NAYLOR NAILS IT AT DEATH AS THE SPIREITES GAIN REVENGE

By Josie Boyle

NOTTS COUNTY 1

Jarvis 81

CHESTERFIELD 2

Pepple 70, Naylor 88

FALSE DAWN: Will Jarvis fires home Notts County’s equaliser

ASSISTANT manager Danny Webb admitted that losing the 2023 National League play-off final to Notts County had given his Chesterfield side an extra incentive ahead of their victory at Meadow Lane.

Two years after losing to their high-flying opponents at Wembley, Tom Naylor’s 88th-minute goal secured a hard-fought victory for the visitors over Stuart Maynard’s side.

The hosts had initially hoped to secure a point after County substitute Will Jarvis scored his first goal since joining from Shelbourne, cancelling out Aribim Pepple’s opener.

However, the late goal from Naylor meant the hosts missed the chance to climb back into the automatic promotion spots, despite Doncaster Rovers’ draw with Crewe Alexandra earlier in the day.

“That’s exorcised a few ghosts,” Webb said, in place of his boss Paul Cook. “Football is all about creating memories and we’ve done that out there.

“They beat us on the biggest stage possible and I’d be lying if I tried to pretend that hadn’t given us a little something extra coming into this. For a while now, they’ve always got one over on us and so it’s nice that, for once, the shoe is on the and, at the end of the day, it’s all about taking chances.

“If we had been more clinical and a little bit more ruthless then we’d have been in a much better position. Ulti-

other foot. They came out on Cook’s men were more cohesive during the second period top at Wembley and fair play to them. We’d swap their league and deservedly took the lead position with ours in a heartbeat. Full credit to them. Gordon’s 70th-minute centre when Pepple headed Lewis

“I definitely thought we deserved it though. Jarvis, netting for the first home.

“The lads did great and you time since joining from Shelbourne, levelled ten minutes could tell our fans, who were brilliant by the way, really appreciated it.” Gordon’s deflected centre. later after pouncing on Kellan

Both sides created several But Naylor’s dramatic intervention stretched Chester- chances during a frantic and field’s winning run to three games. often chaotic start to the game.

County saw David McGoldrick go close with a fierce low drive before, at the other end, Sam Slocombe made fine saves to deny Pepple and Ollie Banks either side of the veteran striker’s effort.

“Obviously we’re disappointed,” said Maynard. “We had the chances to put ourselves in control mately, that has cost us. What we’ve got to do now is bounce back and show the character the lads have shown all season. We can’t allow ourselves to get down or frustrated by it.

“We’ll look at what we did wrong, what we did well and what we can do better. We’ll then put that to practic.

“There’s still so much to play for and we’re in a position that a lot of other sides would love to be in so we have to get straight back to it.

“The lads gave everything, and credit to Chesterfield too.”

NOTTS COUNTY: Slocombe 7, Macari 6, Platt 7, Bedeau 7, Palmer 6, Gordon 7, Abbott 7, Grant 7 (Whitaker 70, 6), Tsaroulla 6 (Jarvis 71, 7), Jatta 6, McGoldrick 7. Subs not used: Perott, Johnson, Hinchy, Cisse, Edwards.

CHESTERFIELD: Boot 7, Sheckleford 6 (Donacien 15, 7), Palmer 7, Grimes 6, Gordon 7 (Duffy 71, 6), Naylor 8, Metcalfe 6, Mandeville 7 (Hobson 82, 6), Banks 6 (Fleck 81, 6), Dobra 7 (Colclough 82, 6), Pepple 7. Subs not used: Thompson, Olakigbe.

UP FOR IT: Chesterfield match-winner Tom Naylor wins an aerial duel

PICTURES: PSI/ Jez Tighe