EFL U18 Youth Alliance (North East)
at the RH Academy
Mansfield Town (0) 2
Jimmy Knowles 58
Ryan Ingram 70
Chesterfield (1) 2
Kian Tansley 18 pen
Chad Gibson 55
Point & hope photo gallery: click HERE
Mansfield Town:
Mason Campbell, Nathan Saunders, Kian Sketchley, Kyle Tomlin, Jamie Chisholm (C), Frank Cooper, Larrell King, Shamar Lawson, Jimmy Knowles, Brad Lathall, Josh Scott.
Subs: Charlie Doherty, Josh Adams, Ben Bayliss, Ryan Ingram, Tom Hilton.
Chesterfield:
Dylan Wharton, Ben Garwood, Chad Gibson, Callum Barlow, Conner Emery (C), Jared Wild, Sam Geeves, Kian Tansley, Jav Smith, Matt Fuertado, Josh Turner
Subs: Kurtis England, Alex Netherwood, Mitch Clogg, Callum Brook, Ollie Papworth
The English Football League Youth Alliance (North East) contains two sides whose first teams are no longer actually EFL clubs.
But it would be churlish of anyone to want to curb the development of the youngsters at both Chesterfield and Notts County who've both recently established themselves as non-league clubs.
However, regardless of the status of their senior team, this young Chesterfield side initially gave a very good account of themselves today and deservedly cruised into a two goal lead, before the Stags fought their way back into the game and very nearly claimed all three points as they finished the game on the front foot.
The Spireites took the lead from the penalty spot in the eighteenth minute, when Josh Turner and Kian Tansley both battled for possession in the Stags area, and the latter was impeded by Jimmy Chisholm, before getting up and taking responsibility for the spot-kick himself; which he rattled against the inside framework of the goal, with the resulting sound effect, giving those who were unsighted by the cluster of players around the edge of the area, the impression that he'd hit the right hand upright. But he hadn't.
Kyle Tomlin glanced a header over the visitors bar as the Stags looked to level things up, but it was the visitors who went closest to scoring again, when Mason Campbell did well, to turn Matt Fuertado's crisply struck shot on the turn round the post at full stretch.
As half time approached, Chesterfield went looking to consolidate their lead, and were just inches away from a second goal, when Josh Turner cut in from the right hand side of the area and drilled an angled shot, just wide of the left hand post.
HT: Stags 0 v Spireites 1
Right at the start of the second half, a crowded Spireites defence blocked two Tomlin shots in quick succession.
But ten minutes after the restart, Chad Gibson gave the visitors a two goal cushion, when he made an angled run into the Mansfield area from out on the left wing, before finishing well, just inside the far post.
"Game over!", grumbled a nearby Stags supporter... and at that precise moment in time, you'd be hard pressed to find anybody watching on who would disagree with that sentiment.
But cometh the hour... well, two minutes short of a whole hour to be precise, cometh Jimmy Knowles, who created himself an opportunity out of nothing, outside the visitors area, just to the right of the D and unleashed a thumping shot that beat Dylan Wharton and halved the Stags deficit.
Knowles went close to claiming another goal moments late, but his header, from Shamer Lawson's right wing cross, flew over the crossbar.
The Stags were putting the squeeze on their Derbyshire visitors now and were on level terms after seventy minutes, when second half substitute Ryan Ingram made light work of the attention of several Chesterfield players to level things up, with a well struck effort from virtually the same place that that Knowles had scored from twelve minutes earlier.
Jav Smith. who was the visitors man of the match, causing problems aplenty for the Stags defenders for most of the match, played a great through ball into the path of Matt Clogg, who raced into the goal area, but totally miscued his shot and sliced the ball, high and wide of the target.
Hilton drilled a similar effort wide at the other end, as the Stags finished the game in the ascendancy; with Knowles going close as he headed the ball against the woodwork, before seeing off the attentions of his marker, but hooking another chance narrowly over the bar.
Josh Scott put a well weighted ball into the path of Knowles, who went agonisingly close again... and the last action of the game saw Lawson almost nick the three points, as he fizzed an effort just past the right hand upright.
FT: Mansfield Town 2 v Chesterfield 2
A great comeback by the Stags youngsters, after Chesterfield had looked to be in control when they were two goals to the good.
