Chesterfield made three changes to the side beaten at Accrington last time out. Janos Kovacs replaced Aaron Downes, Jamie Winter came in for the suspended Derek Niven and the fit-again Jack Lester began, at the expense of Steve Fletcher.

The Spireites started a little more brightly than their opponents, with Ward busy on both sides of the forward area. Mansfield came into it more after winning their first corner on 8, when a Boulding cross cannoned off Kovacs. Robertson was momentarily faced with a three-on-one on 14 but stuck to his task well and conceded only a throw in. The Spireites won their first corner on 17 after good work by Bastians but nothing came of it.

The encounter was lacking the passion of a local derby, although Leven was putting himself about and was booked on 23 after a foul on Buxton that looked rather more serious than it was. Jamie Ward shot narrowly over the corner of the goal after winning a free kick off Baptiste on 26, and the same player gave away a corner under Ward's pressure on 28, from which Kovacs headed over.

Lester flicked the ball over the defence into the path of Ward on 34 but Buxton applied enough pressure to put the lively frontman off. Leven's 25-yard shot forced Muggleton into a save, and the half closed with Chesterfield winning a couple of corners. Mullins was booked for a bad-looking foul on Bastians on 44.

Steve Fletcher was called on to replace Bastians at half time, leaving the Spireites to operate with three up front. After the first chance of the second period was wasted by Boulding, who ran through and shot across the goal, the game began to swing in Chesterfield's favour.

Mullins appeared to pull Ward over in the box on 48, but no penalty was awarded. Roche's wellied return to a Muggleton kick-out was flicked on by Lester into the path of Ward, who shot narrowly wide.

The Spireites took the lead on 52. Phil Picken came away with the ball on the right and slotted a fine pass through to LESTER, who celebrated his return to the side with a coolly-taken finish from twelve yards.

Chesterfield extended their lead on the hour. A super pass from Winter found WARD, who cut in past Mullins and shot powerfully home. It might have been three a couple of minutes later, as Chesterfield turned the screw; a near-post corner from Ward was hacked away from in front of a baying Kop.

Mansfield made substitutions and tried to get back into the game. Rory Boulding replaced Jellyman on 69, but to little effect. The game threatened toswing away from Chesterfield on 74, when referee Hall - who sent off Shayne Bradley here in the last encounter between these sides - gave a straight red to Kevin Gray, for a foul on Brown, on the halfway line. To capitalise on the man advantage, though, the Stags would have to have played with more purpose and imagination than they'd shown so far, and that was not forthcoming.

Chesterfield brought Downes on for Lester in the wake of Gray's dismissal; an expected change, but one that reflected a generally safety-first approach that was prevalent from the home side all afternoon. A noticeable offside trap was played and, even when going forward Chesterfield usually kept Gray and Picken back, with Kovacs as a "spare," and this prevented Mansfield from making any headway all afternoon.