Chesterfield came from behind to secure a dramatic 4–3 victory over Leeds Adel in a thrilling encounter. It was far from Chesterfield’s most polished performance, but resilience, key moments of quality, and standout displays from Jonty Duffy, goalkeeper Regan Morton and Will Beardshall, ensured Chesterfield managed to grind out the win.

Leeds Adel made the perfect start, taking the lead after just five minutes when a quick attacking move caught Chesterfield off guard and gave the visitors an early 1–0 advantage. The slow start left coach Clive Morris visibly frustrated on the sidelines as Chesterfield struggled to find their usual rhythm. Chesterfield responded well and eventually found an equaliser through Ryan Speed. Chesterfield forced the Leeds goalkeeper to make a good save from a penalty corner, and it was Speed who reacted smartly to get on the ball first and slot home from close range, bringing the scores back level at 1–1 at the half time interval.

After the break Chesterfield continued to misfire, and on several occasions gave the ball away cheaply, with a lack of movement and few passing options available and also some poor execution. This contributed to Chesterfield’s problems, and Leeds Adel continued to look dangerous going forwards, managing to regain the lead just after the break, and putting Chesterfield under pressure once again. The home side showed character to respond quickly, with player of the match Jonty Duffy (pictured) getting round the back before pulling the ball back nicely for Jack Hartley to step up and score Chesterfield’s second goal and level the match at 2–2.

The back-and-forth nature of the game continued when Leeds Adel struck again to make it 3–2, leaving Chesterfield chasing the game heading into the latter stages. Once again though Chesterfield were not behind for long and found a response. With Will Beardshall in good form sparking some good attacks down the Chesterfield right flank, the breakthrough came and this time it was Hartley who returned the favour for Jonty Duffy. Hartley made a strong run down the right before finding Duffy in space who then produced a composed finish to bring the score back to 3–3 and swing the momentum back in Chesterfield’s favour with 15 minutes left to play.

With the match hanging in the balance, the decisive moment came from a penalty corner. Chesterfield executed the set piece well with some good skill from Josh Beardley beating a Leeds defender before finding Duffy in space at the near post, who duly fired home from a tight angle to give visitors Chesterfield a 4–3 lead with just 8 minutes left to play.
From there, Chesterfield had to dig deep defensively. Goalkeeper Regan Morton produced several important saves to deny Leeds Adel in the closing stages, while Will Beardshall delivered a strong and composed performance to help marshal the defence during a nervy finish. The match could have ended even better for Chesterfield, when defender Fin Brailsford put striker Hartley through on goal with a sublime aerial pass, but the Chesterfield skipper was thwarted by some last ditch Leeds defending.

Coach Clive Morris had shown clear frustration for much of the match as Chesterfield struggled to perform at their usual level, but the final whistle brought obvious relief, with the hard-fought victory significantly improving his mood. Despite not being at their best overall, Chesterfield showed resilience and determination to fight back and secure an entertaining 4–3 win to give them their 5th win in a row.

Next week Chesterfield will look to continue their recent run of good results and close the season out with one more win, when they host Brigg in the final league match of the season.