Feisty finish as Chesterfield sink Sutton

Posted Sunday, January 05, 2020 by PA

Chesterfield claimed a vital win in their battle to stay in the National League as they edged out in-form Sutton 1-0.

Jonathan Smith’s fine finish early in the second half moved the hosts, who sacked manager John Sheridan on Thursday, to within two points of safety and ended Sutton’s four-match winning run.

The visitors went into the game on the back of a 6-2 win over Woking on Wednesday and with 14 goals in their last four games, but they could not break down a stubborn Chesterfield side.

Instead the hosts, with John Pemberton in caretaker charge, broke the deadlock in the 50th minute as Mike Fondop’s low cross from the left picked out Smith, who curled his effort into the top right corner.

Sutton piled on the pressure in the closing stages and Ben Goodliffe bundled the ball in 10 minutes from time, only for the effort to be ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Shwan Jalal.

Jalal then produced a brilliant save, keeping out Harry Beautyman’s header, as Chesterfield held on.

But there was more drama to come after the final whistle as Fondop and Sutton’s Craig Eastmond were both shown red cards after an on-pitch scuffle.