Spireites blow as Lee plea falls on deaf ears

Manager Lee Richardson's oft-repeated message in the build-up to Spireites game against unfancied Barnet was that his side needed to guard against complacency.

It appeared as though the players hadn't quite taken that message on board as the previously unbeaten side laboured and stuttered, putting in a shift far below the standards set and expected, a timely reminder that life in the basement isn't always going to be a breeze.

However, omen-seekers won't be too disappointed with the result. The last time Spireites were in this division, their start of the season unbeaten run came to an end against Barnet at Saltergate. Back in 2000-01, Chesterfield went on to win promotion whilst Bees were relegated.

The game's only goal ironically came at a time when Chesterfield had, at last, looked to have got to grips with the task.

Sub Nicky Nicolau broke down the left and crossed in towards the near post where Barnet's smallest player, Adam Birchall, was patrolling. He got in a header ahead of the much taller Janos Kovacs and keeper Barry Roche, flicking the ball towards Jason Norville, a yard out, and he got to the key point before Gregor Robertson to bundle the ball home.

Spireites created two gilt-edged chances, one before the goal and one after it. Jamie Lowry was guilty of missing out in the first half.

Peter Leven found Steve Fletcher whose flick fell equidistant between Jack Lester, six in six before this game, and keeper Lee Harrison.

Both got a contact on it and the loose ball fell for Lowry, close in, but he was unable to bring the ball to heel quickly enough, giving Harrison vital nano-seconds to assimilate the situation and move to his left to do enough to unnerve the midfielder.

On the other hand, Lester did everything right during a series of Chesterfield corners, firing firmly from six yards only to see the provider of Barnet's goal, Nicolau, make an excellent goal-line clearance when the equaliser looked certain.

Barnet's game plan was simple and effective. Pack the midfield and keep the ball when you get it. Bees boss Paul Fairclough called it a 4-3-3 formation, Richardson read it as 4-5-1, but whoever was right they both acknowledged that the victors got the tactics right.

Last season, during which Spireites lost 11 games by this scoreline, it was a packed midfield that regularly stifled Chesterfield and that inability to address that style of opposition will be uppermost on the training ground in the next few weeks.

Richardson's assessment of the afternoon was honest and accurate.

"We're all disappointed with the result but more so with the performance. For 80 minutes, I thought we were awful, static all over the park and we looked as though the three points were there to be given to us,” he said.

“It was only in the last ten minutes that we showed any sense of urgency and looked the more threatening side.

“It was a throw back to years gone by, it was a smash and grab by Barnet, but their game plan worked well, especially in the first half when they had lots of midfield possession which we couldn’t break down but they didn’t cause us too many problems.

“Barry Roche has had very little to do throughout the game. We were ponderous and plodding in the moments leading up to the goal.”

The frustration of the afternoon was heightened by the referee who put a stop to Chesterfield’s multi-ball system and was conned by some blatant time-wasting by Barnet following their goal.

On the official, Richardson said: “The multi-ball system has worked well for the most part this season, but because a couple of balls came on in the corner flag area the referee in his wisdom decided that the system should be scrapped.

“Then you had the farce of their supporters holding on to the only ball we had left and those kind of things mounted up on us. Decisions went against us, contributing to a very frustrating afternoon.”