On 18 December 1926, Rochdale got their biggest margin of victory, beating Chesterfield 8-1. They got five goals from center forward Albert Whitehurst, who was in the midst of a record-setting year.The match was a Third Division contest, played at Rochdale's Spotland Stadium. When the day started, the Dale were flying high in second place, despite having just finished back-to-back draws with Walsall and Rotherham United, but Chesterfield were only one spot lower in third, making a near top-of-the-table clash.
And although Chesterfield had a potent attack of their own--having beaten Barrow 8-1 the previous month--the day belonged to Rochdale. Whitehurst, in his fourth season there, delivered five of the goals, part of his club-record tally of 44 goals on the season.
The result kept Rochdale in second and dropped Chesterfield down to seventh, which turned out to be their finishing spots for the season. Whitehurst remained with the Dale for one more season before moving to Liverpool in 2008.
Whitehurst scored fifteen Football League goals against Chesterfield in his Rochdale career, thirteen of them in two seasons. He netted another for Bradford City against The Spireites in 1928-9. His last ever FL match was against Chesterfield, for Tranmere Rovers, on 23/9/1933.
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