Spireites Cruise to Victory Against Gillingham.

Chesterfield cruised to a 3-0 victory over Gillingham last night at the Proact Stadium, with Sam Clucas netting twice either side of a neat Jay O’Shea finish to put the Spireites on their way to a comfortable three points.

Paul Cook made two changes from Saturday’s defeat at home to Coventry City, as Drew Talbot and Gboly Ariyibi took the places of both Daniel Jones and Caolan Lavery who was recalled on Sunday by Sheffield Wednesday.

With just three minutes on the clock, the Spireites took the lead as Clucas broke free before finishing past Stuart Nelson with a tremendous amount of finesse from an awkward angle. Just nine minutes had passed until the lead was doubled courtesy of O’Shea who met a low Gary Roberts cross on the six-yard line prior to bundling the ball into the back of the net.

Looking for a way back into this contest, Gillingham’s on-loan striker John Marquis rose highest above everybody else to connect with a driven cross and force a magnificent diving save to the left-hand side by Tommy Lee. Ariyibi’s cross from deep led to a failed clearance by the visitors’ defence, O’Shea then found himself in front of goal but somehow managed to curl the ball low and ultimately wide of Nelson’s post.

A rare foray forwards for the away side led to a free-kick that was awarded 25 yards from goal, Bradley Dack struck on this particular occasion but failed to hit the target. Just before the half-time whistle, Clucas went to ground under a challenge on the six-yard line only to be denied by the referee when considering claims for a penalty-kick.

Immediately after the break, Cody McDonald volleyed straight into the arms of Lee following a lofted pass from deep within Gillingham's half of the field. Jermaine McGlashan, a second-half substitute, found the head of McDonald with a forceful delivery that caused the striker’s glancing header to sail wide of the post.

Forward from his right-back position, Tendayi Darikwa tried his luck from an awkward angle but failed to avoid an opposing defender in the form of John Egan who produced a stunning block to prevent Nelson from making a save. A failed clearance from Jimmy Ryan fell to the feet of Doug Loft, who for a second time directed the ball into the resolute arms of Lee.

Only one minute of normal time was left to play when Clucas grabbed his second and Chesterfield’s third goal of the evening, as a tremendous through-ball from Roberts allowed the forward immense amounts of freedom before finishing calmly under Nelson in a one-on-one situation. For the full four minutes of additional time, the Spireites continued to press forward with confidence on their way to sealing an important three points.