The Chesterfield stadium announcer’s eagerness to provide updates from the Ashes Test and the stifling heat were reminders that we are still at the time of year when the summer game holds sway.
And it was clear to see that Town are still in the early stages of their build-up to the new Championship season as the League II hosts, playing their third friendly, claimed victory with the help of a goal by Town old boy Gary Roberts.
Given the energy-sapping conditions, a tough five-day training camp in Spain and another session on Saturday morning, this was a lively and reasonably entertaining first work-out for Mark Robins’ men – all 23 of them.
The manager fielded completely different sides in each half, and with 21 minutes to go, gave Daniel Carr his club debut to go with those of Martin Paterson and Jake Carroll.
There were also busy outings for James Vaughan and Adam Hammill, signed permanently after last season’s loan spells, but Jon Stead will have to wait for his second Town debut after picking up a groin niggle out in Marbella.
Captain Peter Clarke also sat this one out to ensure his complete recovery from a knee tidy-up carried out earlier in the close-season.
And with Anthony Gerrard still recovering from a calf injury, it meant seldom-seen centre-back pairings of Joel Lynch and Murray Wallace in the first half and Liam Ridehalgh and Tommy Smith in the second.
Town’s all-change at the turnaround gave Chesterfield the chance to get a grip of the game and claim a winner through trialist Jamie Devitt’s well-struck 63rd-minute free-kick.
The new-look Spireites side put together by Paul Cook – who already sounded hoarse with the season proper still three weeks away – just about deserved their win because they created the clearer-cut chances.
But Town started the clash strongly, and had they been more accurate in front of goal, might have had two or three by the break.
Paterson, playing just behind Vaughan in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, was especially eager to shoot while Vaughan had some decent supply from goalscorer Danny Ward.
With Town brushing off reports linking Ward with Wolves, the former Bolton man produced a bright 45 minutes, and made sure Town produced a quick response after Roberts, recently signed from Swindon, struck in the ninth minute.
Town fans are only to well aware of the wideman’s shooting prowess, and he put away an effort from just inside the penalty area with the minimum of fuss.
It was tough on Carroll, Town’s new left-back from Dublin side St Patrick’s, because he made great challenges on both Jay O’Shea and Marc Richards in the build-up, having already shown some neat distribution skills.
And the opener was pretty much against the run of play, with Town brushing themselves down and pushing forward once again.
Vaughan’s neat flick set up Ward for a 10th-minute shot which Tommy Lee blocked, but the keeper could do little about the 12th-minute drive which took a deflection after Ward cruised past trialist Ritchie Humphreys.
It was even for the rest of the first half, with Roberts and Ward both coming close to second goals, and Alex Smithies twice leaving his penalty area to clear from Richards, once with his head and once with his a boot.
Ian Bennett was between the posts in the second half, and while he was beaten by ex-Bradford man Devitt, the veteran pulled off good saves from Eoin Doyle, newly arrived at Chesterfield from Hibs, and Ivorian forward Arman Gnanduillet, who also hit the side-netting.
Town, with the likes of Oliver Norwood, Paul Dixon and Sean Scannell in action, weren’t as fluent as in the first half, but might have levelled as Calum Woods, who picked up a worrying collarbone problem, Carr and Jordan Sinnott all had chances.
Chesterfield: Lee, Talbot (Cakin, 61mins) , Humphreys (Shaw, 60), Hird (Brown, HT), Cooper (Broadhead, 75), Ryan (Togwell, HT), Morsey (Clifford, 60), Darikwa,O’Shea (Gnanduillet, HT), Richards (Doyle, HT), Roberts (Devitt, 60).
First-half side: Smithies, Hunt, Carroll, Wallace, Lynch, Ward, Clayton, Southern, Hammill, Vaughan, Paterson.
Second-half side: Bennett, Woods, Smith, Ridehalgh, Dixon, Norwood, Sinnott, Higginbotham, Crooks (Carr, 69), Scannell, Spencer.
