Chesterfield were handed a heavy defeat by Newport County in League Two on Friday. The loss leaves Cook's side seventh in the league table on points, now nine points adrift of leaders Salford City.
Newport took control early and never looked back. Cameron Norman opened the scoring after 14 minutes, with Thomas Davies adding a second just four minutes later. Harrison Biggins made it three on the half-hour mark, and Yahya Bamba struck in first-half stoppage time to put the hosts up before the break.
Chesterfield's only reply came from Liam Mandeville just before the hour, finishing from a Remeao Hutton assist. The visitors' task was made harder when manager Cook was sent off in the aftermath of Newport's fourth goal. The match statistics reflected Newport's dominance, with the Exiles enjoying possession and registering shots to Chesterfield's 12.
This result extends a patchy run of form for Chesterfield, who have now won just once in their last five league outings. Their recent results show a win over Crewe was followed by a draw with Colchester and losses to Port Vale and now Newport. The team has scored goals this season but conceded 17.
Attention now turns to the FA Cup, where Chesterfield host Yeovil Town at the SMH Group Stadium next Saturday. After that, the league campaign resumes with a trip to face Bristol Rovers on November 14. Top scorer Lee Bonis, who has goals this term, was introduced as a second-half substitute but could not change the game's course. Chesterfield will need to regroup quickly to avoid their promotion push stalling further.
