Thanks to Will Grigg’s excellent form, Chesterfield are sitting pretty at the top of the National League and starting to dream of EFL promotion
It is a measure of Chesterfield’s stunning start to the 2023-24 National League campaign that they have accumulated more points after their opening 15 matches than both of last season’s record-breaking top two Wrexham and Notts County.
Rather than suffer a hangover from an agonising penalty shootout defeat to County at Wembley in May, Paul Cook and his squad have evidently used it as fuel to attempt to go one step further this time around. The Spireites have racked up 38 points so far – four and five more than County and Wrexham managed respectively at this stage in 2022-23.
With over two-thirds of the season still to play, Cook and his players are naturally urging calm, and while supporters are receptive to that message they are also savouring these times. Considering their club’s recent history has included back-to-back 24th place finishes in League One and League Two, a narrow escape from plummeting further into the National League North and a period of apathy and disaffection towards an unpopular former owner, you can hardly blame them.
Cook’s departure after a League One play-off semi-final loss to Preston North End in 2015 at the end of his first spell in charge, immediately set in motion the club’s rapid demise with League Two relegation following just three years later; his subsequent return in February 2022 has accelerated their revival.
“It got toxic for quite a long time, a lot of people just stopped going for a while,” Dave Garratt, Chesterfield fan and host of the Legends of the Spire podcast, tells i.
“It was crucially important, especially after the five or so years that we went through, that we had a manager who would just try and bring the fans and the players together.
“It seemed like the James Rowe era was when people started to believe again but the key thing really is Paul Cook coming back. If you speak to any fan they will say it’s like the last time that he was here. He seems to have a way that he works that brings everyone together and that’s definitely where we’re at now.”
Northern Ireland striker Will Grigg was another high-profile arrival. The 32-year-old, renowned as much for the terrace anthem that made him a cult hero at Euro 2016 as his impressive strike rate on the pitch, enjoyed the best spell of his career working with Cook at Wigan Athletic and has already scored five goals for his new club.
“I worked really well under Paul Cook at Wigan and he’s one of my favourite managers,” Grigg tells “We understand each other. His style of football and the way that he wants me to play suits me massively. He puts a lot of emphasis on the three behind me to provide chances and keeps me in the box.
“We’ve started really well but it’s going to be really tough. The manager is massive on you being never too high when you win and never too low when you lose and it’s us in the changing room to gauge that and manage that throughout the season.”
“His movement in the box is a class above anything that we’ve had over the past few years,” says Garratt, who believes that adoration from the stands has given Grigg a new lease of life after he was relegated with MK Dons last season.
With late winners against Oxford City and Dagenham and Redbridge, fans have already had opportunities to belt out Grigg’s Freed From Desire-inspired chant, tweaking the lyrics to “Will Grigg’s on fire and he loves the crooked spire!” in homage to the famous 228-foot-high spire that twists unusually from the roof of the Grade 1 listed Anglican church in the town’s centre.
“I’m a big fan of it,” Grigg tells i, with a laugh. “If I carry on scoring goals and our fans are singing it that’s the most important thing.”
“We were warming up and everyone was singing ‘Will Grigg’s On Fire’ and the lyrics were on every single screen. It was a bit strange. It wasn’t just the Northern Irish fans, it was the Germans fans and neutrals too!”
Grigg may be the most recognisable name in the squad, but there is a more famous face among the coaching staff. Former Newcastle and England midfielder Kieron Dyer is part of Cook’s coaching team, although the 44-year-old is currently recuperating at home after undergoing a successful liver transplant.
“I’ve only had five or six weeks with Kieron because obviously he was unwell and then had his transplant, but all of the boys here last season have only positive things to say about him,” Grigg says.
“All the boys have sent him little videos to wish him all the best and hopefully he can get back to us as soon as possible. He’s a great character to have around and despite what he’s been going through he’s still been in touch with the boys and keeping our spirits high.”
That camaraderie and team spirit has been key to the club’s successful start, with players sharing responsibility on the pitch.
The race for the club’s golden boot for instance, is shaping up to be a keenly contested one with Grigg one of five players, along with Liam Mandeville, Tom Naylor, Joe Quigley and Ryan Colclough, leading the charts.
