It was a tough day at the office – Chesterfield boss Paul Cook reflects on loss

Chesterfield manager Paul Cook reflected on “a tough day at the office” after a 3-0 defeat against Accrington ended their unbeaten home record in Sky Bet League Two.

Josh Woods’ first-half strike and further goals in the second half from Zach Awe and substitute Jimmy Knowles brought Chesterfield’s eight-game streak to an end.

Cook added: “We never started the game at all. Accrington deserve all the credit; it was a good away win.

“We worked on our team all week. We lost three of our lads in the last 24 hours. That was a disappointment and maybe a couple of refereeing decisions on the way don’t really help.

“Accrington had a clear game plan and the lads worked ever so hard for them. It was a tough day for us, but fair play to Accrington.

“At the minute we are a club with multiple players, good players heavy, but we are not yet a good team. It starts with the defending, then the midfield and organising and moving forward.

“Sometimes it can be difficult for our fans as they need to be patient. It takes time to form the club. That shows how I like the game to be played. But I get the frustration of playing from the back, I get it.

“It’s football, we are not going to win every game. It’s a good league, it’s a competitive league as every team is organised and carry threats.”

Accrington manager John Doolan was pleased with the result and proud of his team’s overall performance.

Doolan said: “It was fantastic, I couldn’t ask for anything more. We had a game plan in terms of possession and it worked.

“We knew how Chesterfield play and their patterns of play. We have all the stats and goals of the individuals.

“We had to start on the front foot to these big clubs and show the intent. We didn’t come for a draw; we came to score goals.

“I was so happy with how we started the game. The strikers are consistent with what they’re doing, they have to identify themselves with what to do when the ball is in a certain area.

“Josh (Woods) now for two weeks on the bounce has anticipated that and he’s got his reward for it. Not only for what he does on the ball, but also what he does off the ball.

“Chesterfield have been scoring goals for fun. We set targets for ourselves in the dressing room, we need to keep clean sheets. This should have been a top-of-the-league clash in terms of the points we should have got.”