Annual Walking Football Christmas fixture ends in a draw
OVER-50s
Chesterfield Senior Spireites Over-50s Team
The over-50s play in the Derbyshire League at Pride Park Padel on Wednesday evenings once or twice a month and organise friendlies at other times. The team is managed by Darryl Davies. If you are interested in playing or would like more information, contact Darryl by email at info@chesterfieldwalkingfootball.co.uk
Latest League Results
Latest League Table
Latest Match Reports
The Spireites over-50s played their latest round of league matches on Wednesday 22nd April.
The Spireites came into this series of matches with a depleted squad including a first time player and no subs. In the first game, The Spireites took on Sandiacre. In a relatively even match, the Spireites took the lead through a drilled free kick from Darryl Davies. Despite heavy pressure from Sandiacre, we held on for a 1-0 win, thanks to excellent goal-keeping from stand-in goalie Nigel Strong.
The next game was against Burton and was a very even game until the award of a penalty to Burton in the second half. 1-0 down and needing to score, The Spireites pressed hard but could not find an equaliser, and eventually lost 2-0.
The third game was against Stanton. In a hard-fought game, the Spireites were under pressure for much of the first half but a strong defensive performance kept Stanton at bay. The second half was a tale of two penalties - one awarded to Stanton and one not awarded to The Spireites. A controversial 1-0 loss!
This was another good performance from a Spireites squad that lacked its usual depth.
Latest Cup Reports
The Spireites over-50s team played their Derbyshire Cup Quarter-Final on Weds 11th February. The slightly strange format led to us playing a best-of-3 matches one after the other against Etwall.
In the first game, disciplined defence kept Etwall to very few chances, with some great goalkeeping from stand-in goalie Nigel Strong, while neat interplay led to some good chances for the Spireites that we were unable to take, resulting in a 0-0 draw.
In the second game, a defence retaliation gave Etwall a first minute penalty which they scored; unfortunately, there was no sanction for the initial elbow contact from the Etwall forward. As the Spireites pressed forward looking for an equaliser, Etwall scored two more on the break to lead 3-0 at half time. A spirited comeback from the Spireites fell short as only a neat finish from Darryl Davies found the net, resulting in a 3-1 loss.
The goal scored was important though as a win with a clean sheet in the final game would result in progression for the Spireites. Despite throwing everything at Etwall in the game, we were unable to find the breakthrough and another 0-0 draw meant elimination for the Spireites. The team should be congratulated for their efforts as, once again, we were only let down by our finishing despite dominating matches.
Friendly match against Santos Nottingham
The Senior Spireites over-50s played a friendly on 18th March against Santos Nottingham, who are preparing for a tournament in Portugal. Following the rules for the tournament, we played 7-a-side with a 3-touch limit on a large pitch without boards, so very different from the usual rules!
In the first quarter, Chesterfield team settled into a defensive formation as they got used to the different playing conditions, although they were caught out by the 3-touch limit a few times! In a tight quarter, there were no goals with both teams having a few half-chances, Spireites keeper Darren Townsend making several good saves.
The second quarter started with Santos taking the lead after confusion in the Spireites midfield allowed a Santos player through unchallenged to volley in the opener. The Spireites responded well and equalised through a tremendous free-kick strike by Darryl Davies, assisted by Mark Pickering. It was 1-1 at half time.
The third quarter was tight with few chances for either team, making it 1-1 going into the final 15 minutes.
Santos took the lead early in the fourth quarter and despite some pressure, the Spireites could not find an answer. As they pressed for the equaliser, Santos were able to score another on the break and followed this with two more to secure the win.
This was a great performance from the Spireites in unfamiliar conditions and it was obvious that the large pitch took its toll in the last 15 minutes. The Santos manager even commented that the final score flattered his team and the game was pretty even until the very end. The Spireites should be proud of the way they adapted to the rules and the conditions, and we look forward to a return game later in the year at Dronfield.
