Madden calms
YET another topsyturvy weekend of National League action eventually saw league leaders County move to within one win of a return to the EFL, as a battling 0-1 win at play-off contenders Chesterfield took The Hatters three points clear at the top of the table.
After disappointment on Saturday evening, as a surprise 1-2 home defeat to Boreham Wood saw County’s lead at the top narrowed to just one point, Dave Challinor’s side bounced back in resilient fashion with a hard-fought three points in Derbyshire on Monday to find themselves on the brink of the title.
After Paddy Madden’s first-half penalty had sealed the win for The Hatters, news of a late Boreham Wood equaliser in their home clash against Wrexham sparked wild scenes of celebration in an away end of over 2,600 travelling County fans and turned the momentum of the title race on its head once more.
A run of three league defeats in four prior to the trip to the Technique Stadium on Monday had seen the nerves ramped up for the leaders, with Wrexham moving to a point behind and County holding a game in hand over their closest rivals.
But a battling, brave performance at the home of a Chesterfield side who are still fighting to secure a play-off spot got The Hatters’ title push back on track at the perfect time and ensured that the low of defeat at Edgeley Park was banished and replaced by what Challinor described as the “emotion and joy” of three points at Chesterfield.
With changes made both to offset that Boreham Wood defeat and to manage the fitness of his side, Challinor opted for four of them in his starting line-up for the Chesterfield clash.
Striker Courtney Duffus earned his first league appearance for the club after joining on a loan deal from League One side Morecambe last month, whilst key man Antoni Sarcevic returned from his three-match ban after a red card at Grimsby over the Easter Weekend.
Andy Cannon and Jordan Keane replaced wingbacks Ryan Rydel and Sam Minihan, who missed out through a minor injury.
Back in February, a pulsating 2-2 draw at Edgeley Park against the Spireites kept County top of the table, with Chesterfield then in second place and looking like pushing The Hatters all the way in the title race.
But since then, the return of former County midfielder Paul Cook as Chesterfield manager has not worked well for the Derbyshire outfit, with a poor run of results and performances seeing Chesterfield slip to seventh, where they now occupy the final play-off spot and face a late challenge by Dagenham & Redbridge to secure.
And, in truth, although both sides headed into the game on the back of just two wins in the last five, it was the league leaders who looked the better side for the first half, with wing-back Elliot Newby causing Chesterfield fullback Calvin Miller no end of problems.
Newby consistently had opportunities to run at Miller, firstly drawing the former Notts County man into a yellow card with a late challenge as Newby looked to burst into the area, before winning the decisive penalty late in the half.
Newby again had the beating of Miller, crossing into the box and seeing the full-back raise his arm to block. Although referee Elliott Swallow initially awarded the free-kick, the fourth official assisted in confirming the offence had been committed inside the area.
Miller was perhaps unfortunate to escape a second yellow, but Madden coolly slotted home for his 21st National League strike of the season.
County continued to look for goals even after taking the lead, with the impressive Duffus agonisigly close to making it two when he superbly controlled Madden’s through ball and lifted over Scott Loach, only to see the effort bounce back off the underside of the crossbar.
The hosts did marginally improve after the break knowing that only a win would all-but secure a play-off berth, with the introduction of Akwasi Asante, Saidou Khan and the returning Danny Rowe all boosting the home crowd’s hopes.
Khan dispossessed defender Ryan Johnson late on, feeding Asante who could only drive well wide of the near post.
At the other end, County were happy to play on the counter, with very few clearcut chances of their own.
Chesterfield’s one final chance came when wingback Jeff King wove into the box and produced a fine low save by Ben Hinchliffe, but the remaining moments were expertly managed by the league leaders to seal a vital three points.
And those points only became more vital when the news of that Tyrone Marsh penalty for Boreham Wood did filter through to the Technique
Stadium, with the jubilant County fans celebrating a potentially huge goal in the title race which hadn’t even been scored by their side.
That stalemate for Wrexham at Boreham Wood leaves County three points away from a return to the EFL after eleven years away, with Luke Garrard’s Wood side having an almighty say in the title race with four points taken from the current top two over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Challinor’s men now head to Wrexham this Sunday looking to seal the title win, with two home games to come next week with the midweek visit of Torquay United followed by the final day visit of third-placed Halifax.