Chesterfield produced a fine display to steal all three points from Spotland, to continue there recent up turn in form under new manager Danny Wilson. Jay O'Shea gave the visitors the lead after a well-worked move and the Spireites were unlucky not to be 2-0 up at half time after Gboly Arriyibi's goal was controversially ruled out. However Dale improved after the break and Ian Henderson deservedly headed them level, but the away side won it with quick fire goals from Lee Novak and Sylvain Ebanks-Blake. Arriyibi was sent off late on after receiving two bookings for diving before substitute Rhys Bennett headed a late consolation for Dale, but it would be the away side who would deservedly take home all three points.
Keith Hill made one change from the team that beat Walsall last weekend as Jamie Allen replaced Callum Camps to make his first start since October. Chesterfield started brightly, as you would expect from a team that hit seven past Shrewsbury last weekend, with Arriyibi showing glimpses of what was to come when he easily beat Michael Rose within the first two minutes and flashes a menacing ball across the area. Dale grew into it and started to control the ball a little better coming close through Calvin Andrew's free kick and Donal McDermott's whipped cross that was well gathered by ex Dale keeper Tommy Lee. However Chesterfield took the lead when Arriyibi did brilliantly down the right hand side before finding Novak, who laid the ball off for O'Shea to take a touch before placing the ball perfectly into the bottom corner past the despairing Josh Lillis. Arriyibi was causing Rose all sorts of problems on the right wing with his skill and direct running and, having already been booked, Hill decided to replace Rose with Tom Kennedy after just 30 minutes. Unfortunately for Dale this did little to stop the rampaging winger as he quickly found space on the right again, and his cut-back was steered in by Novak, but it was rightly ruled out for offside. Chesterfield were playing with a real confidence and looked nothing like the team that hadn't won in eight before there result last weekend, and they were extremely unfortunate not to have a second when the brilliant Arriyibi teased the Dale defence again to find Novak, and when his shot looked to be going wide Arriyibi kept running while the Dale defence slept, and the American cut inside before firing a shot past Lillis with the aid of a deflection. Whilst the away fans cheered wildly, referee Carl Boyeson had a long discussion with his linesman before blowing his whistle and disallowing the goal for what seemed to be a very harsh offside decision. As a home fan I was feeling a little relieved to only be 1-0 down at half-time and had some sympathy for Chesterfield who were, perhaps rightly, angered by the decision which had cost them a second goal.
Tempers were still flaring after half-time with numerous words exchanged between Henderson and Chesterfield captain Sam Morsy. Dale's club captain was replaced after 50 minutes by Rhys Bennett as Hill tried to force up the midfield that was constantly being overrun by the Chesterfield attackers, whilst also providing a little more protection for Kennedy who was, like Rose, struggling with Arriyibi's pace. The winger did find more room and seemed to beat Kennedy once again after around 48 minutes, but was controversially booked for diving when personally I thought he had been caught by the Dale left-back. Arriyibi was once again the catalyst when Chesterfield created the first meaningful chance of the second half, as his infield pass found Novak who subsequently found the excellent Morsy with time and space, but Andy Cannon did brilliantly to recover and block the midfielder's shot, before Olly Lancashire was the epitome of cool as he calmly played the ball out wide to McDermott to set up a counter-attack. The winger teased his defender before laying on a perfect pass for Matthew Lund to play the ball in, and his cross was met by a brilliant header by Henderson to find the bottom corner of Lee's net. Suddenly it was Dale who were looking the brighter side as McDermott's powerful effort was well saved by Lee, before he denied Henderson on the line after the Dale man's original effort had been blocked. Yet, just as Dale looked as if it would be them who would take all three points, Chesterfield scored a second. Dan Gardner beat Cannon far too easily down the left hand side and put in a brilliant cross that only needed to hit someone to go in, and that's exactly what happened as Novak bundled it in to score his 4th goal in two games. Chesterfield sealed the win just two minutes later, when pressure from Ebanks-Blake forced Jim McNulty into an error and the experienced forward provided a calm finish to make it 3-1. The away side did make it a little harder for themselves when Arriyibi jinked his way past two defenders brilliantly, only to ruin the skill and tarnish what would have been a man of the match performance, by unnecessarily throwing himself to the ground inside the area. Although his first booking was harsh, Boyeson was right to send him off for the second and Dale's chances of rescuing the game were slightly improved. The Chesterfield defence remained resolute until the fourth minute of injury time when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing found fellow substitute Bennett at the back post, and the midfielder powered a header into the corner, but it was too little too late for Dale.
Full Time: Rochdale 2-3 Chesterfield
Man of the Match: Sam Morsy
Keith Hill made one change from the team that beat Walsall last weekend as Jamie Allen replaced Callum Camps to make his first start since October. Chesterfield started brightly, as you would expect from a team that hit seven past Shrewsbury last weekend, with Arriyibi showing glimpses of what was to come when he easily beat Michael Rose within the first two minutes and flashes a menacing ball across the area. Dale grew into it and started to control the ball a little better coming close through Calvin Andrew's free kick and Donal McDermott's whipped cross that was well gathered by ex Dale keeper Tommy Lee. However Chesterfield took the lead when Arriyibi did brilliantly down the right hand side before finding Novak, who laid the ball off for O'Shea to take a touch before placing the ball perfectly into the bottom corner past the despairing Josh Lillis. Arriyibi was causing Rose all sorts of problems on the right wing with his skill and direct running and, having already been booked, Hill decided to replace Rose with Tom Kennedy after just 30 minutes. Unfortunately for Dale this did little to stop the rampaging winger as he quickly found space on the right again, and his cut-back was steered in by Novak, but it was rightly ruled out for offside. Chesterfield were playing with a real confidence and looked nothing like the team that hadn't won in eight before there result last weekend, and they were extremely unfortunate not to have a second when the brilliant Arriyibi teased the Dale defence again to find Novak, and when his shot looked to be going wide Arriyibi kept running while the Dale defence slept, and the American cut inside before firing a shot past Lillis with the aid of a deflection. Whilst the away fans cheered wildly, referee Carl Boyeson had a long discussion with his linesman before blowing his whistle and disallowing the goal for what seemed to be a very harsh offside decision. As a home fan I was feeling a little relieved to only be 1-0 down at half-time and had some sympathy for Chesterfield who were, perhaps rightly, angered by the decision which had cost them a second goal.
Tempers were still flaring after half-time with numerous words exchanged between Henderson and Chesterfield captain Sam Morsy. Dale's club captain was replaced after 50 minutes by Rhys Bennett as Hill tried to force up the midfield that was constantly being overrun by the Chesterfield attackers, whilst also providing a little more protection for Kennedy who was, like Rose, struggling with Arriyibi's pace. The winger did find more room and seemed to beat Kennedy once again after around 48 minutes, but was controversially booked for diving when personally I thought he had been caught by the Dale left-back. Arriyibi was once again the catalyst when Chesterfield created the first meaningful chance of the second half, as his infield pass found Novak who subsequently found the excellent Morsy with time and space, but Andy Cannon did brilliantly to recover and block the midfielder's shot, before Olly Lancashire was the epitome of cool as he calmly played the ball out wide to McDermott to set up a counter-attack. The winger teased his defender before laying on a perfect pass for Matthew Lund to play the ball in, and his cross was met by a brilliant header by Henderson to find the bottom corner of Lee's net. Suddenly it was Dale who were looking the brighter side as McDermott's powerful effort was well saved by Lee, before he denied Henderson on the line after the Dale man's original effort had been blocked. Yet, just as Dale looked as if it would be them who would take all three points, Chesterfield scored a second. Dan Gardner beat Cannon far too easily down the left hand side and put in a brilliant cross that only needed to hit someone to go in, and that's exactly what happened as Novak bundled it in to score his 4th goal in two games. Chesterfield sealed the win just two minutes later, when pressure from Ebanks-Blake forced Jim McNulty into an error and the experienced forward provided a calm finish to make it 3-1. The away side did make it a little harder for themselves when Arriyibi jinked his way past two defenders brilliantly, only to ruin the skill and tarnish what would have been a man of the match performance, by unnecessarily throwing himself to the ground inside the area. Although his first booking was harsh, Boyeson was right to send him off for the second and Dale's chances of rescuing the game were slightly improved. The Chesterfield defence remained resolute until the fourth minute of injury time when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing found fellow substitute Bennett at the back post, and the midfielder powered a header into the corner, but it was too little too late for Dale.
Full Time: Rochdale 2-3 Chesterfield
Man of the Match: Sam Morsy