Chesterfield 2, Huddersfield Town 4

Aug 25 2005 By Mel Booth, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

LIVEWIRE frontman Gary Taylor-Fletcher bagged Town's first Cup hat trick in nine years to book a deserved place in the second round draw.

Roared on by around 750 travelling fans, the 24-year-old signing from Lincoln took Saltergate by storm with a first career three-timer.

Not since Marcus Stewart put three past Wrexham in 1996 - they were also his first goals for the club - have Town had a Cup hat trick hero, and my how Fletch loved every minute.

By his own admission, he's missed a few chances in pre-season and the early competitive games - but there was no holding him last night.

Once Pawel Abbott's eighth-minute header had been wiped out by Derek Niven just four minutes from half time, Taylor-Fletcher came to the party.

His first goal, 10 minutes into the second half, should have been the signal for Town to take control but, within five minutes, they had allowed Chesterfield to equalise a second time through Kevan Hurst, who was the pacy main threat all match.

It wasn't until 15 minutes from time that Fletch - who headed in Danny Schofield's cross from four yards out for his first - took advantage of another Schofield invitation to roll home a simple second and put the outcome beyond any reasonable doubt.

His third and clinching goal, three minutes into stoppage time, came from an Abbott-Schofield break down the left and was finished in simple style at the near post.

It was a marvellous moment for the player and the fans, while every one of his collegues ran up to offer their congratulations.

That must have warmed the heart of manager Peter Jackson, whose faith in Taylor-Fletcher has never wavered and who was rewarded with a `high fives' celebration when the striker broke his duck with 55 minutes on the clock.

While the final scoreline had shades of Sunderland about it, there was a measure of relief when the final whistle went.

Jackson was forced to re-jig his defence as early as the 17th-minute when Martin McIntosh was forced off suffering a knee injury and, later, he changed it again when Andy Holdsworth was clattered on the ankle by a low-flying Mark Allott.

Teenager Tom Clarke got the very unenviable job of trying to replace `central rock' McIntosh and, although Town were leading when he went on, it wasn't long before Chesterfield started to dominate and turn up the pressure.