Chesterfield 'lacklustre' in 'poor' first defeat of season against Maidenhead United

The Spireites fell to their first defeat of the campaign in 11 games at the Technique Stadium on Saturday, losing 2-1 to the Magpies.

Cook said: “It was disappointing wasn’t it?

"There was a really good energy from the supporters, completely not backed up by us in any way, shape or form.

"We were lacklustre, we never set any tempo in the game, we never showed any energy, we allowed Maidenhead to feel that it would be a nice comfortable afternoon and, in my opinion, it developed into a nice comfortable afternoon apart from the last two or three minutes when we got a goal and all of a sudden people want to start running more and showing more urgency, that should have come at three o’clock.

"We were poor today. I am really disappointed for our supporters because they have turned up in unbelievable numbers.

"Today we have not let them down, but you feel like you have because it was not a good performance from us today.”

When asked what the reason was for the flat performance, Cook added: "It is so important that you create the outcome of the game and we never got in a position to do that today.

"At no point did we have them under pressure in the first-half where you felt a goal was coming.

"We prepared for the game to be a lot braver, being positive, but you have got to give great credit to Maidenhead.

"The last two performances have not been where we would like them to be and today is probably a really disappointing one but I don’t think people do it deliberately.

"We did not go into Joe Quigley enough and squeeze up the pitch and do the basics of football like play in their half, put them under pressure, crosses in the box, corners, momentum. We were very, very deep with our play. We were possession-based without any real outcome.”

This was Chesterfield’s first defeat of the season, knocking them off top spot, but it has still been an excellent start and Cook will not be overreacting.

Town next face Dagenham and Redbridge at home on Tuesday night.

"I will not be criticising the players a lot, that is for sure, they have been excellent at the start of the season,” he explained.

"They are poor goals to concede from us, we have got a little bit of fragility at times and sometimes you are because that means you are a very strong, attacking team. But the reality is we were not a very strong, attacking team today so sometimes that fragility showing up makes you feel a bit worse.

"All of those lads have been part of the best start the club’s ever had in the history of the club and sometimes when you feel tonight you have just got to remember that.

"We will look back at the game and why we did not show more urgency, why didn’t we run harder, why didn’t we put crosses in the box. Hopefully we will have the solutions for Tuesday night.”