Spireites manager Paul Cook spoke exclusively to 1866+ ahead of Saturday’s clash with Accrington Stanley.
Going into the final round of fixtures, he began by saying: “It’s been a funny old year hasn’t it in the end because I think it’s finishing with a lot of positivity, which is always good from a manager and players point of view.
“I think the supporters have really enjoyed the year, albeit we’ve had low moments in it. We travel to Accrington with great optimism and we’ll take great travelling support.
“I think last week probably epitomised how far we’ve come as a club. A big home crowd, the stadium looked brilliant and the team did well. We’ve put ourselves in a position now where Saturday’s game means a lot.”
Impressed by season ticket sales nearing the 5,000 mark, the manager added: “It’s brilliant. I think there’s a lot of people that should be thanked for these things. No individual will ever, ever be able to grasp what’s required at a football club to make it successful.
“All the good clubs have a lot of good people and we’re no different. Ours starts at the very top with our bosses and our owners and it works right through.
“You can see us as a community club growing. You see the younger kids around the club every day now and the tops they’re wearing around the town. You can see the support both home and away, the actual infrastructure of the club, the stadium, the hospitality, the upstairs.
“I think it’s great to see the club grow like this. My job obviously is on the pitch and I’ll try to stay in my lane and hopefully we can get the win at Accrington that gives our supporters a little bit of hope and a bit of enjoyment on that final day.”
Speaking about Accrington, he said: “I must compliment them on what a good season they’ve had. I know John (Doolan) and Ged (Brannan) up there personally.
“I think it’s been a season where they’ve never been in trouble. Those lads will probably think they’ve been in trouble a lot because that’s how you feel when you’re in it, but they’ve always been well ahead at the bottom, a couple of spaces.
“They’ve had some great wins, notably out there against us and I think they’ll reflect after tomorrow as a really good start to their managerial careers and a good season, so we’re looking forward to the game.
“We know it’ll be good, we know it’ll be competitive and as I say, come the referee’s final whistle, the league table will be the league table and everyone will get what they deserve.”
Watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
