How Paul Cook has kept Chesterfield's play-off push alive without Armando Dobra | OneFootball

Chesterfield have been without their main man Armando Dobra in recent weeks, so other players have had to step up as Town eye up a top seven spot.

An impressive run of form has seen Chesterfield finish the League Two campaign strong, which has given them a real chance of gatecrashing the play-offs on the final day of the season. It’s been made even more impressive considering they’ve been without star man Armando Dobra for much of the run-in.

Town’s season and play-off push looked all but over in early March after suffering a fourth successive defeat in a 1-0 loss to Colchester, but since then, Cook’s men have rallied, losing just one of their last 12 matches, picking up 24 points in that time, which has left them one point off seventh with one game to play.

For the first time this campaign, Chesterfield finally look to have a settled team, who are peaking just at the right time, with the Spireites at their free-flowing best against Morecambe in a 4-1 win last time out, as their key man Dobra watched on from the treatment room.

The 24-year-old has once again been one of Town’s brightest attacking sparks this season, and was the club’s joint-top scorer in the league with nine goals at the time of his injury against Fleetwood earlier this month.

The newly crowned Chesterfield Player of the Year has often been the difference maker for Town this season, with Cook often turning to the Albanian to unlock a defence with a moment of magic in games. At his best, he is unplayable.

Liam Mandeville and Jenson Metcalfe have stepped up in Dobra’s absence

With Dobra in the team, Cook operated a 4-2-3-1 system, with Dobra playing most regularly in recent weeks as a ‘number 10’ but also at times as a left-winger. Since his unfortunate groin injury, Cook has moved to a 4-3-3 system, which has helped give the Spireites more stability in the midfield and control of games.

The system has also made Town more unpredictable going forward. With Dobra as the sole ‘10’, he could be man-marked out of games.

With three men in the midfield: Tom Naylor and Jenson Metcalfe, who all like to get forward and arrive late on the edge of the box, and John Fleck sitting in front of the back four, it makes the attack more fluid and less easy to predict.

Chesterfield reaped the rewards of this slight change against Bradford, with Metcalfe making a run from midfield and arriving late on the edge of the box to fire an effort into the back of the net for what was his first senior goal, which was later crowned Town's Goal of the Season.

Metcalfe and Naylor also linked up for the Spireites’ second goal, playing a crisp one-two before the Everton loanee played an inch-perfect ball into the path of Will Grigg, who rounded the goalkeeper to score.

These changes have also had a positive impact on Liam Mandeville, who has seemingly been given a free role going forwards from right-back.

Brentford loanee winger Michael Olakigbe has been given the nod on the right in recent matches, and his greatest asset is his speed and dribbling ability, and as a result, Cook has him hugging the touchline when attacking down the wing.

This leaves space open for Mandeville to make underlapping runs and operate in the half-spaces on the edge of the box, in similar areas to where Dobra would wreak havoc.

An incredibly intelligent player capable of playing right-back, central midfield, and on the wing, this free role is perfectly suited to him, with his licence to float and occupy spaces crucial in the Spireites’ recent tactics.

This is how Chesterfield managed to bag their stoppage-time equaliser against top three hopefuls Bradford, with Mandeville finding space inside the area and finishing past Sam Walker.

Even if Cook aces his tactics against Accrington, it still may not be enough to secure a play-off spot

The Spireites face 19th-placed Accrington on the final day, who are reeling off the back of a 1-0 away win at promotion hopefuls Walsall last Saturday.

It is yet to be seen whether Dobra will be fit for the clash, and you feel if he’s fit, it would be a big call to place Chesterfield’s star man on the bench for their biggest game of the season, but it would feel harsh to dismantle the three-man midfield which has worked so well in recent weeks.

Whatever call Cook decides to make regarding his tactics, it may still make no difference to the bigger picture.

A combination of results would have to go the Spireites’ way if they were to sneak into the play-offs on the final day:

For Chesterfield to finish seventh, they need to win and for Salford to drop points to already relegated Carlisle, a team who have lost just one of their last five, so three points is not a formality for Karl Robinson’s men.

A Chesterfield win would see them overtake one of Grimsby or AFC Wimbledon, who face each other in a winner-takes-all game on the final day.

Town’s superior goals scored tally over Wimbledon could be all it comes down to.

There is also a scenario where Town draw with Stanley and still make the play-offs, but that seems unlikely as it would require Wimbledon to beat Grimsby, Carlisle to beat Salford and 10th-place Colchester to drop points against Barrow.

For the Spireites, their most straightforward route to the top seven is to win and hope Salford drop points. That’s all it will take, but Cook’s first priority will be to take revenge on an Accrington team who beat Chesterfield 3-0 at the SMH Group earlier in the season.

With a good record of managing in big games, the Chesterfield faithful will back their boss to make the right calls on Saturday, and by 16:45, they could end up one step closer to promotion.