AFC Fylde were defeated 4-2 by Chesterfield at Mill Farm on Saturday afternoon in the Vanarama National League.
A crowd of 2,395 were in attendance for the Coasters’ first home game back in the fifth tier as goals in the first half from Tyrone Williams, Liam Mandeville and Will Grigg put Chesterfield in command at half-time.
Ryan Colclough added a fourth shortly following the restart, prior to Jon Ustabasi and Harry Davis pulling two back late in the clash on a difficult day for Adam Murray’s men.
Murray made two changes from the 2-2 draw at Maidenhead, with Luke Charman and new signing Josh Kay replacing Jon Ustabasi and the suspended Connor Barrett.
Chesterfield threatened early on, as Colclough found space down the right to cut inside and strike at goal, which Davis cleared for a corner.
Moments after the corner, Fylde were behind with six minutes on the clock when Ollie Banks’ cross was nodded down by Jamie Grimes and into the path of Williams, who managed to bundle beyond Richardson at the back post.
Paul Cook’s Spireites were almost two up minutes later after a deflection on the edge of the box reached Will Grigg – however one-on-one, Richardson superbly thwarted the forward’s low effort.
Fylde grew into the contest, and midway through the half, forced visiting stopper Harry Tyrer to beat Danny Whitehead’s fierce strike away from danger after positive build-up play.
Buoyed by the opportunity, Nick Haughton led a swift Coasters breakaway at pace before finding Luke Conlan, who zipped a cross along the turf, which Ryheem Sheckleford managed to clear behind for a corner as Gold Omotayo lurked at the far post.
Haughton was involved again just beyond the half-hour mark when he bent a right-footed free-kick from 25 yards, which thumped off the crossbar before the Spireites backline hurriedly managed to deal with the loose ball.
Up the other end, Armando Dobra teed up Colclough, who struck an effort inches wide of Richardson’s bottom left post.
Chesterfield doubled their advantage after 37 minutes. Branden Horton clipped a pass that set Dobra free in the box, with Mandeville in position to receive a pull-back and power past Richardson.
The Derbyshire outfit made it three in first-half stoppage-time after Grigg pounced on Josh Kay’s pass-back to round Richardson and tap into an empty net.
Half-Time: AFC Fylde 0-3 Chesterfield FC
The second half began how the previous half ended, with Chesterfield netting a fourth goal after 49 minutes. Mandeville threaded a pass through the Fylde defence for Colclough to race onto on the right, from which, he set himself and drill right-footed across goal and into the far corner.
Despite the deficit, Fylde still attacked. Jon Ustabasi floated a cross into the box, which Haughton capitalised on to shoot from the edge of the box, seeing his powerful shot blocked before Luke Charman fired into the side-netting.
The Coasters pulled one back in the 74th minute when Charman broke free, weaving beyond several Spireites shirts to move play out wide to the left for Ustabasi to drive from his own half and into the box, eventually converting past Tyrer from close range.
Murray’s men pushed for a second late on, and they got what they searched for when Davis powered in an 86th-minute header at the back post following Whitehead’s corner.
Late chances fell for Danny Philliskirk and Omotayo for the Coasters, who had Davis sent-off for a second yellow, with attention now turning to the visit of Kidderminster Harriers on Tuesday night.
AFC Fylde: Richardson, Conlan, Davis, Obi, Bird (Ustabasi 50′), Kay (Walker 56′), Whitehead, Philliskirk, Charman, Haughton (Ligendza 70′), Omotayo
Unused subs: Glynn, Whitmore
Chesterfield: Tyrer; Horton, Grimes, Williams (46’ Palmer); Banks, Sheckleford, Naylor, Dobra, Mandeville, Colclough (69′ Jacobs); Grigg (69′ Quigley).
Unused Subs: Oldaker, Berry.
