HAPPY LEE THANKS HIS SUPER SUB
LEE CLARK tipped his cap to the Shakers’ spirit and to substitute George Miller after the 18-year-old’s dramatic late winner at Chesterfield.
Had Liam Grimshaw slotted into an empty net midway through the second half, then Chesterfield might not be seven points adrift of safety.
Instead, the Spireites midfielder fired over, and a red card, a saved penalty, a wonder goal and a crucial mistake later, it was the same old story for Gary Caldwell’s side.
Kristian Dennis netted Chesterfield’s opener, but Andrew Tutte and Miller turned the game on its head in a dramatic and costly last 15 minutes, handing new boss Clark three points in his first game at the helm.
“They’re a bunch of very talented players and it showed,” Clark said. “What I liked was their never-say-die attitude.
“At 1-0 it doesn’t look like you’re going to have the luck. You’ve hit the bar, had a penalty saved, you’ve had other opportunities, but they kept going.
“You probably think it’s not going to be our day so I thought the spirit of the lads was brilliant.
“It was probably going to take that [Tutte wonder goal] to break the deadlock. And then young George has come on. His winner was down to his attitude and his work ethic.”
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake saw a shot palmed past the post by Joe Murphy, before he turned provider ten minutes later to greater effect as Dennis latched onto his ball through and prodded home the opener.
Ian Evatt’s block prevented Ryan Lowe from levelling, before the Bury striker miscued a golden chance from six yards out.
Lowe’s luck continued to be out in front of goal as his closerange header cannoned off the underside of the bar.
Rai Simons put the ball on a plate for Grimshaw to seal the game but the Spireites midfielder blazed over an empty net.
And how costly that missed turned out to be.
Tom Anderson was given a straight red for bringing down Lowe as last man, but the veteran forward’s resulting spot kick was saved by debutant Thorsten Stuckmann.
The respite was only temporary, however, as Tutte fired into the top corner from 25 yards.
And Stuckmann went from a dream debut to a nightmare bow in 15 minutes as his heavy touch allowed Miller to nip in for a dramatic 91st minute winner, leaving Caldwell to slam his players’ second-half display. He said: “We can’t play with fear. We can’t worry about what the outcome is going to be. “We had to keep doing what was clearly working in the first half but we didn’t, and we paid a massive price for it. “Certain things I’ve seen in the second half were unacceptable. I said they’re all playing for their careers, their future and this club’s future, they’ve got to do more.
“I’ve been here a while now and I’ve tried to change things. They have to do it my way or this club will drift into the league below.”
CHESTERFIELD: (3-4-3): Stuckmann 8, Hird 6, Anderson 6, Evatt 8, Kakay 6, Gardner 7 (Brown 63 6), Grimshaw 7, Jones 6, Dennis 7 (Mitchell 67 6), Ebanks-Blake 8 (Simons 71 6), Faupala 6 Subs not used: Martinez, Humphreys, El Fitouri, Allinson BURY: (3-5-2): Murphy 6, Kay 6, Barnett 6, C Burgess 6, Moore 6, S Burgess 6 (Styles 64 6), Mellis 6, Tutte 7, Leigh 7, Pope 6 (Miller 54 7), Lowe 5 (Hope 86 N/A) Subs not used: Williams, Mackreth, Pennant, Deslandes