FC Halifax Town 1 v 0 Chesterfield (Vanarama National League)
After the Boxing Day defeat away at Stockport County the Shaymen welcomed yet another former Football League side in relegation threatened Chesterfield Football Club arrived at the Shay for a Vanarama National League fixture.
The home side had the first real effort of the game on five minutes when Cameron King found space on the right-hand side of the visitors, but his shot across goal was well saved by Shawn Jalal who got a strong hand to the ball to force it out wide of his goal.
It was a fairly even first-half with very little goal mouth action and the next effort of the game fell to the visitors on twenty-six minutes, when former FC Halifax loanee Fondop headed a cross just wide of Sam Johnson’s post for Chesterfields first shot of the game.
Mike Fondop was again involved on the half hour mark, when an incident off the ball in front of the Shaymen bench. Jeff King fell to the floor after what looked like a bit of a scrap with Fondop, the Chesterfield striker went straight into referee Rhodes book.
Just two minutes later, Fondop was lucky not to see a red card after the striker cut in from the right and then shot into the side netting. Then for some reason he kicked the ball at the FC Halifax Town supporters in the South Stand, hitting the adverising boards and was lucky not to get a second yellow card.
FC Halifax Town went close to taking the lead on forty minutes, as Redshaw picks the ball up on the left side and dribbles past a couple then shoots from thirty yards out. The ball went just over Shwan Jalal crossbar with the goalkeeper beaten.
Just before half-time FC Halifax had another great chance to go in front, as Jack Redshaw picked the ball up from deep and ran at the visitors defence. After holding off a number of Chesterfield players he let fly but his strike went narrowly over the crossbar leaving the half time score 0-0.
FC Halifax really started to dominate the match at the start of the second-half with a few chances going narrowly wide. Then on the fifty minute, Town won a corner after Redshaw saw his shot deflected wide. Redshaw took the resulting corner which found Nathan Clarke inside the area, but he sent his powerfull header just wide of Jalal’s post.
Chesterfield created a rare chance in the fifty-seventh minute with a good attack which found Gevaro on the right wing, he managed to put a low ball into the box but Jack McKay scuffed his shot and Sam Johnson watched the ball go harmlessly wide.
On sixty-five minutes, a great run from Jack Redshaw saw him beat two men before being brought down in the box and referee Garreth Rhodes showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Jack Redshaw picked himself up before sending the keeper the wrong way to give FC Halifax Town the lead.
On seventy-one minutes, the visitors went close as Scott Boden got on the end of a cross for Chesterfield, but his effort was blocked and cleared by Josh Staunton. The ball then went straight back to the other end of the pitch as Jamie Allen won the ball and laid it off for Jack Redshaw who hit the target but Shwan Jalal palmed the ball away to safety.
On seventy-six minutes, former Shayman Tom Denton won a header inside the FC Halifax penalty area, but his downward header was well saved by Sam Johnson low at his feet.
Two minutes later, the home side were back on the attack and almost doubled their lead as Jack Redshaw and Cameron King combining well at the edge of the visitors box and Redshaw’s shot was parried away for a corner by Shwan Jalal.
The visitors finally came alive in the last two minutes of the match as they put the home defence under a little bit of pressure, as FC Halifax blocked fours consecutive shots before the final effort from Tom Denton was headed wide of Sam Johnson’s goal to leave the full-time score 1-0 to FC Halifax Town.
Chesterfield manager John Sheridan was clearly disappointed after the match and sent his assistant manager and former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley out to face the media. This was perhaps because Sheridan received abuse from his own supporters for most of the second-half. Following the defeat Chesterfield remain fixed in the relegation zone on twenty-seven points and it looks like its just a matter of time for manager John Sheridan.
Match Details
FC Halifax – Johnson, Clarke, Brown, Allen, C.King, Staunton, J.King, Williams, Cooper, Redshaw, Maher (Subs) Appleyard, Binnom-Williams, Sho-Silva, McAlinden, McCoulsky
Chesterfield – Jalal, Sheridan, Evans, Hollis, Nepomcund, Yarney, Weston, Fondop, McKay, Buchanan, Boden (Subs) Mandeville, Denton, Smith, Sharman,Wakefield
Goals – (FC Halifax Town) Redshaw (66p)
Attendance – 2,420
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