Spalding United 0
Chasetown 2
An out-of-sorts Spalding United suffered their first home defeat of the Evo-Stik League First Division South season on Saturday as Chasetown deservedly collected all three points.
Second-half strikes from Nathan Waite (50) and Dan Edwards (85) sealed the Tulips’ fate at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field, on what was a bad day at the office for Pat Rayment’s men.
While there’s no need to panic for Spalding after their second defeat in three league games, the performance wasn’t one they’ll look back in with any great pleasure.
Fresh off the back of Tuesday’s impressive 4-1 win over Brigg Town, the Tulips started pretty well and worked visiting keeper John Bateman when Kern Miller headed towards goal from Jamie Thurlbourne’s corner.
There was then a warning of Chasetown’s impending threat at the other end, as Simon Brown forced a stunning save from Michael Duggan.
The winger dinked a delicious free kick over the wall and it looked for all the world to be sailing into the top corner – only for Duggan to somehow claw the ball away at full stretch.
Spalding regrouped though, and striker Tom Waumsley – in for the unavailable Jordan Thomas – threatened to get in behind following an astute Andrew Tidswell pass moments later, but Bateman was out to clear.
Then came a spree of chances, with no less than three players seeing efforts cleared off the line. Miller, skipper Michael Leary and winger Mitch Griffiths all had close-range efforts blocked – with the latter a massive chance for the hosts.
Waumsley also had a 12-yard drive parried by Bateman, while Lewis Webb forced him into a smart stop with a low drive from the edge of the box following persistent play from Griffiths.
However, that momentum didn’t carry on after the break as Chasetown seized the initiative with a well-worked opener on five minutes in.
A deep cross from the left found Lee Parsons, who headed back across goal for Waite to turn the ball home from close range.
Having opened his Chasetown account with the deadlock breaker, Waite then turned provider with a wicked cross for strike partner Nicholas Wellecomme, who could only head over when well placed.
The chances kept on coming for the away side, with Brown forcing a super low stop from Duggan at his near post and Wellecomme seeing a strike kicked off the line after rounding the Spalding keeper.
Duggan, who rightly was named man of the match, then pulled off another spectacular one-handed stop to deny the luckless Wellecomme, who must have thought he’d scored with a low drive.
Sub Ash Burbeary did fire a snap-shot over as Spalding searched for a leveller, but the game was up five minutes from time when Edwards headed an inviting cross from fellow sub Lee Butler into the net at the back post.
Spalding’s director of football Bob Don-Duncan admitted that Chasetown’s performance was the yardstick for his side at this level – but reckons the promoted side will bounce back.
He said: “Their performance is the level that we need to aspire to – and are aspiring to.
“We need to perform at this level for a while to get tuned in to the league, but we’ll need to adapt quickly.
“We’re disappointed by the result today, especially as we had the game by the scuff of the neck in the first half. We certainly had the opportunities to be ahead, with a number blocked on the line.
“They raised their game in the second half and we didn’t seem to have the strength to match them.
“We ran out of steam, I felt. We were a bit short on options from the bench – and that’s a problem Pat and the staff are aware of.
“We just didn’t have the numbers to change the game when the tide was against us.
“It’s early days, but obviously we don’t want to be slipping behind in the league and need to bounce back.”
Spalding won’t have to wait long in their bid to bounce back – they visit Carlton Town on Monday (3pm).
Tulips: Duggan, Bore, Jackson, Miller, Webb, Griffiths, Hall, Tidswell, Waumsley (Burbeary 65), Thurlbourne. Not used: McKue, Ebdon, Roberts.
Chasetown: Bateman, Johnson, Ravenhill, Slater, Robinson, Downes, Brown (Edwards 71), Parsons, Wellecomme (McDonald 89), Waite, Davies (Butler 65). Not used: Evans, George.
Attendance: 149
Results: Goole 0 Leek Town 2; Gresley 3 Norton 1; Loughborough Dynamo 5 Kidsgrove Athletic 1; Market Drayton Town 3 Carlton Town 2; Newcastle Town 2 Coalville Town 0; Rainworth Miners Welfare 0 Lincoln United 2; Romulus 1 Brigg Town 2; Spalding United 0 Chasetown 2; Stafford Rangers 3 Mickleover Sports 1; Stocksbridge Park Steels 0 Sutton Coldfield Town 2; Tividale 2 Sheffield FC 1.
