Chesterfield 3 – 1 Torquay United – Player Ratings

Chesterfield 3 – 1 Torquay

Clinical finishing proved to be the difference in a game that proved why these two teams are at either end of the table. In a poor first half where the only real attempt on goal was when Jay O’Shea hit bar the game came into life following the break. Chesterfield had most of the possession, but after a long punt upfield the ball bounced in-between full back Humphreys and midfielder Ryan allowing Torquay’s Shamir Goodwin to power through before firing the ball past Tommy Lee into the roof of the goal to give the away side the lead.

Going behind however put some momentum in the home side as they really pushed for an equaliser that would extend their lead at the top. After a few tame efforts the home side were gifted a goal as United keeper miskicked a goal kick which hit the back of Krystian Pearce and allowed Eoin Doyle to go through one-on-one with the keeper and slot home the Chesterfield equaliser. Chesterfield continued to press but on the counter, a long range effort from Torquay hit the post and fell to substitute Wilkinson who somehow managed to put his effort wide of the goal from only a couple of yards out.

This again appeared to lift Chesterfield as they moved up a gear, after a series of Armand Gnanduillet chances, Jay O’Shea’s edge of the box effort found the bottom corner and in late injury time substitute Gnanduillet knocked down for Jimmy Ryan who played in Gary Roberts who came up with the cross to put through O’Shea for his second of the match and to wrap up the game for the home side.

Chesterfield

Tommy Lee The Spireite keeper was called upon very rarely in the game and couldn’t have done a lot to prevent the Torquay goal. 6.5
Tendayi Darikwa A solid defensive display from the youngster but lacked conviction going forward. 7.0
Ian Evatt A commanding display at the heart of the defence for Chesterfield as he mopped up any aerial balls played his way. 8.0
Liam Cooper Just like his partner, Evatt, he put in a solid defensive display and carried the ball out of defence well for his team. 9.0
Ritchie Humphreys The veteran wasn’t as good as his usual self going forward but put in a good defensive display. 7.0
Jimmy Ryan The midfield playmaker misplaced a couple of passes but kept his team pushing forward throughout the game. 7.0
Sam Morsy Another excellent performance from the battling midfielder who showed he’s the complete midfielder. 8.0
Dan Gardner Appears to be struggling for fitness of late and struggled to make an influence. 6.0
Ollie Banks Got dragged into a battle with Joss Labadie and struggled to make an impact in the game. 6.0
Jay O’shea Two goals for the Irishman capped off a great second half display. 8.0
Eoin Doyle Worked his socks off leading the line and despite scoring a lucky goal he certainly deserved it. 8.0

Substitutions

Gary Roberts Changed the game when he came one, delivering a number of quality balls into the box and providing the assist for the third goal. 8.0
Armand Gnanduillet Proved a handful after appearing off the bench and on another day could have scored three. 7.5
Sam Hird Did a good job in sitting infront of the back four and protecting the Chesterfield lead. 7.0

Torquay United

Michael Poke At fault for the first goal after a poor goal kick let Eoin Doyle score the equaliser. 5.0
Dale Tonge Had a good first half but struggled after the introduction of Roberts. 6.0
Krystian Pearce Played well particularly in the first half in frustrating the Chesterfield attack. 7.5
Anthony O’Connor Did well but tired as the game went on resulting in a late goal to seal the game for the home side. 7.0
Thomas Cruise Like the rest of the defence Cruise played well in the first half but struggled as the game went on. 6.0
Lee Mansell Tried to get his side passing through the midfield but came unstuck against the power of Morsy. 6.0
Jordan Chapell Looked a little bit lost in midfield and struggled to penetrate the Spireite defence. 6.0
Damon Lathrope Similarly to Mansell he tried to play in the middle of the park but found himself trying to prevent Chesterfield playing more than not. 6.0
Joss Labadie Appeared to be more intent on fouling Ollie Banks followed by some poor attempts on goal summed up his day. Allegations of biting followed the game. 5.0
Shamir Goodwin Took his goal very well as his pace left the Chesterfield defence for dead but struggled to carry that momentum forward. 7.0
Jayden Stockley Not a bad game as he lacked support but the on-loan striker will look to put in beter performances in the future. 6.0

Substitutions

Conor Wilkinson Missed an absolute sitter when the scores were level in a game he’ll be happy to forget. 6.0
Aaron Downes Dealt better with Gnanduillet when he came against his former side but the the Spireites second and third goals came when he came onto the pitch. 6.0
Courtney Cameron Failed to make an impact after appearing as a late substitute. 6.0

 

Man of the Match

Liam Cooper A commanding performance from the young centre half showed he’s one of the best defenders in the division. 9.0

Highlights

Previous Article

Away Attendance: Championship 16/02/14

Next Article

Team of the week: The Championship

Related Posts