There were ugly scenes as Ebbsfleet blew a three-goal lead at Chesterfield on Saturday.

Fleet were 3-0 up at half-time but the Spireites mounted an incredible comeback in the second half.

Home supporters ran on and clashed with keeper Nathan Ashmore following their stoppage-time equaliser and Michael Cheek then had a penalty saved with the last kick of the game.

Ebbsfleet were unchanged from the 4-0 win at Braintree on New Year's Day, although boss Garry Hill reverted to 4-4-2 with Lawrie Wilson at right-back and Ebou Adams on the right of midfield.

Chesterfield dominated possession early on and the Fleet defenders were kept busy by a series of balls into the box.

Ashmore got behind Jonathan Smith's long shot but the first time Fleet ventured forward, they looked dangerous. Andy Drury's pass sprang the offside trap and when Cody McDonald was tripped on the edge of the box, Chris Bush curled the free-kick into the home end.

Bush whipped in a good ball from the left and McDonald headed over at the near post as Ebbsfleet fired another warning across the Spireites bows.

Jack King cut out a Jerome Binnom-Williams cross when Chesterfield worked a good position down their left-hand side.

But the visitors were awarded a penalty midway through the first half when goalkeeper Callum Burton brought down Cheek as the striker tried to go round him. Burton escaped with a yellow card but Cheek sent him the wrong way from the spot.

Straight away there were moans and groans from the home supporters, initially towards referee Rebecca Welch but increasingly aimed at their beleaguered players.

Ashmore survived a heart-in-mouth moment when he raced out to intercept a through-ball and made contact with Lee Shaw although the striker stayed on his feet and Ms Welch waved away the furious penalty appeals.

The Spireites had plenty of possession but it was all in front of the Fleet, who held their defensive shape well.

McDonald almost forced in Bagasan Graham's low cross but then scored a goal of pure class on 41 minutes. Adams played a ball into the right-hand channel and McDonald showed good pace to reach it before turning his defender and finding the far corner of the net with a precise low shot.

You could sense the atmosphere really turn now and with the Chesterfield defence in tatters, McDonald ran at them again and fired over.

Things got even better for Ebbsfleet in stoppage-time as Graham beat his man for pace and lashed the ball beyond Burton to make it 3-0.

Fleet went after a fourth goal at the start of the second half and King glanced a header wide from Wilson's cross before McDonald turned in the box and forced a save from Burton.

At the other end, with Chesterfield throwing bodies forward, King had to clear off the line when Ashmore and Bush got in a muddle trying to deal with a cross from the left.

It was backs-to-the-wall stuff for a while as the Spireites desperately tried to force their way back into the contest but Binnom-Williams failed to beat the wall when they were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position.

Red shirts were throwing themselves in front of shots and crosses but Chesterfield did pull a goal back on 64 minutes when Denton headed home Bradley Barry's cross from the right.

Fleet dropped deeper and deeper and Adams hurled himself in the way of Curtis Weston's goalbound shot as the onslaught continued.

The home crowd were trying to suck the ball in and Ashmore had to be at his very best to claw a header out before King got there in the nick of time to deny Marc-Antoine Fortune on the break.

Between those chances, Adams forced a sprawling save from Burton but it was game on when Fortune latched onto Denton's flick and hooked the ball in seven minutes from time.

It was getting ugly at the home end now with supporters spilling onto the pitch and trying to get at Ashmore, who was booked for time-wasting.

A bottle was thrown towards the Fleet keeper and it all boiled over when Will Evans headed Chesterfield level in the fifth minute of added time.

Dozens of supporters jumped the hoardings and one stood over Ashmore as he lay prone in the goalmouth, prompting an angry reaction from his Ebbsfleet team-mates.

It took a while for order to be restored but incredibly, the drama wasn't over yet.

Burton was sent off for throwing an arm in Cheek's face only for Evans to don the gloves and save Cheek's 99th-minute penalty.

Chesterfield: Burton, Sharman (Denton 35mins), Evans, Hollis, Barry (Reid 74mins), Binnom-Williams, Smith, Weston, Beestin (Weir 46mins), Shaw, Fortune. Subs not used: Anyon, Rawson.

Ebbsfleet: Ashmore, Wilson, Magri, King, Bush, Adams (Whitely 83mins), Drury, Payne, Graham (Weston 60mins), McDonald (Kedwell 70mins), Cheek. Subs not used: Moncur, Rance.

Attendance: 4,123 (177 away).