Alexander left fuming as he is shown red
GRAHAM ALEXANDER launched a bitter attack on referee Patrick Miller after being sent to the stands in his side’s comprehensive defeat.
The Fleetwood boss was dismissed for sarcastically clapping the official midway through the second half with the ten-man Cod Army already three goals down.
Callum Lavery, Sam Hird and Sam Morsy piled on the agony with the Spireite goals whilst Fleetwood midfielder Antoni Sarcevic talked himself into two yellow cards within a few seconds.
An unrepentant Alexander, unhappy with a total of seven yellows shown to his players, said: “I’m going to check whether any of the Chesterfield players were badly injured and speak with my ‘animals’ in the dressing room.”
Asked why he clapped the referee; he said:“Because he was having such a good game. I didn’t know sarcasm was illegal. If we’re going to reduce the game to 22 robots with no passion, the game is going to die.
“Supporters have been short-changed here because we weren’t allowed to compete.”
It was difficult to feel sympathy for Alexander or his players. Sarcevic even continued his dissent by rushing towards the referee after being shown a second yellow and most of the cards were awarded for clear but not dangerous fouls. Also, it takes away atten- tion from a fine Chesterfield display.
From the moment a delightful move involving Tendayi Darikwa and substitute Gboly Ariyibi opened the way for Lavery to clip crisply into the corner of the net in the 31st minute, the one-way pattern was set.
Alexander fumed about decisions given prior to both the first two goals – but his defence did little to deal with a Gary Roberts free-kick.
Lavery’s header was well saved by Chris Maxwell before Hird gobbled up the rebound.
The second half was a stroll on Chesterfield’s own park with Morsy’s calm finish, after more excellent work from Ariyibi, the very least the Spireites deserved. Meanwhile, Tommy Lee had nothing meaningful to save after David Ball’s third-minute header.
Chesterfield assistant manager Leam Richardson said:“Never mind the result, we got a performance. We lost Eoin Doyle in January, but now players are coming back.
“We know what Lavery is all about. Sheffield Wednesday think highly of him and he’s been on our radar for some time. He is a proven goalscorer.
“We are seventh in League One which is huge for our club.We are realistic and know we are punching above our weight. I have a lot of respect for them.”