Going Up - Chesterfield |
Chesterfield will be back in League One next season, and
they are in pole position to go up as League Two champions, after they won 2-0
at the Pirelli stadium. Meanwhile, defeat for Burton Albion means they still
have to play for a favourable position in the play-offs, on the final day.
Chesterfield were always one of the frontrunners for
promotion. Manager Paul Cook arrived from Accrington in October last season, and
it took him a while to implement his brand of positive football. Prior to his
appointment, the club had three years under a more defensive coach in John
Sheridan. The Spireites averaged 2 points a game from March onwards, and were
unlucky not to grab a play-off place last time around.
Gary Roberts |
This summer, Paul Cook was backed successfully in the
transfer market, thanks to the funding from chairman Dave Allen. The midfield
was improved hugely this summer. Arrivals such as Sam Morsy from Port Vale and
Gary Roberts from Swindon, have added quality on the ball, the latter being
named League Two player of the year. Ian Evatt, a stalwart at Blackpool, has provided
some experience to the defence, while striker Eoin Doyle has taken some of the
goalscoring burden off Marc Richards.
Given so many improvements to the team, it would have been a
disappointment had Chesterfield not gone up. Paul Cook has certainly brought
the best out of his players though, and he has got the team playing good
football. They look like the kind of team that will get the ball into midfield
quickly, before building slowly from the centre. An attacking trio of Jay O’Shea,
Gary Roberts and Dan Gardner, who came on for the injured Daniel Kearns early
on, all like to operate narrowly. This creates space for fullbacks to get
forward, particularly Tendayi Darikwa, a midfielder by trade who came through
Chesterfield’s academy.
The visitors’ looked much the better side and their dominance
came to the fore early in the second half. A nice passing exchange between
Ritchie Humphreys and Jay O’Shea, allowed the latter to finish coolly, cutting
in from the right. O’Shea scored again in the closing stages to cap a deserved
win for the Spireites, after a dominant display.
Billy Kee |
What about Burton? It was a disappointing performance, in which
they simply could not keep the ball as well as their opponents. They rarely
managed to string three passes together in Chesterfield’s half, and often
looked to pump the ball forward aimlessly, rather than try to dictate play. The
Brewers played with two slow, stocky strikers up front in Billy Kee and Gary
Alexander, while there was little pace or creativity behind them. It was clear
how much the team missed the energy of Calvin Zola and Jacques Maghoma, who
left for Aberdeen and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. They chipped in with a
combined total of 27 goals last season, and helped the team play at a higher
tempo than Burton have played at this season.
Arguably, the Brewers had a solid defence to thank for the
fact the scoreline was not more commanding. Marcus Holness had an impressive
game at centre-back, alongside captain Ian Sharps. Going forward Burton never
looked a threat, even when Gary Rowett brought on two wingers, Zeli Ismail and
Ashley Hemmings, before the hour mark.
Gary Rowett |
Rowett, previously of Derby and Birmingham, made no defence
of his players after the match. He had told them: ‘if you think that’s enough,
then you’re sadly mistaken because one or two of you looked terrible today.’
The 40-year-old also hinted that poor performances from certain players had changed
his plans for the play-off games.
The first leg of the League Two play-offs will be played on
the weekend 10th/11th May. As things stand, Burton are 5th
and will play away to 6th place York in the first leg. However, with
just one league game to go, things could change quickly. Burton travel to 7th
place Southend next week. If they lose that game, and York win, they will have
to play 4th place Fleetwood in the semi-finals, with the second leg
being played away. That is a tie which Burton may be keen to avoid.
Gary Rowett deserves credit for getting Burton Albion into
the League Two play-offs, in back-to-back seasons, with one of the lower
budgets in the division. However, whether Burton go up or stay down this
season, they may need to add more guile in midfield this summer. Whether due to
an overly defensive approach, or lack of energy after a long season, they did
not put Chesterfield under enough pressure.
Chesterfield can begin celebrations on their return to
League One, as their fans triumphantly ran onto the pitch after the final
whistle. On Sunday’s evidence, there is much work to do for Burton if they too,
want to be celebrating promotion in a month’s time.
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