Coventry City 1-0 Chesterfield
Coventry City: Burge, Willis, Grimmer, Davies. Stokes,
Shipley (Haynes 78),, Doyle, Bayliss. Devon Kelly-Evans, Biamou (Ponticelli 65), McNulty. Subs: O'Brien, Dion Kelly-Evans, Hyam. Maycock Stevenson
Chesterfield:Eastwood, Binnom-Williams,
Hird (McGuire 46), Wiseman, Dennis (De Girolamo 73), Rowley, Dimaio (O'Grady 65), Kellet, Reed, McCourt, Weir. Subs: Parkin, Mitchell, German, Ofoegbu.
Goals Marc McNulty 13
Att 7,402
Coventry City kicked off 2018 with a 1-0 win over Chesterfield.
And so 2018 has arrived with City fifth in League Two and a home game against struggling Chesterfield.
Mark Robins changed the team from the one which won at Carlisle with Max Biamou coming back into the starting line up against a side which had former City U23's Boss Nicky Eaden taking the warm up.
City attacked the South Stand for the first half and won their first corner of 2018 in the seventh minute.
As a sub-dued crowd watched on, that opportunity was wasted and both sides combined to try and find ways through to the goal.
And that was what happened in the 13th minute as Marc McNulty raced through and firmly planted a shot past Eastwood on his left hand side to give City the lead on a pitch which was not looking in good fettle.
Chesterfield had a 23rd minute corner headed away by the hard working Max Biamou and then had Burge save well from a Dimaio effort as both Jordan Willis and Jack Grimmer defended well.
Biamou took a clattering on the half hour mark but after treatment was able to resume.
Chesterfield had two corners and then cleared off the line as Biamou rose to get in a header in what was an encouraging opening 35 minutes.
A handball in the area was spotted by many City supporters but not Mr Kettle the referee, who gave a 42nd minute drop ball when yet another Chesterfield player went down.
Players going down in order to break up the play seemed to be the only tactic for the visitors who managed to get a body in the way to concede a corner just before the half ended.
Chesterfield., who had made a change at the break, had the first chance of the seconds half with a shoot into the side netting.
City regrouped with Tom Bayliss and Jordan Shipley working well in midfield along side Michael Doyle.
A 49th minute corner for the visitors was headed well over the bar by McGuire and it was the Spireites who were having more of the play.
Biamou took another knock, spotted again by most of the City support but not the referee who also missed Joe Rowley catching the ball and taking it out of play.
On the hour mark. Bayliss and Wiseman were booked as things got slightly heated on an afternoon which was getting colder as the game went on.
Bayliss then had a shot blocked following a neat more with Devon Kelly-Evans and then crossed for Chris Stokes to volley a shot from the edge of the area which struck the cross bar and went out for a corner.
Mark Robins sent on Jordan Ponticelli for Biamou as Kelly-Evans fired high and wide.
Kellet should have levelled in the 68th minute but he fired wide from a Rowley cross and Shipley went up the other end and helped to win a throw.
A great ball from Bayliss played in McNulty for a 73rd minute shot but Eastwood got down to his left to save.
Burge caught a looping header before Ryan Haynes came on for the last twelve minutes plus, replacing Jordan Shipley.
In the 80th minute. Scott Wiseman was booked again and having already been booked, he was off leaving the visitors with ten men.
McNulty turned in the 85th minute and hit a shot which won a corner and one from which Tom Davies headed over following a Grimmer cross.
Tom Bayliss had a shot late on as City took the win, making it harder than they needed to. But it was a win none the less and City moved up into third place.