All good things must come to an end. In York's case, an incredible run in which they had scored in 44 consecutive games was ended by a Chesterfield side who turned on the style in the second half after an evenly-matched first period. The last time City had failed to hit the back of the net in a league fixture? The 1-0 home defeat to Solihull Moors almost a year ago to the day. Yet while that was a smash-and-grab by a plucky visiting side, this was a fair result and perhaps a reality check for Scott Lindsey's side after a promising start to their League Two campaign.
The afternoon started brightly enough for City, with Harry Boyes going close inside the first 15 seconds when his half-volley fizzed past the post with Chesterfield keeper Ryan Boot scrambling across. It was clear early on that both sides were set up to attack, and while City had a fair amount of the ball, Chesterfield’s high press threatened to lead to errors at the back. One such error almost led to the opening goal for the home side after a quarter of an hour when Ollie Banks - back on his old stomping ground for the first time since leaving the Spireites - dallied in possession inside his own area. The ball broke to Lee Bonis, but he couldn't keep his shot down and the mistake went unpunished.
Another ex-Chesterfield player then went even closer to opening the scoring at the other end. Boyes’ cutback from the left travelled all the way across the six yard box to Jeff King on the opposite side, and King hit a powerful strike that thundered against the crossbar and bounced just the wrong side of the line. Soon after, Ollie Pearce almost punished the home side for their own casual play at the back when he nearly robbed goalkeeper Boot of the ball, but Boot just about did enough to scramble the ball clear of danger. The chances continued to come at both ends, with Louie Marsh’s low shot being held by York keeper Alfie McNally, and a Banks strike from the right just missing the run of Pearce at the far post and flying wide.
Marsh, the 22-year-old loanee from Sheffield United, was looking particularly dangerous in the #10 role for Chesterfield. He advanced into the area only to see his shot deflected over by Alex Hunt, and soon after had another effort on target when he cut inside from the left and hit a low shot from a narrow angle that was blocked by the legs of McNally. York had Zak Johnson to thank for an excellent first-half performance that saw him snuff out danger on several occasions, such as when he combined with Mark Kitching to close down the shooting angle and block Dilan Markanday’s effort after the Chesterfield wide man had pounced on a loose Joe Grey pass. The last chance of the half fell to City, when Alex Newby's floated cross found King at the far post, but this time King's effort was blasted over.
Given the number of chances for both sides in the first half, the score being goalless at the break was a surprise, although the teams being level was probably a fair reflection of the even distribution of those chances. The second half was a very different affair, however, as Chesterfield came flying out of the traps. A volley by Remaeo Hutton bounced wide, then McNally then had to be alert to sense the danger from an Alex Hunt backpass that Josh Koroma threatened to intercept, the young City keeper sliding in but crucially making contact with the ball before Koroma. A further warning was fired when Marsh brought the ball into the area unchallenged from the right and rattled the post with a strong effort. York were suddenly looking exposed, with their composure on the ball having deserted them, and Chesterfield were exploiting some big gaps between the City midfield and defence.
When the home side finally took one of their chances on 57 minutes, then, it was a just reward for their impressive play since the interval. George McEachran slipped the ball through to Lee Bonis, and his shot flew past McNally into the top left corner. Sensing that City were on the ropes, the hosts continued to flood forward after taking the lead. The home crowd felt they had a strong claim for a penalty when Johnson slid in on Marsh, but they had to make do with a corner. Veteran centre-back Kyle McFadzean was then found in front of goal by a Markanday cross, but his header was straight at McNally.
Scott Lindsey made his first change of the afternoon, with Jovan Malcolm replacing Jeff King and Joe Grey shifting to right wing-back, but City remained mostly pinned back in their own half. Markanday was a constant menace on the right for Chesterfield, buzzing around and always looking for a sight of goal. He had two chances in quick succession, first seeing his shot blocked by Hunt after a dangerous counter-attack, then shooting high and wide from the edge of the area after Banks’ headed clearance rolled into his path. City's frustration was summed up when McNally was penalised for holding on to the ball for too long, resulting in a corner for the home side under the new regulation.
Paul Cook freshened up his midfield with a triple substitution, and Lindsey also rang the changes, introducing Arthur Read along with debutant Frankie Maguire. The substitutions had little impact on the overall flow of the game, though, with Chesterfield continuing to threaten a second goal and City unable to regain their rhythm. Markanday missed another chance when his first-time effort from near the penalty spot sailed wide of the post, then McNally's woodwork was struck again as Bonis’ curling effort beat the York keeper but hit the underside of the bar just as King's first half strike had. At this point, Chesterfield were cutting City open at will and it felt like a matter of time before they added to Bonis’ earlier goal.
Lindsey's last throw of the dice was to bring on Joe Felix and Zech Medley, and the introduction of the latter did at least provide a means for City to go direct. Medley was immediately the target for long balls from the back, and showed another string to his bow by sending a couple of long throws into the danger zone. The change of approach almost paid off just as the game entered injury time, when Felix put Pearce through on goal, but while Pearce did well to round goalkeeper Boot, his cutback failed to find a yellow shirt.
With City committing numbers forward in search of a late equaliser, they ran the risk of conceding a second on the counter, and so it proved in the seventh minute of time added on. Substitute Fraser Bryden found Markanday near the halfway line, and Markanday beat Read for pace down the right before cutting inside past Johnson and finishing a fine solo goal via a ricochet from the far post. Pearce came close to netting a consolation when he took the ball down cleverly before hitting a well-struck effort from the edge of the box, but it flashed wide and the final whistle blew moments later.
The 2-0 defeat meant that City's run of scoring in every league game since last September was ended, but more pertinently the second half saw York fans reintroduced to that most alien of concepts: being outplayed. The occasional defeats last season were generally the result of clinical finishing by an opponent or profligacy by York’s own attackers. This, on the other hand, was a loss at the hands of a Chesterfield side who looked superior in every department after the break: fitter, stronger, more confident with their passing game, and clearer in how to interpret their roles. The Spireites will expect to be competing for promotion this season, so there is no shame in the result, but City will need to improve on this second half showing if they want to join them as challengers.
