Paul Cook slams a stonewall penalty not given before his Chesterfield side concede a stunner through Will Wright to put Swindon level.
The Spireites were back in in the EFL for the first time since 2018, and could come away feeling optimistic of a good season ahead.
They took the lead just 15 minutes in with Armando Dobra got on the end of Will Grigg’s shot which had been parried by Jack Bycroft, Dobra the first to react, turned the ball into the net from close range to make it 1-0 Chesterfield.
10 minutes later, Chesterfield’s Paul Cook ended up being booked for taking issue with what he felt to be spot kick not given to his side.
Chesterfield tweeted: “Well, Jacob’s looks to be clearly brought down in the area after beating the Swindon man to a poor pass and I think everyone inside the stadium is expecting the referee to give a penalty but he waves the appeals away. Big decision.
“Paul Cook is in the book. Clear to see what he made of that decision and he’s booked for his protests.”
Then in the 64th minute, defender Will Wright drove forward into space and arrowed an effort into the top right corner, ensuring the game ended all square.
You can watch all they key moments below…
Does not touch the ball 😂 pic.twitter.com/uJXrqUCXz4
— barton (@xtombarton) August 9, 2024
25′ | 🟨 Paul Cook is in the book. Clear to see what he made of that decision and he’s booked for his protests.
💙1-0🔴#Spireites | #CFCSWI | #EFL https://t.co/4SCRXfsKef
— Chesterfield FC (@ChesterfieldFC) August 9, 2024
Cook said to Derbyshire Times in his post-match interview: “My biggest gripe is the penalty. I just don’t understand how the referee hasn’t given it.
“I genuinely feel I am a fair person and my first reaction was that it was a stonewall penalty and people are telling me it was a stonewall penalty.
“I just get disappointed because if the penalty is given and we do go 2-0 up you do feel that would have been us in a really good position to go on and win the game but it wasn’t to be.
“I do respect that referees make decisions in a split moment. I am disappointed but I do accept the decision.”
Questioned on the decision, Cook added: “He has two assistants and a fourth official. I said to the referee ‘I just don’t know how you haven’t given it.’
“Michael Jacobs clearly touches the ball and the defender takes him out. As I say, there is not a criticism but I just felt it would have changed the game. The reality is officials make mistakes and they have made one tonight. If he has made a mistake, surely my (yellow) card should be rescinded and he should be given a yellow card.”
On the performance: “I am not disappointed, I would have loved to have won for our crowd, it was a really good competitive game. Two teams playing different styles of football. Swindon always carried a threat. They are a very well set-up team. It was always going to be difficult to create a lot of chances against that type of opponent.
“I thought we played really well and we limited Swindon to very few opportunities. We didn’t have loads of chances ourselves, their keeper made a great save from (Will) Grigg in the first-half. It was a game of few chances. The overriding thing is that the game was a good game and our club was seen in a good light.
“I thought in the second-half we were too possession-based without having a cutting edge and the cutting edge obviously comes from players, and I think as our supporters are aware, we are still in the market for players.
“We are still in the market for one or two players that might improve us as a squad. Swindon had a good spell in the second-half where they were the better team for a bit.
“You can see the physicality of the league, I feel like the game had a higher intensity to it, tempo, and I think that should be tempered a bit when people (talk about) the expectancy for the year.”
Swindon boss Mark Kennedy said, per Swindon Advertiser: “We ticked a lot of boxes tonight: we have come from behind, we have got a point, we have gone away from home and we are coming back with something.
“We have conceded the goal but we showed resilience and character and after that I think we played really well in patches.
“We ticked lots of mental boxes too, which are a huge part of football and that can only give the players belief, although football does have a nasty habit of biting you in the backside.
“The performance more than anything is what pleased me tonight but it doesn’t half help when you get something because you don’t always get what you deserve in football.
“Hard work is something that I am massive on, I won’t go into the physical detail of it but it is something that I demand every day in training.
“We have a couple who that is not natural to but tonight they showed real leadership, character, grit, determination, and just never gave up.
“The away following blew me away, it just reminded me of why we do this, we spoke about football being a drug and that is why.
“I say to the players all the time, as a player you get caught in your own bubble and you forget about that sort of thing and it is only when you see it that you remember that football is their life.
“To come in such huge numbers this far away and they were vociferous, it is all I could hear before the game.
“I was just so pleased for them that they have gone away happy and proud of the team’s performance and that is something we will drill into the players constantly.
“I said after the game ‘Don’t just go and clap them, get right up to them and make a connection and feel that energy and magnetism.’
“They just went nuts but it is coming from an authentic place and it was a good moment for me seeing them connect like that.”
Chesterfield: Boot, Tanton, Dunkley, Naylor (C), Gordon, Jacobs (Mandeville 68), Dobra (Drummond 84), Colclough (Berry 68), Oldaker, Banks, Grigg (Quigley 84)
Goal: Dobra 15
Subs not used: Williams, Akinola, Daley-Campbell
Swindon Town: Bycroft, Wright, Ofoborh (Cain 71), Cotterill, Clarke (C), Smith, Longelo, King (Sobowale 61), Freckleton, Drinan (Glatzel 61), Hall
Goal: Wright 63
Subs not used: Evans, Minturn, Kirkman, Mitchell
Attendance: 9,262 (859 away)
Here’s how fans reacted as Paul Cook slams the stonewall penalty not given before Chesterfield concede a stunner to Swindon…
@benaramsdale: You’ll not see an easier decision all year. Unbelievable.
@Nathan_j25: Stonewall penalty
@E4083: Definitely a pen.
@IrishRunnerCLE: Horrific non-call there. Clearly taken out without looking for the ball. Love Cookie getting booked 26 minutes into the season!!
@amacattack1987: As nailed on a penalty as you’ll ever see
@ItsAnaroTwitch: You tell em Cook!
@benaramsdale: I genuinely reckon that’s one of the worst decisions I’ve seen. The only person in the stadium that didn’t think it was a penalty was the ref.
@cb_cfc_: Honking
@mattlockrhodes: Never seen a more stonewall penalty in my life. How on earth was this not given? #Spireites were well on top at this point as well. Crazy.
@RichardLilley6: Thought the ref’s were supposed to be better in the EFL??? He had a shocker!
@ffscurt: even national league ref’s give this 🤢 linesmen were fucking useless too
@Wallhead91: Different league, same horrendous standard of officials 🙃
@SpireiteAlex: No words…
@alexcoe_: Football is back…
@Polaryze_: Day 1 of the season and we’ve had the worst decision you might see all season
@liamjonesey98: Nice to see standard of refereeing gets better when out of national league 🤦♂️
@stelow3: You won’t find one person apart from the referee who thought this wasn’t a penalty
@Tom_Morris29: No penalty for that!!??? 😳
@espChesterfield: Increíble… 🤬🤬🤬
You must be logged in to post a comment Login