A late goal sent Spalding United to their first defeat since August 22.
Mike Calveley’s 89th-minute header secured all three points for hosts Chorley to end the Tulips’ five-match unbeaten National League North run, which had yielded 13 points and sent them soaring up the table.
A niggly encounter in Lancashire was goalless at half-time but the hosts took the lead after 56 minutes with a long-range strike from Sam Fielding.
Substitute Mani Sani looked to have rescued a point when he got on the end of Dan Barton’s 81st-minute cross.
However, Calveley nipped in to collect all three points for the home team.
Spalding manager Jimmy Dean admitted the defeat had been tough to take.
“There wasn’t much in the game and it wasn’t pleasant on the eye,” he said.
“Both sides dug in and it was played more on Chorley’s terms than ours and was more how they wanted to play.
“We worked our goal really well and I thought momentum might have been with us then but we gave away a soft corner.
“We knew they presented an enormous threat from set-pieces. It was a scramble in the goalmouth and then I saw the net go.
“It’s a difficult place to play and we knew it would be a second-ball battle and we picked a side to combat that.”
Dean said he was happy with the workrate of his team but added: “I can’t fault the boys’ effort at all but at times we needed to put our foot on the ball a bit better than we did. We won’t have it all our way this season but we need to stick together.”
The Tulips were without last season’s top scorer Jack Roberts and Dean said he was expecting him to be out for three months with his injury, while two other players will be heading for scans after picking up knocks at Chorley.
The focus switches to the FA Cup on Saturday when Spalding travel to Bury Town in the third qualifying round. The Southern League side proved a tough nut to crack last season and Dean said: “It will be tight, we won both games last season by the odd goal.
“It’s a big game for us and we will be treating it very seriously. It’s a game we want to win.”
Dean has added to his squad ahead of the tie with Oli Rose arriving on loan from Peterborough United.
The versatile defender, who can also play in midfield, has valuable experience at National League and National League North with Scunthorpe United, where he played an important role during the Iron’s promotion-winning 2024/25 campaign.
Tulips: Crook, Kelly, Moore, Bendle, Pugh (Sani), Cybulski, Fox, Fowkes (Betteka), Byrne, Straughan-Brown (Barton), Sembie-Ferris. Subs: Wilks, Jarvis, Critchlow-Woyo.
Attendance: 1,310.
