ALLEN REVELS IN GOOD FORTUNE
CHESTERFIELD picked up their third point in 11 games thanks to much-travelled striker MarcAntoine Fortuné’s 74thminute intervention at the Gallagher Stadium.
Blair Turgott looked like making it another miserable afternoon for Chesterfield’s under-fire manager Martin Allen with his eighth goal of the season before Fortune, the former West Brom and Celtic striker saved his manager’s blushes with the all-important leveller.
“I thought they showed great guts and character,” Allen beamed. “We had players playing out of position because we didn’t have anyone else but today they put in a good, hard-working performance.”
A clash of heads between Chesterfield’s Charlie Carter and Maidstone’s Will De Havilland saw the latter sidelined for around five minutes and the visitors almost made their numerical advantage tell when Tom Denton nodded the ball down to a recovered Carter, whose effort looked to be going inside the right post before Stones keeper Lee Worgan intervened with an excellent save.
The Spireites had looked the more likely to score up to this point but they were made to pay for some poor defending on 31 minutes.
Laurie Wilson lifted an optimistic ball forward aiming for Turgott and Laurence Maguire should have been able to comfortably deal with the situation but his tame header, which was aiming for Callum Burton in the Chesterfield goal, dropped nicely in front of Turgott.
The Maidstone defender, who had already scored seven times this season, was not going to miss such a chance and he headed the ball past Spireites keeper Callum Burton who had come off his line.
Chesterfield put Maidstone under some pressure after the interval and, on 65 minutes, they nearly drew level.
De Havilland inadvertently headed the ball goalwards and Simon Walton’s attempted clearance was going in until Worgan intervened with a stunning save to turn the ball wide.
The game was opening up and Burton had to make a couple of saves to deny Turgott and Stuart Lewis before Chesterfield equalised on 74 minutes.
Substitute Fortuné got in down the right hand side and he showed good composure to fire low past Worgan.
Despite the equaliser, boss Stones Harry Wheeler was upbeat afterwards: “I am massively proud of the lads and no one can fault their effort or work rate,” he said.
“We are now three unbeaten and have got seven out of the last nine points.
“I said to the lads afterwards that they need to realise how far they have come in two weeks.” STAR MAN: Lee Worgan (Maidstone United) ATT: 2,438 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Lloyd Wood