Inside track on Paul Cook’s promotion-chasing Spireites

LN: “Paul Cook took over in February last year with Chesterfield in second and just one point off the top. They slipped down the table and ended up finishing in the last play-off spot by the skin of their teeth.

But the signs of a decline were on the cards before Cook was appointed with performance levels dropping and the squad being decimated by long-term injuries to several key players.

Top goalscorer Kabongo Tshimanga suffered a fractured leg and dislocated ankle in Cook’s first match and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the season. They managed to beat Halifax in the play-off elimination round before coming unstuck against Solihull Moors in the semi-finals.

“With Cook being much-loved by the fans from his previous spell at the club, he still had plenty of credit in the bank and supporters were excited about him building his own squad who were more suited to his eye-catching, front-foot style of play. They were right to be optimistic because Chesterfield are having a very good season, averaging more than two points a game, scoring in every match except one and playing attractive football. It’s just unfortunate that Notts County and Wrexham are having unbelievable campaigns. Chesterfield lost three games in a week in October and that is looking very costly now.

“The Spireites suffered back-to-back relegations out of the Football League and were relegated to the National League in 2018. As we saw with Southend United last season and Scunthorpe United and Oldham Athletic this year, Chesterfield failed to adapt to non-league football and spent the majority of their first two seasons fighting relegation. In fact, if it had not been for a narrow win against Chorley just before the pandemic, they would have relegated to the National League North on the points-per-game system. That would have been unthinkable and many fans believe that would have been the end of the club.

But they are now experiencing a much more enjoyable time under the ownership of the community trust following their takeover of the club in summer 2020.

Under their stewardship, Chesterfield have reached the play-offs in the last two seasons and reached the FA Cup third round for a second successive year.

The club has a real feel-good factor and is heading in the right direction. And to have a manager with Cook’s experience of winning league titles is the cherry on the top for a team which has a nice blend of know-how and young and hungry players who want to succeed.

“While ever Chesterfield are in the National League the aim will always be promotion. They trail leaders Notts County by nine points but Chesterfield have two games in hand and play them at home in the middle of January. They also travel to second-placed Wrexham in the same week which could define whether they are in the title race or will have to settle for the play-offs again.”

“Jeff King has eight goals and 10 assists from right-back this season. He is an attack-minded full-back who is also a bit of a free-kick specialist.

“Armando Dobra played under Cook at Ipswich Town and he brought him to Derbyshire in the summer. He has scored in all three FA Cup games this season, including against both League Two sides Northampton Town and AFC Wimbledon. With six goals and four assists in 19 appearances this season, I don’t think the 21-year-old will be playing at this level for long.

“Chesterfield like to dominate the ball and play on the front-foot. They like to play it out from the back but not overplay. They will look to quickly work it into midfield and start attacks. The full-backs will be high up the pitch and switches of play are a big part of their game.

“They tend to line-up 4-2-3-1 but they have also played 4-1-4-1 this season. The National League is a fantastically competitive division and calls are growing louder for a third promotion spot to the EFL. The perception that non-league football is ‘hoofball’ could not be further from the truth.

“There are some talented coaches and a lot of players who should be playing higher up. For any West Brom who has not watched the National League before, they might be surprised by the quality on show on Saturday.

“The Spireites have history in this competition, having famously reached the semi-finals against Middlesbrough in 1997. For any younger fans who don’t know what happened, look it up on YouTube! Last season they also drew Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the third round, with 6,000 packing out the away. They have not reached the fourth round since 2015.

“Chesterfield only have two players out injured at the moment in Manny Oyeleke (knee) and George Cooper (hamstring).”