Dilan Markanday scored his first goal of the season to give Chesterfield a 2-1 win at Oldham Athletic on Saturday, ending a 26-year wait for a Football League victory at Boundary Park. The result lifts Paul Cook's side to 12th in League Two with eight points from their opening six games.
Cook made three changes from the side that drew with Barnet, bringing in Kyle McFadzean, Josh Koroma and Lee Bonis. Chesterfield controlled the opening half-hour and took the lead in the 18th minute after Gus Scott-Morris handled in the box. Oldham keeper Mathew Hudson saved Bonis's initial penalty, but the striker reacted quickest to slam home the rebound.
The hosts equalised five minutes into the second half when Favour Fawunmi headed in a Jamie Robson cross. Chesterfield's response was immediate. Just two minutes later, Josh Koroma drove forward and clipped a ball into the area for Markanday, who finished calmly to restore the lead.
Boot's late heroics
Oldham pushed for another leveller, with Ryan Boot making a vital block to deny Calum Kavanagh from point-blank range. In six minutes of added time, the Chesterfield goalkeeper was called into action again, getting down low to stop a driven effort from Keenan Appiah-Forson to preserve the three points.
"I’m just happy to get the goal and help the team win," Markanday told reporters after the final whistle. Manager Paul Cook was clear about his team's performance. "We deserved it," he said. "We were the better team and got our reward."
The victory, witnessed by 1,137 travelling fans in a crowd of 8,083, is Chesterfield's second away win of the campaign. It also snaps a run of two consecutive draws, with their recent form now reading two wins, two draws and one defeat from the last five outings.
Chesterfield's next match is at home, where they will look to build on this momentum and close the four-point gap to league leaders Barnet.
Chesterfield host Manchester City U21 in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday evening. The match kicks off at 18:00 UTC at the SMH Group Stadium, according to official data. Paul Cook is expected to name a strong side after the weekend win, with the same starting XI that beat Oldham 2-1. That victory was Chesterfield's second win in their last five games, a run that also includes two draws and one defeat. Lee Bonis remains the club's top scorer this season with 13 goals.
