Right-back Cameron Norman got the ball rolling with a hammer of a free-kick that fizzed into the bottom corner to put County ahead in the 14th minute.

It was 2-0 four minutes later when left-back Tom Davies controlled a loose ball in the box and managed to hook a shot past Zach Hemming in the Chesterfield goal.

And Harrison Biggins added a third after half an hour when he tried his luck from distance and caught out Hemming, despite his shot lacking power.

And Yahya Bamba capped a remarkable first half for the hosts as he took advantage of some static defending to curl a delightful finish beyond Hemming in the second minute of stoppage time.

Chesterfield boss Paul Cook was sent off during the interval and his side appeared to be denied two penalties for apparent handballs.

Liam Mandeville’s fine finish just before the hour was scant consolation for the visitors.