Anyone travelling to Stocksbridge must have feared the worst as the rain lashed down on the way up. Thankfully, the Look Local Stadium pitch was in excellent condition.

Chesterfield put out a strong side, as promised, including a full 90 minutes for new signing Jamie Winter (pictured). We're still waiting on the results of Roche's blood test but tonsilitis is suspected, so Jordan kept his place in the following line-up:

JORDAN

PICKEN   KOVACS   HOWES   O'HARE

LOWRY   NIVEN   WINTER   SHAW

ALLISON   JACKSON

Warren Howes, a triallist, is a former Brentford player. Adam Smith made a welcome return to the bench, where he was joined by Robertson, Lester, Downes, Davies, Law and three youth team players, Dan Gray, Jake Williams and Dan Whatsize.

Stocksbridge, under new manager Gary Marrow, had made many changes to their playing staff, but they started brightly with Danny Frost catching the eye on their right wing. It was the Steels who took the lead on 14 minutes, when the ex-Blade Mark WARD cracked a low shot from twenty yards to Jordan's right, and into the net. Frost shot a foot over two minutes later, but Chesterfield began to come into it more. Shaw headed an O'Hare corner narrowly over at the near post on 17, and it was SHAW himself who pulled the visitors level on 21. Lowry put in a low cross from deep on the right and the ex-Blade was on hand to sidefoot home the waist-high ball from six yards.

Chesterfield kept the pressure on; an Allison cross was hacked away for a corner on 24 and Winter's powerful 20-yard shot from a poor clearance was charged down. Another searching Lowry cross was tipped over on 26; Lowry and Jackson worked it short and provided a cross for ALLISON to slide in at the far post and give Chesterfield the lead.

The Steels came back at Chesterfield and Jordan pulled off a good save from Telling's shoton 30. The Chesterfield keeper was perhaps lucky to stay on the pitch after racing thirty yards out and handling the ball after a mix-up with Howes. He would certainly have walked in a league game, but the referee showed commendable restraint and merely noted his name.

Halftime: Steels 1 Spireites 2

The Spireites made three substitutions at half time. Law came on for Shaw, allowing Picken to move into midfield; Robertson came on for Lowry and Downes replaced Howes. In terms of his build and appearance, Howes was reminiscent of Paul McGugan; he has a firm left-footed tackle but turns a little slowly, which may be down to a lack of match practise.

Chesterfield remained on top at the start of the second half, and extended the lead on 55. Robertson's shot from the left was blocked, but it ran to Jackson on the right; his shot from a tight angle became a bullet cross that Phil PICKEN stooped to get a head to a few yards out. Five minutes later Jackson outpaced his man down the left and crossed for NIVEN to tap in from eight yards.

Adam Smith made his first appearance of the pre-season period, coming on as a 61^st-minute sub for Allison. Lester came on for Picken and Davies replaced O'Hare at the same time. Smith showed some good touches on the left and crossed to provide LESTER with a simple header to make it 5-1 on 68.

Niven had the ball in the net on 74 but the goal was disallowed for offside. The Steels made a clutch of substitutions on 76 but even the fresh legs could not stop the Spireites' dominance.

Dan Gray replaced Niven and Jake Williams replaced Jackson in the 78^th minute. Williams was involved two minutes later in Chesterfield's 6^th goal, taking a good ball from Lester and passing it on to SMITH who shot home well from an angle on the left. Dan Whatsize replaced Jordan on 81.

Winter found LESTER on 88 and he struck a rising shot from around 18 yards against the bar and in, for Chesterfield's seventh goal, and LAW made it 8-1 on full time, taking a Lester pass and lobbing the keeper in fine style.

Winter, who played the full 90, is looking like a useful anchor man but can get forward and shoot well, too. Of all the players who were tried wide Lowry probably had the most effect, providing crosses for two goals, but they were crosses from deep, of the sort that may be less productive against better defences. In his short appearance Smith got to the bye-line several times and crossed well, considering his obvious lack of recent match practise. Despite the result, the Steels did not look like a side that deserved this scoreline, but it was a day when everything went Chesterfield's way.

As far as we can tell a Chesterfield side featuring first team players has not scored eight in a friendly before; the most recent comparable result was probably the 7-0 win at Horwich RMI in 1989.