Non League: Chesterfield promoted back to the EFL
Chesterfield 3 - 0 Boreham Wood
Chesterfield secured the National League title and promotion to the English Football League with a comfortable win over Boreham Wood.
Jamie Grimes scored twice and Liam Mandeville scored immediately after halftime as the Spireites remain 21 points clear of nearest challengers Barnet, who defeated Dorking 6-0.
Chesterfield goalkeeper Harry Tyrer made an excellent early save from Tom Whelan's free-kick. However, the hosts took the lead in the 28th minute when captain Grimes headed home Mandeville's corner from near the penalty spot.
Less than a minute into the second half, Mandeville scored to make it 2-0 after receiving a cross from Armando Dobra. The crowd of 9,907 was treated to Chesterfield's 100th league goal of the season when Grimes scored his second of the game, with Dobra providing an excellent assist.
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Struggling Wood could find no response and as the five added minutes expired, the celebrations could begin.
Paul Cook's side went top on September 16th and have remained there since. They had an utterly dominant campaign, winning the title with five games left, and returning to the EFL after six seasons away.
In contrast to last year's title race in the National League that involved Wrexham and Notts County, this season's has been a total procession.
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Chesterfield, whose 97-year spell as a Football League club ended in 2018, were 22 points clear at the top on 6 February before going on a run of three games without a victory - their longest winless run of the season.
This sequence was ended with a 2-0 win at Barnet on 27 February to move 20 points ahead of the chasing pack. This left their promotion a near-certainty with ten games still to play. Recent dropped points against Halifax and Oldham has meant Spireites fans have had to be a bit patient.
Paul Cook back in the Football League
Their return to League Two will vindicate manager Cook's decision to return to the club in 2022. The former Portsmouth and Wigan boss had guided the club to the League Two title and a finish in the League One play-off places during his first spell in charge between 2012 and 2015.
However, it was something of a surprise when he returned in February 2022, just two months after being sacked as manager of Ipswich, then in League One.
Chesterfield finished third last season but nearly pulled off a shock in the promotion final at Wembley when they twice led against Notts, who had finished 23 points ahead of them in the regular season, before ultimately losing on penalties.
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After experiencing three consecutive seasons of play-off heartbreak, the team strengthened their squad with the signings of experienced Northern Ireland international striker Will Grigg and former Pompey and Latics defender Tom Naylor, key additions to their bid for automatic promotion.
Grigg worked with Cook at Wigan. The Northern Irish player has scored 25 goals in 38 league games. He managed just 16 league goals across the previous four seasons combined.
There is a sense of optimism that the team could replicate the achievements of Wrexham, who are currently in contention for automatic promotion in the fourth tier and are aiming for back-to-back promotions up to League One.
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