'James Rowe is best thing to happen to Chesterfield since Paul Cook'

That’s that then, writes our fan columnist Roland Gent.
James Rowe took the Spireites from the relegation zone to the play-offs in seven months.James Rowe took the Spireites from the relegation zone to the play-offs in seven months.
James Rowe took the Spireites from the relegation zone to the play-offs in seven months.

A third cup final on the trot and we came up short in the end.

It was so close and if James Montgomery had not got injured, if Nathan Tyson had scored one of his chances, if Manny Oyeleke had not gone off injured, who knows what might have happened.

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Looking back at the season as a whole though we can be proud.

I, like many others, was waiting for John Pemberton to turn things around with the same squad of players as he had done the season before but it just was not happening.

The low point for me was in Pemberton’s final game at Altrincham away where we managed to chuck away a lead and lose 3-2. The local Altrincham media were astounded at how bad Chesterfield were and called us a ‘long ball side’.

We were third from bottom when James Rowe came in and we soon saw a huge turnaround. He knew the players he wanted and went out and got them.

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At that point there was no real thought of ever ending up in the play-offs, just that we might somehow avoid relegation and not have to play Alfreton Town.

Rowe makes quick decisions and most of them are right. He is the best thing to happen to the club since Paul Cook came in.

I would like to say a big thanks to the community trust for all their hard work since they took over.

Next season? Who knows, but things are right behind the scenes for the start of the campaign for the first time in six years.