Chesterfield manager Paul Cook spoke to the media ahead of the first play-off game against Walsall on Sunday, and began by reflecting on the final day of the season success to extend the 2024/25 campaign.
He said: “It’s a culmination of a long season and a lot of hard work by a lot of different people.
“I’ve said it all through my managerial career, I don’t believe in all the hype about being top of the league in October or bottom of the league in December. It’s a 46-game campaign and it always has been and always will be.
“Whether you’re top, bottom, second, fifth, the final league table is the one that counts. Fortunately for us or unfortunately for others, we were able to obtain a position that’s seen us gain success in the season. It can be heartbreaking, but a point in November is just as good as a point in March, and that’s the truth of it.
“When we lost to Cheltenham, it was probably the worst I was after the game, because I know how important a point is. I’ve been around football long enough to know that every point is gold, but when you get to the end of the season, people will look at what cost them.”
With fourth-placed Walsall visiting the SMH Group Stadium on Sunday, he spoke about the Saddlers, saying: “It’s a unique game, football. The week up to the start of the final game of the season there was one point between Walsall and Bradford going into the final game. One point. Yet one manager feels on top of the world, and the other might not be feeling the best.
“Everyone’s got their own situations. I think all four teams, in my opinion, go in with probably equal chances. If you asked me to name the winners of the play-off, I think you’d struggle.
“On the day we all feel that we can do it, so good luck to all the teams that are going into it. Come the final, I’ll be wishing the manager who’s been promoted well, that’s for sure.
“If you look at Walsall and Chesterfield going into the play-offs, one set of fans will probably not be feeling great, yet the other set of fans feel like they’ve won the cup.
“The psychological side of football is big. Momentum’s big. All these things that you go into the final games with are big. But when the referee blows that whistle, trust me, it’s two teams just doing their best to win a football game.
“Walsall will study how they’re going to stop us, where they’ll hurt us. We’ll then study Walsall like we have twice this season and unfortunately we haven’t been able to master them, so that’s something that’s on us now.
“One thing we do know, we’ll have a ferocious atmosphere in this stadium on Sunday. That’s one thing you can guarantee.”
