The key issues Paul Cook needs to address if Chesterfield are to win promotion from National League

His appointment has caught the imagination and excitement of the Chesterfield fans as they push for promotion in the second-half of the season.

The 54-year-old is going to have a lot of big decisions to make so let’s take a look at some of the important issues he needs to address...

STOP THE LATE SHOW

Chesterfield have thrown away 13 points from the 80th minute onwards in games so far this season, with a staggering eight of those coming after the 90th minute. Of those eight, six of them (Bromley 90+6, Torquay 90+5 and Altrincham 90+6) all came with virtually the last kick of the game and probably total about 30 seconds. How costly could they prove to be?

Also, the ten goals conceded after the 80th minute is almost half the total (24) that they have let in all season. Is it game management? Is it nerves? Concentration? Whatever it is, they need to cut it out immediately.

And in total, they have lost 15 points from winning positions. That is far too many for a team aiming to win the title. If they don’t top the table come the end of the season, it is not going to be hard to pinpoint where they went wrong.

On the flip side, Town have scored two late winners themselves (Grimsby, 84 and Eastleigh, 89) and rescued a draw against (Halifax, 85). They also came from two goals down against Dagenham and Redbridge to secure a point. That is six extra points but there is a big gap to make up compared to the number thrown away.

WIN WITHOUT KABS

We don’t know the full details of Kabongo Tshimanga’s injury but it looks serious and I would expect that to be his season over. So the big question is, how do Chesterfield go on to win promotion without their 25-goal star man?

After Tshimanga, Saidou Khan and Danny Rowe are the next top goalscorers with five each. Khan has not been a regular recently and Rowe has not played since October so Cook is clearly going to have to find some goals from somewhere.

One option could be to dip into the transfer market and possibly bring in a loan or two from his contacts in the Football League.

Another could be to ditch the 3-4-1-2 formation for Cooks’s favoured 4-2-3-1 and and try implement a more expansive style of play with the likes of Khan, Liam Mandeville, Calvin Miller and Jeff King all bombing on to support Akwasi Asante.

But, in my opinion, another striker would still be needed because Asante has only just returned from a long-term injury, as has Tom Denton, and we are yet to see what Joe Quigley is all about.

ADD EXPERIENCE

While we are on the subject of the transfer market, I think a shrewd move would be to look at bringing in some more Football League experience down the spine of the team. A couple of players with a bit of extra know-how and leadership. People who have seen it, done it and got the t-shirt but still have the quality and desire to help Town get over the line. Come the final push, I think that will be crucial. Chesterfield already have a big squad so one or two may have to be loaned out to finance any incomings.

INJURIES

Injuries have hampered the Blues all season and it may be too late for Cook to have a massive impact now but at least he might be able to use his experience to work out what has been going wrong to stop it getting any worse and to put some strong foundations in place for next season. Has training been too intense? Have players been playing when they shouldn’t have? Have they been rushed back? These are all things Cook needs to get to the bottom of sooner rather than later.

For me, one of the most pressing matters is to solve Manny Oyeleke’s ongoing calf issue. He is such an important player but he is struggling to complete 90 minutes and is having to miss games regularly. Do Chesterfield concede a goal from a counter-attack in the 98th minute against Weymouth if he is still on the pitch? I don’t think so. The same goes for Gavin Gunning.

HOME FORM

This might be an odd thing to highlight because Town are actually unbeaten at the Technique in 13 matches this campaign and 16 in total going back to the end of last season. But they have drawn five of those 13, giving them the seventh best home record in the division. As previously mentioned, that record would look a lot healthier if they had clung on against Bromley, Torquay and Altrincham so they are not far away but these fine margins will be the difference come May. With five successive home games coming up, starting on Saturday against Solihull Moors, this is a great opportunity to put a marker down for the rest of the season and use this period to get ahead of rivals Stockport County and the rest.