Chesterfield 3
Morsy (4), Banks )44), Doyle (47)
Bristol Rovers 1
Brown (36)
Rovers were well beaten by the league leaders at the Proact Stadium this afternoon, hit by goals at the start of each half and one just before half time.
Lee Brown did score his first goal of the season and, for eight minutes there were hopes that it might lead to an improved second half performance.
It never happened, though, and with several below par performances, the home side coasted to a comfortable victory.
Manager John Ward made one enforced change to his side, recalling Chris Beardsley in place of Eliot Richards, sidelined with a tight hamstring.
Rovers made the worst possible start as the home team started at a high tempo and scored after only four minutes.
Eoin Doyle got down the left and found Sam Morsy in space just inside the area. He had time and space to beat goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall comfortably.
Dan Gardner hit a shot wide as Chesterfield sensed they could increase their lead, though Rovers did get forward eventually and a Michael Smith effort was blocked by Morsy.
Smith got forward again on 20 minutes and saw his left foot shot comfortably saved by goalkeeper Tommy Lee.
A left foot curling shot from Tom Parkes was also dealt with easily by the keeper.
Ollie Banks saw his shot blocked at the expense of a corner on the half hour mark, but Rovers were growing into the game at that point and equalised with 36 minutes on the clock. A cross from the right was
cleared as far as Lee Brown who had made a run down the left and the defender controlled the ball before curling a shot into the top corner of the net with his right foot to register his first goal of the season.
Buoyed by the goal, Rovers enjoyed a spell of pressure, though failed to test Lee again and they paid the penalty for more poor marking with a minute of the half remaining.
Gary Roberts got the better of Smith down the left and drove a low cross to the back post where the unmarked Banks was able to score from close range.
Any hopes of a second half revival evaporated within two minutes of the restart. Parkes was caught in possession by Roberts who fed Doyle and he hit a ferocious drive past Mildenhall.
After that it was a case of damage limitation and even though they were trailing by two goals Rovers seldom troubled the Chesterfield back line.
Parkes hit a long rang effort over the bar, in frustration more than anything else, and Chris Beardsley fired wide of the target.
But the home side went close to a fourth goal when Mildenhall did well to touch away a free kick from Banks.
After a Beardsley effort had been blocked and an Ellis Harrison header had drifted wide, a shot from substitute Jay O’Shea was deflected off of Mark McChrystal on to the crossbar.
David Clarkson tested keeper Tommy Lee with a well placed free kick, but the shot stopper beat his effort away.
After substitute Armand Gnanduillet saw his shot blocked, there were two late chances for Harrison, both of which were wide of the mark but, in all honesty, Rovers ended the macth a well beaten side.
Bristol Rovers: Steve Mildenhall, Michael Smith, Tom Parkes, Mark McChrystal, Lee Brown, Ollie Clarke, Tom Lockyer, John-Joe O’Toole, Kaid Mohamed (Ellis Harrison, 51), Matt Harrold ( David Clarkson, 76), Chris Beardsley
Substitutes: Ollie Norburn, Mitch Harding, Conor Gough, Alefe Santos, Pat Keary
Chesterfield: Tommy Tendayi Darwika, Ian Evatt, Liam Cooper, Ritchie Humphreys, Dan Gardner (Jay O’Shea, 81), Jimmy Ryan, Sam Morsy, Gary Roberts, Eoin Doyle (Armand Gnanduillet, 72), Ollie Banks (Marc Richards, 72).
Substitutes: Nathan Smith, Sam Hird, Drew Talbot, Ian Dunbavin
Referee: Geoff Eltringham
Attendance: 6,048
Rovers Supporters: 266