Chesterfield v Scunthorpe United
Saturday 3rd January 2009
League Match
Warminster Road

Chesterfield: Malak, Burns, Granger, Clay, Holmes, Tingay, A Smith, Adcock, Darikwa, Burrow, S Smith

Subs: Clare, Davies, Warberton, Webb

Without a competitive match in over a month, Chesterfield were eager to get back on track with league proceedings. With many games up and down the country postponed due to frozen pitches, Warminster Road seemed to have survived the cold, British, winter weather.

From the kick off it was obvious that the match was going to be a physical battle with Scunthorpe almost taking the lead in the first minute. A long ball caught Chesterfield sleeping at the back and almost gifted the visitors the lead, but fortunately the shot went wide of the post. This early chance should of woken the Spireites up but instead they paid the price. With just five minutes played the Scunthorpe number 10 went unchallenged through the Chesterfield defence and drilled a shot under Matthew Malak. 0-1 GOAL

That goal seemed to finally wake the Spireites up as they started to get more into the game. Chesterfield began to regain possession and play some decent football. Striker Adam Smith found his effort blocked but his shot came out to the feet of right back Ross Burns who's 30 yard strike looked to be going in the top right hand corner but curled just inches wide.

Smith came close again in the 18th minute when he turned his defender and drilled a low shot towards the Scunthorpe goal, his shot went just wide. This effort came after some good link up play between Craig Clay and Jimmy Adcock.

Just as Chesterfield seemed to be back in the game…disaster struck. Poor defending, again, at the back gifted Scunthorpe the opportunity to increase their lead to two with a close range effort that left Malak with no chance. 0-2 GOAL

Chesterfield picked themselves up and continued to put pressure on the Scunthorpe back four. A corner by Adcock gave him the chance to attack the oppositions left back and where he should of  played the ball across the box to his screaming team mates the midfielder tried his luck from an acute angle, unfortunately the keeper dealt with the chance easily.

Moments later Adcock was involved in yet another, and yet ever increasing, Chesterfield attack. After some hard work from fellow midfielder Tendayi Darikwa, Adcock's 30 yard drilled effort was watched wide by the Scunthorpe keeper.

Chesterfield's day went from bad to worse minutes before half time when the Scunthorpe number 10 beat the offside trap and closed in on goal, Captain Richie Holmes managed to track back with the speedy forward but unfortunately the shot deflected off Holmes beating the already committed Malak. 0-3 GOAL

HALF TIME Chesterfield 0 Scunthorpe United 3

The Spireites came out after half time knowing that they now had a mountain to climb if they were to rescue anything from the game. Five minutes after the interval, strike partnership of Jordan Burrow and Smith linked up well upfront before teeing Adcock off for a shot, which again went wide of the post.

Despite Chesterfield's possession and hard work, Dave Bentley's side just couldn't manage a shot on target. Chances came and went in the second half with Adcock having the best of the bunch. The Spireites passed the ball around the visitors like they wasn't even there at times and you got the feeling if they could of just got the ball into the box, the goals would have come. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and Scunthorpe ran out full time winners.

FULL TIME Chesterfield 0 Scunthorpe United 3  

Chesterfield's defensive mistakes ended up costing them the game in which they dominated throughout. 

Afterwards Youth Team Manager Dave Bentley said " I thought it was a very good performance from our boys this morning, the score line really doesn't reflect how we played. I've come off after the game and its unusual that somebody who's in charge of a team doesn't have to shout at the team for not playing well. I thought we were exceptional this morning, what let us down was the first period that we didn't defend well enough. The first goal, the guy went through three challenges and had a free shot on goal, the second one was a free kick which had gone to the far post and we'd not reacted to the next ball in so he's tapped it in and the third one saw our two centre backs going for the same ball, the ball dropped down and got played through and he got a recherché off one of our players for the goal. Apart from that they've not had many chances and I'm really pleased this morning".