Chesterfield Ladies and Mansfield can’t be separated in stalemate

Chesterfield Ladies were held by Mansfield.

The deadlock couldn’t be broken at the Chesterfield Panthers Rugby Club ground on Sunday afternoon as Chesterfield Ladies and Mansfield Town Ladies had to settle for a 0-0 draw in the East Midlands Women’s Premier Division (writes Matt Rhodes)

The point means that Mike Noon’s outfit remain in third position in the league table.

The hosts certainly had the better of the first half in awful weather conditions and had a number of opportunities to take the lead.

Chesterfield’s first big opportunity of the game arrived after only seven minutes. An excellent free-kick delivery from Kel Fidler on the right flank found the head of Amy Pashley but her 12 yard header was tipped around the post.

The visitors fired their own early warning just a minute afterwards when a long range effort whistled just wide of the post.

Pashley went close again midway through the first half when her 25 yard effort following a well-worked corner routine curled just inches past the post.

Chesterfield’s best opportunity arrived after 28 minutes when Millie Standen fired wide of the post when in a great position from around ten yards out.

Just three minutes after Standen’s missed effort, another excellent free-kick delivery from Fidler on the right wing found centre-half Millie Jebb-Geer inside the penalty area but her effort was well held by the goalkeeper.

The second-half was a very tight affair with both sides cancelling each other out.

The best chance fell to the visitors when Nic Watson produced an excellent save to parry away a rapid 15 yard effort from Mansfield.

Aside from that, neither goalkeeper was properly tested in the second half and the game came to a goalless conclusion.

The Blues are now six points behind league leaders Notts County Women. However, a win away at Notts next weekend would put Chesterfield in a strong position with a game still in hand on their opponents.

Noon said: “Based on the performances, I think a draw was probably fair. We created a few good chances, as did Mansfield, and I think for the neutral it was a decent game of football to watch.

"We want to win every game we play but we just couldn’t find the breakthrough today. But it’s another point on the board and as the saying goes, if you can’t win the game then don’t lose it. We’ve got to be positive, keep ourselves motivated and we go again at Notts County.”