On December 4 2021, Ipswich took the decision to sack Paul Cook just 277 days after handing him a two-year contract.
Twelve days later, they appointed Kieran McKenna.
That initial decision proved to be a masterstroke, as the Northern Irishman guided the Suffolk club to back-to-back promotions from League One, to the Championship back to the Premier League after 22 seasons away.
“That was really tough because I genuinely don’t believe I was given enough time,” Cook tells Sky Sports.
But perhaps it was meant to be.
Cook’s Spireites are targeting back-to-back promotions
After less than two months out of work, he was reappointed at Chesterfield. He had guided the club to both the League Two title and the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in 2013/14, before leaving for Portsmouth. After his exit, though, they had dropped all the way to the National League.
“People said I couldn’t drop to the National League. People questioned my sanity. But they didn’t know my love for the club,” he recalls.
Yet Cook took the Spireites to the National League play-off final in his first season, where they lost 4-3 to Notts County in a penalty shoot-out, following a 2-2 draw after extra-time. And his side won the title last term at a canter, securing a return to the EFL.
If they can fight back from losing the first leg of their League Two play-off semi-final 2-0 against Walsall in the second leg on Friday night – live on Sky Sports Football – they will be just one game from a return to League One. “It’s been a rollercoaster ride, that’s for sure!” he adds.
Friday 16th May 7:30pm
Kick off 8:00pm
Of course, Cook is grateful to be in this position. He sees it as a privilege to be chasing a fourth EFL promotion as a manager and seventh promotion overall throughout his career as both a manager and a player.
This season, though, it was not the explicit target – particularly given the hurdles Chesterfield have had to overcome.
“Like all clubs, I feel our injuries this year have probably handicapped us in relation to where we could have finished,” Cook says. “We had a period at Christmas time where we had 15 senior players out, and I don’t think any club could carry that.
“It was impossible. We named subs against MK Dons on New Year’s Day that were injured. That was a tough time for us, but my bosses, Phil and Ash Kirk, are amazing guys to work for, so supportive, and would always bring a player in if I needed one.
“It probably stopped us maybe going up automatically, if the truth be known, because the gap from us to the automatics wasn’t as big as people might have thought at one time.
“But they’re your hard luck stories. We could all write books on what-ifs, buts and maybes. I do believe, and I’ve always been a great believer, the final league table tells no lies.
“When you finish eighth, you’ve probably had equally as good a season, just a minute difference out, yet that difference can be deemed as success and failure. We fell the right side of the line. We’re delighted to have done that, especially in the position we were in with probably 10, 12, 15 games to go, where it looked difficult.”
Three of those players who’ve missed large chunks of the season were their marquee signings: Chey Dunkley, Paddy Madden and John Fleck. The trio have eight prior promotions at various levels between them.
They stepped up off the pitch. Cook says they have “probably been too good”.
“It’s one of the reasons we do our due diligence on players. They are outstanding players, outstanding people and have helped us no end in the latter stages. Whether it’s on the pitch or off the pitch, it’s very important the lads who are carrying the baton feel that love.”
Cook and his players have had to dig deep under challenging circumstances.
After four straight defeats, which concluded with a 1-0 defeat at Colchester on March 4, they were 16th in the table. There was still a comfortable 13-point cushion between themselves and the relegation zone, but also a 13-point gap to bridge to the play-off places.
Cook’s side won seven of their final 12 games to finish in the League Two play-offs
Even with 13 games to play, it was a tough ask, but seven wins, four draws and just one defeat from the last 12 got them there.
In hindsight, the downturn was a necessary evil, Cook suggests.
“Sometimes, you can talk too much to players. I think the amount of information going into players now is ridiculous, and it’s no different after a bad defeat or any disappointment. I feel the disappointment has to sink in. I really believe in feeling pain.
“When I managed Portsmouth, we lost to a 91st-minute play-off goal against Plymouth at Home Park and the pitch invasion that ensued was painful. Twelve months later, we celebrated a league title victory at Fratton Park in front of our own fans.
Cook’s Portsmouth side won the League Two title in 2016/17
“That pain drives you on and I do believe in letting the lads feel that over a period of days. We also needed to pick ourselves up off the floor. To a man, the players have done that, and I pat them on the back hugely.
“Our season now can go to Wembley. I’ve never been promoted at Wembley and I’m sure some of ours haven’t, so we can all dream. It’s a great dream, it’s great to go to bed at night dreaming like that.
“Unfortunately for us, we’ve got a set of lads not far away who’ve got the same dreams, and want to upset my dreams. We haven’t managed to beat them at all this season, and I’m sure they’re very much looking to have the same dreams as us. May the best team win.”
Watch the Sky Bet League Two play-off semi-final second leg between Walsall and Chesterfield from 7.30pm on Friday; kick-off 8pm.
