Spireites ‘ready to go’

Paul Cook has stated that the Spireites are ‘ready to go’ ahead of Saturday’s National League opener at Dorking Wanderers.

Speaking to the media, he said: “It’s been a really good pre-season, it’s been a pleasure watching the lads work hard and train well.

“They’ve carried the training methods and the training habits onto the pitch in the pre-season games we’ve played and that’s all I can ask for.

“We’ve trained hard and we’re ready to go now.”

Akwasi Asante was placed on the transfer list at the end of the previous campaign but Cook revealed that the striker has now been taken off.

“We’ve taken Akwasi [Asante] off the transfer list, he’s been off it for around two weeks now,” Cook said.

“He’s a player who wants to learn and develop and he trains and works hard. He deserves to come off it, he’s a great player.”

Cook also touched on Dorking and was very complimentary of the club and team, saying: “Dorking will cause us many issues don’t worry about that, they’re a good side and we’ve got to be ready to deal with them.

“They’re a very proud football club and we look forward to going down there and hopefully giving them a good game. I’m expecting a very good football match.

“Obviously DJ [Darren Oldaker] played there for a couple of years, he really enjoyed his time there and I’m sure he will get a good reception on Saturday. He’s very complimentary of the manager and the place and he’s looking forward to going back.”

With five wins from five games in pre-season, Cook insisted that the results are irrelevant and that it’s all about Saturday.

He said: “Pre-season is over now and it’s all about this weekend, nothing else matters now we just have to focus on the task ahead and try and get all three points on Saturday.”

“We have a different way of playing now to what we did last season. I now feel like I can really enjoy watching this team play.

“Last season I didn’t enjoy watching them play but so far, I’ve really enjoyed working with this new squad and I feel I can really now enjoy watching them play.

“I’m really excited now, the fun starts on Saturday and all that matters now is we focus on going to Dorking and picking up three points.”

There are still a small number of tickets available for Saturday’s fixture at Dorking Wanderers, purchase here: https://tickets.chesterfield-fc.co.uk/en-gb/categories/away