Simpson reigns supreme

Athletic 5, Chesterfield 2

Hat-trick hero gives former Latics boss a miserable day ICE COLD and unsympathetic, Athletic brutally exposed the shortcomings of Chesterfield to boost hopes that this sharp-shooting team can be the real deal when it comes to challenging for a top-six place in npower League One.

Robbie Simpson capitalised on a ragged visiting defensive effort by grabbing a first-half hat-trick — his first since joining the professional game four-and-a-half years ago.

Kieran Lee's brilliant 25-yard strike early in the opening period was further evidence of the sort of clinical finishing which saw the home side hit five goals for the first time since Nottingham Forest were similarly eviscerated on New Year's Day, 2007.

Shefki Kuqi was also on hand to bank his expected strike, a header from a long-range free-kick delivery from Simpson so menacing in its accuracy that it had the home fans cooing appreciatively even before the Finn nodded home for the 12th time in the current campaign.

Athletic produced a total of nine shots on target and converted more than half of them.

Some of the fluent attacking play left Chesterfield thoroughly bewildered, the home side picking the visitors apart with precision at regular intervals.

There were problems aplenty for John Sheridan, returning to the club he served with such poise as both a player and a manager.

His team attacked well at times, but possessed a spine which couldn't cope with what was thrown its way.

And the manner in which Sheridan's side conceded the fourth goal will live long in his nightmares.

Quite why goalkeeper Ole Soderberg meekly jumped over a half-hit back-pass from Jonathan Grounds, allowing the sliding Simpson to get back on his feet and roll home his third, is open for the sort of debate psychologists would love to sink their teeth into.

Football men would argue the cause was simple: that Soderberg didn't much fancy putting in a challenge.

While this hammering drops the Spireites to the bottom of npower League One, the only negative note for Paul Dickov was the conceding of two goals from crosses.

The delivery on both occasions was of a high quality, but Athletic's manager will still not be content to again suffer the concession of goals originating in wide positions.

Perhaps the accurate swinging cross of Drew Talbot should have been stopped at source, with sharper marking on Craig Westcarr making it more tricky for the seven-goal forward to calmly head beyond Alex Cisak to reduce the deficit to 3-1 after half-an-hour.

From the opposite flank, Tope Obadeyi raced down the line to whip in a lovely left-footed centre that resulted in former Athletic loan striker Leon Clarke slipping in to poke home a ninth goal of the season as a consolation three minutes from the end.

Athletic have now let in 12 in the past six fixtures in all competitions.

They have also scored 17 in the same time frame, casting the club as one of the division's great entertainers — a tag hard to imagine as the team struggled for goals so badly late last term.

As a man schooled in getting the better of defenders, former striker Dickov won't complain too much if his side continue to succeed on the road of gaining points by outgunning the opposition.

And what hot-shots Athletic are at the moment.

Dickov's side were so alert from the off that they had the contest all wrapped up inside the first 17 minutes.

First, Lee nipped in front of Alex Mendy to intercept a Dwayne Mattis pass. Taking a touch, the right-back's fierce 25-yard shot beyond the dive of Soderberg suggests he should chance his arm more often.

Dean Furman hit a deflected effort narrowly wide, before Simpson finished decisively for his first goal.

It owed much to the work of confident, tricky winger Luca Scapuzzi and an enterprising run from the returning Paul Black, who prodded the ball beyond Mendy before cutting it back for the on-loan Huddersfield striker to neatly convert with his left foot.

The same man tripled his Athletic goal tally by rattling in a supremely accurate free-kick from just outside the box six minutes later to make it 3-0. Soderberg was rooted to the spot, helpless.

Obadeyi went close with a couple of attempts at the other end, once forcing Cisak into a safety-first low save in pushing the goalbound ball out to his right.

Soon after, Westcarr's header gave the visitors hope. But three minutes later, the visitors left Simpson with the simple task of stroking home for his third of the game.

After the break, Chesterfield went close when Mendy sliced wastefully wide.

Athletic entered a lull, which ended when Kuqi showed again how primed he is in any circumstances to take a scoring chance by converting Simpson's precise delivery just before the hour.

Dickov took the chance to replace Scapuzzi — less effective after a tough, but fair hammering midway through the first half by Mattis — as well as yellow-carded captain Furman and Simpson.

Substitute Matt Smith should have converted from eight yards with a right-foot shot which was blocked by Chesterfield's 'keeper.

Despite Clarke's late strike, this was child's play from fluent, improving Athletic.