Dave Bentley's Chesterfield dug deep to pick up yet another vital three points away from home in their latest Youth Alliance league fixture.
Despite Burton Albion being grounded to the bottom of the Youth Alliance North East Conference, the Spireites made hard work of what was meant to be a straight forward match.
Conditions at the newly developed FA training facility at Burton-on-Trent didn't lend a hand to either team with the wind helping each side for a half.
With Chesterfield opening the match with the extra aid, they made full advantage of it and within 20 seconds of the start could of got off to the perfect start. Scott Webb's punted ball up field cleared the dazed Albion defence giving Tendayi an opening. With the home side's back four being static, the Albion number one was forced to flea his line and charge Darikwa down, handing the ball outside the box in the process.
FA training centre, Burton, Staffs
It was to be the goalkeeper's lucky day as a free kick and a yellow card meant that Burton still had all their players on the pitch.
Darikwa continued his lively start with two half chances, which left Burton struggling to clear their half.
Chesterfield's early pressure paid off, when after just nine minutes the Spireites had taken the lead through captain Craig Clay. Not one of the most attractive goals Chesterfield have scored this season, as a corner cross from the left somehow found its way to Clay, just six yards out.
Craig Clay scorer of the winning goal
Jordan Burrow had an opportunity to add to the score line just minutes later. Ryan Granger's charging run along with some good play from Clay and Sam Smith, created the space for Burrow to try from distance, but his stylish effort clipped the post and went wide.
Despite being a goal down, Burton weren't prepared to sit back and on 15 minutes tested Webb from close range, but the Spireite number one denying any chance of a goal.
Chesterfield continued their overpowering attacks that were beginning to occur more frequent as the half progressed, but couldn't quite find the target as frustration began to set in.
Chesterfield picked up the second half where the first half had left off. Jimmy Adcock was feed through into the Burton penalty area by team mate Darikwa, but the powerful wind cost Adcock a chance of a decent strike.
Playing against the wind proved to have an effect on the Spireites game plan and along with frustration allowed Burton to begin some sort of comeback.
Compared to only really beginning tested just once in the first half, Webb was called into action more frequently in the second.
With the game becoming stale and blatantly irritable to play, Chesterfield had lost their attacking flair, but a quick Bentley substitution on the 70th minute mark, introducing Ben Watkis into the game seemed to awaken the Spireites.
Immediately Watkis created an attack by playing Clay in for a chance to get his second of the match, but the midfielder couldn't finish.
Jordan Wright drifted out to the wing allowing Adcock to slip inside the Burton defence and went agonizingly close with a right footed effort that beat the goalkeeper, but also his far post.
In the end the Spireites stood their ground and picked up a well deserved three points and once again a clean sheet, the fifth on the trot.
Chesterfield (4-4-2) : Webb, Handbury, Moller, Granger, Needham, Clay, Adcock, Darikwa, Smith (Watkis 70), Wright, Burrow
Subs Not Used: Palmer, Beaglehole
Goals: Clay 9
Report by Adam Hulme, Spireites youth team reporter
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