Chesterfield v Port Vale: patience needed at the Proact

Gary Caldwell – gettyimages.co.uk

Disgruntlement lingers around both clubs following relegation, despite which both Gary Caldwell and Michael Brown kept their respective jobs.

Chesterfield have had a poor start to this season – losing their first three matches in all competitions – and one can see why fans feel let down by their club. However, they were a little unlucky to lose 3-1 to Grimsby in a game that saw them have 30 shots, 11 of which were on target.

Krystian Dennis scored in the opener and was on target again in the cup at Hillborough, but the Spireites were undone by a strong Sheffield Wednesday side. At Meadow Lane, Scott Wiseman was sent off at the end of an even first half and Notts County later took advantage.

Fine margins have gone against them in their two league games, so this blog would stop short of declaring their predicament a crisis. If they can continue to create chances as they did against the Mariners, logic would suggest that a striker of Chris O’Grady’s pedigree will follow Dennis and start finding some goalscoring form.

The Spireites search for their first win of the season against Port Vale, who got their own on the opening day. They triumphed 3-1 at Crawley, thanks largely to centre-back Anthony Kay’s man-of-the-match display and midfielder Michael Tonge’s set piece proficiency.

The following week however, they looked a little one-dimensional in a home defeat to Wycombe. Their means of approach play often involved high balls to Tom Pope and hoping he could hold possession for long enough for the midfield to join in. Chesterfield centre-backs, such as the aerially dominant Ian Evatt, are more comfortable dealing with long balls than they would be with fast, slick football.

Players who might help introduce that are Dan Turner and Ben Whitfield. The duo inspired a late surge last week which, although hollow in the context of the match, highlighted their influence. Turner is yet to start this season, but the team have scored three open play goals in his 75 minutes on the pitch, in comparison with none in 105 minutes without him. Turner has scored twice while Whitfield scored one cracker against the Chairboys and Michael Brown must be tempted to start both this week.

He and Caldwell are still deciphering their best team, as is often the case in the first month of a season, especially after a busy summer. One can question whether either of them should have stayed in charge but, having been given gig, they deserve time to rebuild their teams.

The Football Lab’s Verdict: 1-1