Chesterfield Fall at First Hurdle in Carabao Cup
Chesterfield fell at the first hurdle in the Carabao Cup, losing 1-0 to Fleetwood Town in the opening fixture of the 2026/27 season. The Spireites' 14th straight defeat in the competition sets a new record for the longest run of defeats heading into the tie. The decisive moment came on 15 minutes, Ched Evans seizing on a moment's hesitation between goalkeeper Ryan Boot and a defender to nip in and convert from a tight angle. The scores could have been level moments later, but Ruel Sitiriou's centre found Lewis Gordon, who side-footed over on the full. Last season's top scorer, Lee Bonis, then planted a shot on the turn into the ground and over from close range.
Why It Matters for Chesterfield
The loss marks a disappointing start to the season for Chesterfield, who will look to bounce back in their next fixture against Bristol Rovers on 2027-02-27. The Spireites will need to regroup and refocus to turn their season around. The task now is to get swift revenge in the more important League Two opener at the SMH next week. Chesterfield deserved to take it to penalties for their second-half efforts, but ultimately fell short. Chesterfield will look to bounce back in their next fixture against Bristol Rovers on 2027-02-27, currently sitting 3rd in the table.
