Thirteen years of hurt never stopped Chesterfield dreaming but an under-strength Middlesbrough team proved stubbornly resistant in last night's Carling Cup tie to the idea of letting lower-division opponents gain revenge for being controversially denied an appearance in the FA Cup final.
If the locals viewed their pairing at the new b2net Stadium as an opportunity to right the wrong David Elleray inflicted on Chesterfield by failing to spot that Jonathan Howard's shot crossed Middlesbrough's line at Old Trafford in 1997, they left frustrated again. Scott McDonald and Julio Arca put the Championship favourites in command before Dwayne Mattis' reply set up a stirring but ultimately fruitless fightback.
Middlesbrough's line-up was a glimpse of the future, containing only four of Gordon Strachan's first-day XI due to international calls and injuries, and including a 19-year-old goalkeeper, Jason Steele, who enjoyed an assured debut. "We had to get a shape in the past 48 hours to fit the players we had available," the Boro manager said. "We were pleased how it went, especially in the first half. It took Chesterfield a while to get to grips with what we were doing and the formation we played has given me food for thought."
Strachan's understudies settled faster than their League Two hosts and took a seventh-minute lead with a goal that moved the Scot and his assistant Gary McAllister to applaud their own goalkeeper. Steele, who captained England Under-19s in one of their European Championship games, fielded a cross before bowling the ball swiftly to McDonald. The Australian in turn fed Leroy Lita before taking a return pass and beating Tommy Lee from 12 yards.
Chesterfield fell further behind in the 33rd minute, and again Steele could claim an assist. This time he miskicked a back-pass only for the ball to go to his team-mate Nicky Bailey, who found Lita with a fine pass. The striker spotted Arca wide on the left, from where he beat Lee at his near post.
"The first goal came from a great throw," Strachan said of Steele's contribution. "For the second one he was very lucky." John Sheridan, the Chesterfield manager, felt his side had shown Boro "too much respect" initially but was pleased they had a "right go" in the final half hour. Mattis' glancing header from Danny Whitaker's cross sparked late Chesterfield pressure but Middlesbrough crossed the line safely.