Player safety 'paramount', says Chesterfield manager Paul Cook after Oldham Athletic pitch invasion

James Norwood’s close-range finish made it 1-1 and sparked ugly scenes, with Spireites keeper Harry Tyrer knocked to the floor.

Referee Matthew Russell blew up before the game restarted despite there still being a small amount of time to play but Cook believes it was the correct decision.

He told TNT Sports: “Unfortunately, at the end there, it can’t go on. When fans come on the pitch we have got to protect the players.

"Oldham have got fantastic supporters, the euphoria of getting a result which is great for them, but player safety is paramount. Our goalkeeper has had an altercation, which is not healthy for the game. Player safety, for both teams, is paramount. So I was just disappointed with how the game ended from that point of view.

"I felt the referee was a little bit slow to stop the game, there was a smoke bomb, the game was clearly at the end stages, just get the players off the pitch and be safe.”

Chesterfield took the lead on the hour through Ash Palmer and controlled the majority of the game although both sides had an even number of big chances.

On the performance, Cook said: “Have we played well? Not particularly.

"Were there a lot of chances in the game? No.

"Oldham clearly came to get behind the ball and frustrate us, which they did really well.

"For us, has our keeper made a save? I don’t think we have worked Oldham’s keeper anywhere near enough.

"But it looked like it was petering out to a 1-0 win. But it is a point.”