Match Report | Cards well beaten by Spireites

Woking 0-2 Chesterfield
Vanarama National League
21st November 2023

Woking returned to action on Tuesday night by welcoming league leaders Chesterfield to the Laithwaite. Caretaker manager Ian Dyer made two changes to the side beaten by Oldham on the weekend, with Reece Grego-Cox dropping to the bench in place of Morgan Williams, whilst Dennon Lewis missed out after coming off injured on Saturday, replaced by Charlie Wakefield.

The visitors made six changes from defeat at Southend, meaning places on the bench for the likes of dangerous winger Ryan Colclough and talisman Will Grigg. Woking kicked off towards the LGS, but it was the visitors who dominated possession in the opening five minutes. Some good play from the Cards developed shortly after, most notably seeing Williams have a cross aimed for Padraig Amond well cleared away by a Chesterfield defender on 14 minutes.

A quiet 20 minute spell was ended on 34 minutes when good play from Armando Dobra teed up James Berry, who forced a good save from Andre Jr to tip over the bar. However, on 38 minutes, the Cards switched off and Tom Naylor played in Joe Quigley, who finished cooly past Andre Jr and into the roof of the net.

Woking sought to put things right immediately and upped the pressure when good work from Tunji Akinola played in Wakefield, whose shot was well blocked by Ash Palmer. However, the Spireites went into the break one goal to the good, with Woking shooting themselves in the foot as has so often been the case this season.

Half-time: Woking 0-1 Chesterfield

Not much happened in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, although a very vocal Paul Cook was finally booked by the referee, before a last ditch tackle was needed to deny an advancing Alfie Pavey inside the box.

A sliced clearance from a Chesterfield man on 61 minutes saw Padraig Amond given an opportunity to test Harry Tyrer, but his half volley was straight at the ‘keeper. Minutes later, good build up play from the Spireites saw Quigley well denied by Andre Jr, before substitute Ryan Colclough’s follow up was well blocked.

Colclough was at it again on 79 minutes, his superb run down the left hand side seeing a low shot go narrowly wide of the far post. But the Spireites had a second when intricate play found Dobra, who turned the ball home from inside the six yard box.

Such is the firepower of the league leaders that they could bring on Michael Jacobs and Will Grigg in the final stages, and the latter turned his defender well on 86 minutes before firing wide from a great opportunity. In injury time, an excellent save from Andre Jr was needed to deny Colclough's piledriver, but that was it for the Cards.

A comfortable win for the runaway league leaders, and a sign of how far apart the two sides have drifted since the Spireites edged out Woking to third place last season. They will hope to put things right when they visit struggling Boreham Wood on Saturday.


Woking: Alexis Andre Jr, Dan Moss, Josh Casey, Scott Cuthbert, Greg Taylor, Tunji Akinola (Bradshaw 76’), Morgan Williams, Rohan Ince, Padraig Amond, Charlie Wakefield (Habergham 80’), Alfie Pavey (Grego-Cox 75’)

Unused subs: Jaaskelainen, Odusina

Bookings: Moss 28’

Chesterfield: Harry Tyrer, Ryheem Sheckleford, Ash Palmer, Jamie Grimes, Miguel Freckleton, Mike Jones, Tom Naylor, Armando Dobra, Liam Mandeville (Jacobs 86’), James Berry (Colclough 62’), Joe Quigley (Grigg 84’)

Unused subs: Horton, Banks

Goals: Quigley 38’, Dobra 80’

Attendance: 2169