Mansfield Town denied derby bragging rights as Chesterfield prevail in Jersey Mike's Trophy goal-fest

A packed away end of Chesterfield fans were in full volume on Tuesday night as their side came from behind to beat rivals Mansfield Town 5-3 in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy.

Both side’s fates were already decided heading into the clash, with the Spireites through to the knockouts and Stags firmly out of the competition.

A bitter cold One Call Stadium hosted a lively match with plenty of action at both ends but Mansfield Town threw away a 3-1 lead by conceding four goals in the second half.

Stags took an early lead after they were awarded a penalty just 10 minutes in. Chesterfield goalkeeper Zach Hemming clattered into George Maris in the box and the referee immediately gave the spot-kick.

Jon Russell neatly tucked away his attempt and it wasn’t long before the net bulged for him again. Just seven minutes later, the midfielder scored his second following a cross in from Luke Bolton.

Mansfield had some good chances to really pull out of sight throughout the game, with Maris coming close in the first half and Russell missing a chance to bag his hat-trick after the break. These missed opportunities would eventually come back to haunt them.

The Spireites halved the deficit on the cusp of half-time thanks to a neat chipped finish from Joel Randall, who was given a super chance at Stags’ net after Elliott Hewitt slipped while trying to shut down the attack.

Clough brought on Ollie Taylor after the break to replace Maris and Stags started lively, looking to add another goal to their cushion.

Bolton had a huge double attempt saved on 52 minutes as Hemming stood firm to block both his shots. Four minutes later, Russell came close to netting his third but he just couldn’t get himself on the end of a cross into the box.

Stags boosted their lead on the hour mark after a period of piling the pressure on Chesterfield. Smith looked destined to hit the back of the net but his shot clipped off the post and back into the path of a lurking Regan Hendry, who tucked away the second chance.

Energy faltered for Mansfield after taking a 3-1 lead and Spireites capitalised with a bright and deadly spell of attacks. Just two minutes after Stags doubled their lead, Chesterfield hit back with a great curled effort from Dylan Duffy.

Tom Naylor heaped the pressure on five minutes later to make it 3-3 and Duffy followed shortly after with his second to give the visitors the lead for the first time in the match.

Opting for a fresh injection of creativity, Clough brought on Tyler Roberts for Frazer Blake-Tracy in the 72nd minute and the striker got stuck in right away, forcing a save shortly after his introduction.

Mansfield rolled the dice again with a late change as Rhys Oates came on for Bolton. The striker enjoyed a strong performance against Macclesfield at the weekend, contributing a goal and an influential creative display but couldn’t inspire a Stags comeback tonight.

The three goals scored in close succession knocked the wind out of Mansfield and Spireites got one last dig in with a late Liam Mandeville penalty to see out the match 5-3.