Still in with a chance

UP AND AT ’EM: Athletic midfielder James Wesolowski beats his Chesterfield marker to the ball.

Chesterfield 2, Athletic 1

Dream date by no means over for Latics

UNLEASHING shots at Chesterfield’s goal is not a problem.

A total of 22 rained down on home ’keeper Tommy Lee here, twice as many as were fired off by Athletic in the league meeting between the two sides at the B2net Stadium earlier in the month.

A return of a mere two goals in the pair of contests, then, has to be regarded as a scant return.

Even with a team robbed of two of its most influential players — Zander Diamond hurt his neck in the warm-up, when Dean Furman was already ruled out with a knee problem — Athletic again promised plenty, but delivered too little.

The Wembley dream is by no means over, though.

Paul Dickov’s side certainly have it within their power to still see off a Chesterfield team without a win in 17 matches in npower League One and make it into the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final.

At only the midway point in this Northern area decider, a two-goal margin of victory at Boundary Park on Monday week will take the club there.

To manage that, though, Athletic need to haul themselves out of a malaise which has recently brought only two wins in the last nine matches.

The common denominator in that sequence? Shefki Kuqi’s lack of goals.

Here, the 13-goal striker struck the crossbar with a penalty when granted the chance to level Scott Boden’s opening goal in the second half.

Robbie Simpson managed to achieve the desired effect soon after with a searing, swerving drive which travelled straight through Lee.

But Diamond’s replacement James Tarkowski, who had a fine game otherwise, upended Jack Lester to grant Danny Whitaker the chance, which he took, to give John Sheridan’s side a precious advantage heading into the second leg.

Athletic were, perhaps understandably, a little half-cooked when the game began.

While Kuqi should have done better with a header from a whipped-in Simpson free-kick after a mere 45 seconds — the front man put the ball over the top when in space on the penalty spot — it was Chesterfield who were initially finding dangerous pockets of space in attacking positions.

Sheridan’s men would, on any other day, surely have taken a lead after 11 minutes.

Boden missed a glorious headed chance the last time these two teams met, right at the death.

On that occasion, he was a substitute. Starting here, arriving on the end of an accurate Drew Talbot cross after Lester’s quick feet had worked an area of space, the former Macclesfield loan man got barely a touch on his header with the goal gaping and no more than five yards out.

In reply, Chris Taylor lashed a shot wide from distance with his left foot and Kuqi was crowded out of it as Athletic broke down the middle with a surge from Tom Adeyemi, restored to his preferred role in central midfield.

At the other end, Boden again missed a presentable chance before half-time when he didn’t connect properly with his left foot.

It was important for Athletic to make a strong opening to the second half. Instead, Chesterfield scored the game’s first goal with a slick move that exposed some worryingly slack defending.

Raiding down the right after Athletic had lost possession in midfield, Talbot set in James Hurst behind defensive line. His low cross was accurate and Boden, totally unmarked eight yards out, completed the simple task of finding the left corner of Cisak’s goal.

Dickov’s men responded strongly and gained a penalty only three minutes later. New signing Josh Thompson got a defensive header all wrong and as the ball moved into the penalty area, Kuqi got his body in front of the retreating player before being tugged back.

Chris Taylor was booked for arguing that Thompson should have had a red card. He was presented with a yellow instead and Kuqi’s penalty crashed against the crossbar and over the top of goal.

Simpson’s terrific effort made amends. Taking a shot with his right foot 25 yards out, the ball moved sharply in the air to baffle Lee and delight the travelling band of fans behind the goal.

It wasn’t long before Chesterfield were again in front. Tarkowski nicked the ball from the feet of Lester but it rebounded behind the young defender and the experienced striker tumbled over to earn a penalty which Whitaker blasted down the centre.

The rest of the game was mainly made up of Athletic attacks.

Kuqi had a header cleared off the line, Adeyemi’s side-footed effort from the edge of the area was pushed out superbly by Lee and in the final minute, substitute Filipe Morais hit a clean volley which was deflected wide of the near post.

Athletic will need to be more clinical in the return at Boundary Park if the Wembley dream is to survive.