Coca-Cola League Two

Chesterfield 5 Aldershot Town 1

Aldershot Town continued their dreadful run of away form at Chesterfield on Wednesday night. A mainly abject display resulted in a 5-1 defeat, the Shots’ fifth successive league reverse when on their travels and sixth in all competitions.

Manager Gary Waddock was so disappointed by the performance that he went over to the 222 travelling supporters after the game and apologised for the team’s display, adding that it would be put right.

"I just felt that the fans needed some feedback," said Waddock, speaking to the News the morning after the game. "They were absolutely brilliant last night and many of them will have taken the day off to get to the match and only returned home in the early hours. And they had to watch what was a horrendous result.

"We have to put our away form right. It's not going to continue, put it that way. The problems have to be solved."

The Shots, who began the match with the same starting XI that drew with Brentford on Saturday - Anthony Charles was passed fit, despite lack of sleep after he became a father early on Tuesday - were out of the blocks brightly enough and had the best of the play during the first ten minutes.

However, once Chesterfield had registered a first attempt on goal after 11 minutes, the game took on a much different complexion.

"I asked the players afterwards how we could look so solid and disciplined against as good a side as Brentford and then be all over the place just a few days later. We were so disjointed and gaps opened everywhere for Chesterfield to exploit.

"I think the away form has probably become a mental thing. It's been mentioned a lot by people and the players know the results and it is in their minds. But they have to get away from that, work hard and make sure we are a solid team.

"We have some good individuals but they need to play well together as a team. We must be more disciplined, especially away from home, and work harder as a team and defend as a group. Defence is not about individuals, it is a team thing and we must start working together."

Chesterfield, who had managed two draws and four defeats from their previous six appearances, bossed the midfield and were more than lively up front, looking much more like the team that had just missed out on the play-offs last season.

Aldershot had come closest to opening the scoring when Charles, muscled his way on to the end of a Scott Davies corner, only to see his header palmed away by goalkeeper Trevor Carson, who also thwarted the subsequent corner, snapping up a Danny Hylton knock-down before any of The Shots' attacking players could get on the end of it.

"We started brightly," said Waddock. "But it's no good playing well for 10 minutes, that's not good enough. Football is a 95-minute game."

The Shots were losing the battles that mattered, with Dean Howell suffering a particularly torrid time and Ben Harding struggling to make an impact, although it is probably unfair to highlight that pair alone as from an Aldershot point of view there was not much of a positive nature to glean from the match.

It was no surprise to see the home side take the lead on 23 minutes, when man-of-the-match Jamie Ward (a former Aston Villa trainee who cost more than £100,000 from Torquay United) beat Junior Osborne and Chris Blackburn in a manner that suggested the ball was tied to his feet, and then played a perfect pass across the six-yard box for Jack Lester to slot home from close range. Incidentally, Lester was League Two player of the year last season, after scoring 25 league goals.

With a combination of Aldershot failing to keep possession and poor defending, the omens were not good, and there was further evidence it was going to be one of those nights when on 29 minutes Ben Harding and Scott Davies fluffed a training ground free-kick routine.

Despite dominating the action, Chesterfield had to wait until 41 minutes to double their lead. The pacey Ward chased after a through ball and was not certain to stop it going out for a goal kick but Bull rushed out and ended up taking down the striker, who got up and slotted home the penalty with the minimum of fuss.

For the second half The Shots brought on John Grant (for Rob Elvins) and Kirk Hudson (for Rob Newman) and the pair looked a real handful as the half got under way.

An unlikely lifeline came Aldershot’s way in the 47th minute when Robert Page barged Hylton to the ground to earn the visitors a penalty. Unfortunately even Mr Reliable Scott Davies was having a poor evening and his spot kick went wide of the left-hand upright.

"That was typical of how our night unfolded," said Waddock. "Scoring a penalty would have given us a real lift."

A minute later, though, there was such a boost. Grant displayed neat skills and footwork down the right channel before playing in Hudson, who used his pace before firing home his 30th goal in Aldershot Town colours. 

This was the brief moment when you could feel the Shots might be able to get something out of the game, but on 53 minutes another failure by The Shots’ defence to clear the ball properly allowed Ward to fire home from just inside the box, having been given the time and space to take down the ball on his chest.

The Shots did have a header cleared off the line on 58 minutes, with Lloyd Kerry performing the defensive heroics.

Soon after the hour mark, Waddock went for broke, bringing on Junior Mendes for Howell and changing to a 3-4-3 from the usual 4-4-2 and it was Mendes who had the only other noteworthy effort on goal on 69 minutes. Hylton battled well to be able to lay off to Mendes and from the edge of the area his shot fizzed inches past the post.

"We tried to get something from the game with changes at half-time and at 3-1," said Waddock. "We were trying to do something at 3-1 and, while you can, of course, talk about goal difference, it matters little if you lose 3-1 or 5-1. We had to go for it."

Indeed, Mendes' effort was just a brief flicker of respite, as Chesterfield made it 4-1 on 72 minutes when Ward used good speed on the counter-attack before playing an excellent ball to set up substitute Derek Niven, who finished well to place the ball to the side of Bull.

Three minutes later the humiliation was complete as Ward rounded Bull and finished with aplomb to record a hat-trick – he had set up the other two just for good measure.

There were other opportunities for the rampant Spireites to add to their tally, including one two minutes into added time when defender Gregor Robertson skied the ball over the bar from six yards.

This was not a good night for The Shots, turning in a performance in complete contrast to what they produce at home, and one feels there will be plenty of hard work on the training ground at their base near Manchester, as Waddock tries to put his young squad on the right track, ahead of the trip to Rochdale on Saturday.

"I'm glad we're staying up in the north," said Waddock. "It means we're all here together and we can train both days before Saturday. If we'd travelled back to Aldershot we'd have dispersed and maybe not trained again until Friday.

"Although, to be honest, I wish we were playing Rochdale today, so we can move on from last night.

"But there is plenty to discuss, for me and Martin Kuhl, but with the players too. We haven't been through a period like this since I arrived. It is a test of character and I will learn a lot about my players over the next couple of days and next week too.

"I know there are players waiting in the wings and Martin and I have much to talk about. But neither should we panic. We have had a horrendous result and I am not happy - but nor are the players.

"We must stick together and get through this. And we will."

Chesterfield: Carson, Gray, Downes, Page, Robertson, Lowry, Winter, Kerry, Goodall (Austin 75), Lester (Niven 66), Ward (Teixeira 83). Unused subs: Currie, Harsley.
 
Aldershot Town: Bull 6, Osborne 5, Howell 5 (Mendes 64, 6), Charles 6, Blackburn 5, Soares 5, Davies 5, Harding 5, Newman 6 (Hudson 46, 6), Hylton 6, Elvins 5. (Grant 46, 6). Unused subs: Chalmers, Jaimez Ruiz.

Att: 3,079