‘Disappointed’ Paul Cook said Chesterfield are lacking a ‘killer instinct’ that teams who get promoted have.

The Spireites conceded with the last touch of the game in the 95th minute in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Crawley Town. The visitors missed several big chances in both halves before Jay Williams equalised after Liam Mandeville’s deflected strike had put them ahead in the first-half.

A win would have cemented the Blues’ place in the play-offs and they would only have been six points off the automatic places. But instead they sit seventh and the sides below them have games in hand.

Just like against Harrogate Town a week ago, Chesterfield were made to pay for not being clinical.

"I must admit that I felt automatic promotion was achievable before the game today, I really did,” Cook told 1866 Sport. “I felt we could put that run together. But we just don’t seem to have that killer instinct that may be promoted teams have.

"For the second Saturday on the run now we have missed chances that would have seen the game done. We have had two 1-1 draws when both games should have been three or four one and we should be celebrating having four more points on the board and looking up rather than sideways and down.

"A win today would have meant so much today...what a big result (it would have been). But we have done what we have done all season – we have just taken that little step forward and we have just taken quarter/half a step back. As you can imagine, it is a really disappointing dressing room and I am a disappointed manager.

"At this stage of the season we really needed to put another win on the board. I feel the pain of everyone. You can imagine the pain I feel because you think what should you have done. You have just got to score."

Lee Bonis, Chey Dunkley and Dilan Markanday all squandered huge opportunities in the first-half, while Bonis, Will Grigg and Armando Dobra were wasteful after the break and in the end it came back to haunt them.

Cook continued: “The game should have been over and done, we can’t keep missing these chances that we are missing because at 1-0 we are on a knife-edge. The lads have defended well, we have played quite well today. We have done okay. They scored on 94:04 when I looked at the clock so it was the last ball into the box.

"The players have got to own it now because I keep defending them and I always will defend them, our fans know what I am like, I am fiercely loyal, but we are missing too many chances. The game should be over and we have to own that as a group.

"We have put Dobra, Berry and Grigg on – we have done everything we can to score the second goal – and unfortunately one final ball in the box we have succumbed to.”

Chesterfield return to action next weekend away at Barnet.