Town went down 3-0 at Whaddon Road as the Spireites moved 11 points clear at the summit of League Two, while the Robins still harbour fading hopes of clinching a play-off spot come the end of the season.
Yates` side performed admirably in the opening 45 minutes and were just 1-0 down at the break before putting in a disappointing second-half showing, eventually going down to a Craig Davies brace and another from Kieran Djilali.
"They have some very good players all over the pitch and their striker Craig Davies has put in a proper centre-forward's display," Yates said.
"He was a real handful for us and is something my players have to aspire to and to be as good as Chesterfield are."
Source: PA
Source: PA