Notts County’s woes fire a warning shot at Chesterfield

Chesterfield’s return to the English Football League after a five-year absence has inevitably sparked plenty of excitement around the Derbyshire-based club.

Having narrowly missed out on promotion from the National League last season, Paul Cook’s side made no mistake this time around.

However, while Chesterfield have their sights set on climbing further up the football ladder, they would be well advised not to get too carried away.

Notts County’s roller-coaster season in League Two must serve as a warning for anyone who thinks Chesterfield will claim back-to-back promotions.

Betway have County as one of the favourites for the title following their play-off final victory over Chesterfield.

They made a promising start to life in the fourth tier and were still in contention to claim a play-off spot at the end of February.

A disastrous run of form since then has sent County tumbling down the table and ended their hopes of winning promotion to League One.

Chesterfield’s dominance in the National League this season has drawn inevitable comparisons with Wrexham, who pipped County to the title last term.

The North Wales outfit are currently on course to win promotion again, adding another chapter to their resurgence under their Hollywood owners.

Unfortunately for Chesterfield, the Robins are not the yardstick they should be judging themselves against on their return to league football.

While Chesterfield owners Phil and Ashley Kirk are not short of money, their collective wealth is dwarfed by Wrexham counterparts Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The Kirk brothers undoubtedly have the means to make Chesterfield a competitive League Two club, but suggestions they will romp to another promotion may be wide of the mark.

As County have found to their cost in recent weeks, League Two is packed with clubs who have designs on plying their trade at a higher level.

The pressure of competing with those clubs has proved to be a bridge too far for County and the same fate could easily befall Chesterfield.

One of their biggest issues surrounds manager Paul Cook, whose stock in the game collapsed following a disastrous spell in charge of Ipswich Town.

Cook’s prickly nature did not win him too many friends in Suffolk and it was no surprise when he had to drop out into non-league football to get back onto the managerial ladder.

After alienating more people during the early part of his second tenure at the SMH Group Stadium, Cook wisely decided to hand the bulk of his media duties over to assistant manager Danny Webb.

While Cook has been able to quietly bask in the glory of guiding the Spireites to promotion this season, he may not be afforded the same luxury in League Two.

If Chesterfield are unable to replicate the dominance they have shown in the National League, it will be intriguing to see of Cook is able to hold things together.

He failed miserably when the pressure was on at Ipswich, and a similar scenario could unfold if Chesterfield are not in the mix for promotion next season.

Cook and his team unquestionably deserve to celebrate their achievements this season, but maintaining the momentum they have generated will not be easy.

Swatting aside National League teams is all well and good, but replicating the feat in League Two is a completely different matter.

Anyone who doubts the validity of that statement should have a quick look at the latest state of play at Meadow Lane in Nottingham.