'It is not for the want of trying' - Chesterfield chairman Mike Goodwin on trying to move players on

With nine new signings through the door since Rowe was appointed at the end of November, some Spireites fans have been concerned about the club’s financial situation given the lack of outgoings.

But Goodwin said it is their ‘aim’ to try and get players to depart the club but they are finding it difficult at the moment because of Covid and fears that the season may have to be curtailed.

“I can understand the worry about that because we have now brought nine new players in and not a lot of players have disappeared the other way,” Goodwin said when speaking on the club’s official We Are Sailing podcast.

“That is not for the want of trying. We have been trying to move some players out who are not in the manager’s thoughts but what I can reassure them of is that we always said John Pemberton had got money before he left us and the new manager had that up front, which was a small amount of cash for him to deal with, but on the proviso that should he wish to extend that then there would have to be some reciprocal arrangements with players leaving the club.

“Certainly the work and the business he (Rowe) has done so far has been really good. There have been a number of players who have come in on greatly reduced salaries in terms of some of the players that we have already got so what we are trying to do is continue to do that and reduce the cost of the squad.

“It is difficult at this moment in time because not a lot of people are actually signing players on during this window. There is a bit of uncertainty about the continuation of this season so we are finding it difficult to do that but that is our aim. The cost of the squad will not increase and players will have to leave to balance that up and the manager knows that.”

Meanwhile, Goodwin said they are hoping to hear some news shortly about the amount of funding they will receive from the National League for January, February and March.

The club was unhappy with the amount it received in October, November and December and Goodwin said they have applied for a ‘hardship fund’ to cover the losses from those months.

In other news, more than 100 season tickets for the 2021/2022 campaign have already been sold, raising about £25,000, which Goodwin said was an ‘excellent response’.

The club chose to put the season tickets on sale early to help reshape the squad now and create a cashflow for now. But fans have been reassured that the majority of the funds generated will be ring-fenced for next season.

The live streaming of the two home matches in December against Brackley Town and Solihull Moors brought in about £17,000, with Brackley receiving a portion of the money because it was an FA Trophy game.