Chesterfield announce departure of two players who only joined in summer

Defender Joe Cook and midfielder George Cooper have both left the Spireites.

Cook, 23, has joined fellow National League side Dorking Wanderers on a permanent basis following a successful loan spell.

Cooper, 26, has left by mutual consent and is now a free agent.

Centre-back Cook joined in the summer from Bognor Regis Town for a small fee but has only started two matches for the Blues. His game-time was unlikely to improve given Chesterfield have Ash Palmer and Tyrone Williams in front of him competing for the right-sided centre-half spot.

On joining Dorking, Cook said: “Happy to be back on a permanent basis, time to kick on. Thank you to Chesterfield and their fans for welcoming me from day one, wishing you all the best for the rest of the season.”

Like Cook, Cooper also arrived in the summer on a free transfer from Plymouth Argyle. His signing brought a lot of excitement given his impressive goals and assists statistics but he struggled with injuries and made just two starts and nine appearances overall.

Following these departures, Chesterfield are expected to announce the signing of winger Ryan Colclough from Altrincham shortly.

The Spireites said in a statement: “It has been confirmed that George Cooper and Joe Cook have both left the club.

“Cooper’s contract has been cancelled by mutual consent while Cook has signed for Dorking Wanderers on a permanent basis following a spell on loan there.

“We would like to thank both players for their services and wish them all the best for the future.”