Chesterfield ‘got off with one’, says ‘devastated’ Altrincham manager
‘Devastated’ Altrincham manager Phil Parkinson felt Chesterfield ‘got off with one’ after pinching a late 2-1 win.
Ollie Banks’ opener was cancelled out by Chris Conn-Clarke’s equaliser before James Berry scored the winner against his old club with seven minutes remaining.
Despite being gutted at the result, Parkinson didn’t seem to mind that it was one of his former players who stole the points.
He explained: “We have been undone by a moment of magic from a lad we brought back in from obscurity in James Berry. It feels a bit like fate that he had the last say on it. It was a fantastic finish and fitting to win the game for them. Not that I am happy about that, but it is good to see a player like that kick-starting his career again.
“I am devastated we have not been able to see it through and even pinch it at the end. A draw was the bare minimum we deserved from the performance. I am not saying we absolutely deserved to win because we have lost the game and Chesterfield are an outstanding team and Paul Cook is a top, top manager, their staff are unbelievable, Kieron Dyer on the bench, it is frightening isn’t it? Their fans are brilliant.
“If you look at what Wrexham and Notts County did last season, they are ahead of them, and when we have played Wrexham and Notts County in the past, it has not been that close, so that is how much we have improved. We are on the wrong end of a result but the performance was inspiring for me.
“I am ever so proud of the lads. Their performance levels were outstanding and I think everyone knows that as good as Chesterfield are, I feel they have got off with one there.
