goals in our history.

Two similar Lester passes nearly paid dividends as the visitors' defence struggled with Lester's craft and Dowson's athleticism. The game opened out around the quarter-hour mark and Roche took a difficult, pacy cross under his crossbar at the second attempt. Downes had a free-ish header from a Lowry free kick on 23 and tried to angle it in, but glanced the effort wide. Brentford fashioned a great chance to equalise on 24 but Roche came to the rescue, saving with his foot after Smith had cleverly worked his way into the penalty area.

Brentford had good shouts for a penalty turned down on 25: a corner was headed back into the danger zone from the back of the penalty area and the visitors appealed that ball had been controlled by Downes's hand, but the referee was having none of it.

Hartley was caught in possession on 34 - his only blot on a good, steady game - but Downes was able to head clear. Chesterfield broke down the right and Lowry's cross was dummied by Lester to Leven; he saw Kerry running across him and dummied, too, but the midfielder was bustled off the ball when well-placed to shoot.

Brentford brought Mousinho on for Sankofa at half time. A slip by Downes let Elder through but Roche stood his ground bravely to kick clear. Aaron seemed to aim a half-hearted shirt-tug at Elder as he went past, causing animation among the Bees fans on Cross Street. At the other end Lester was brought down on the edge of the box and took the kick quickly to Winter, whose shot fizzed over the bar.

Millsom went into the book on 51 as the referee lost patience with the visitors' shirt-pulling. The victim this time was Dowson, who was pulled back after chasing a good Lowry ball down the right channel. Lester was the next to have his shirt pulled as he tried to break into the Brentford penalty area on 58; the free kick found him at the far post but he was judged to have fouled on his way there.

Reuben Reid replaced Elder on 65 and Steve Fletcher came on for the tiring Dowson two minutes later.

Brentford won a free kick of their own on 68 for shirt-pulling, this time by Hartley, outside the edge of the penalty area; Millsom's free kick was headed back and over by Connell. A potentially dangerous mix-up between Kovacs and Roche led to a corner on 69.

The Bees were forced to replace Heywood with Charles on 71, after the central defender was unable to shake off the effects of an earlier blow to the head. O'Hare came on into left midfield for Leven on 84. Lowry chased a clearance out of defence on 88 and bravely went into a challenge with Osborne but the referee saw it as dangerous play on Lowry's part, and he was booked for his efforts. Five minutes' stoppage time was announced but safely negotiated as Chesterfield held on for only their fifth home win of the season.

Everyone said an ugly win would do, and Chesterfield duly delivered, although much of the ugliness was necessary, to deal with the threat posed by a limited but physical Bees side. Picken and Hartley were steady throughout; the Sunderland man became more resolute as the game went on and typified the battling spirit of his team-mates. Roche, Kovacs and Downes made a defensive heart that was, on occasions, "entertaining for the neutral;"they were put through a stern test by both their opponents and their own demons, but they will point at the result and say "look at the clean sheet," only the club's second since the New Year.

The midfield was often by-passed as the game wore on, Brentford trying to boot it forward to increase pressure, and the Spireites booting it straight back to gain relief. When it was played on the floor Kerry and Winter complimented eachother in the middle while Lowry and Leven were busy on the flanks. Lester provided craft and guile up front and so strongly had the upper hand on Osborne that the markers were swapped at half time to stop the Bees man being wound up any further. Dowson's energetic running pulled the visiting defence this way and that, and the lad received a standing ovation on his second-half withdrawal. We need to keep it on the floor with him and Lester together and, when we could, we tried to: some confidence returned as passing moves were completed, especially in the first half.