Chesterfield FC supporters must heed Paul Cook's latest request: View | OneFootball

Chesterfield have had a steady start to life back in League Two, but Paul Cook has called for fans to be patient as a new-look squad starts to click.

A little frustration is starting to kick in at Chesterfield as they once again failed to turn possession into goals as they dropped more points in a 1-1 draw at home to Cheltenham Town last weekend.

The North Derbyshire outfit were touted as one of the favorites for promotion at the start of the season, but they already sit four points off the play-offs after seven matches, as the Spireites have dropped silly points at home to start the campaign.

For the third time in four home fixtures, the Spireites went ahead against the Robins, before throwing away the lead as Paul Cook’s men still await their first home clean sheet back in League Two.

Chesterfield controlled large parts of the game and had 68% possession but failed to test goalkeeper Owen Evans, with Armando Dobra’s second-half effort that whisked past the post was the closest they came to a winner.

Town were once again undone by their own mistakes, with goalkeeper Ryan Boot rushing out and failing to clear his lines, as Arkell Jude-Boyd ran through and slotted the ball into an open goal.

With supporters getting déjà vu from their previous home games, a failure to break teams down and individual errors have cost the Spireites at times, which has started to lead to a little unrest among small sections of the fanbase.

Cook requests patience from Chesterfield supporters

Town’s boss was left frustrated at a small selection of fans following the Cheltenham draw, suggesting it would take time for the new-look team to click at the start of the campaign.

With 12 new men through the door in the summer, Chesterfield’s starting 11 last weekend featured seven new players, so a bedding-in period is perhaps needed, which is what Cook is suggesting.

An example of this is Kane Drummond, who was expected to be the third choice striker, but has had to lead the line in recent weeks due to injuries to Paddy Madden and Will Grigg, who are both nearing a return to full fitness.

The 23-year-old played for seventh tier Macclesfield last campaign, but the pacey forward has yet to have a big impact in Derbyshire, so Grigg and Madden coming back into the fold will bolster the Spireites’ forward options and hopefully add goals to an attack that has scored just four goals in their last five league games.

Loanees Devan Tanton, Harvey Araujo and Jenson Metcalfe are all playing in the EFL for the first time, so they will take time to adapt from academy football to the physical nature of League Two and the trio have all impressed early into their Chesterfield careers.

Former Premier League midfielder John Fleck is still yet to make his Chesterfield debut, as he will need time to regain sharpness following a lengthy injury, but the Sheffield United legend will add more quality and depth to Cook’s midfield.

Town were also boosted by the return of Ryan Colclough and Madden to the matchday squad, with marquee signing Madden making his first appearance since signing from Stockport in the summer.

The 34-year-old netted 17 goals and five assists as Stockport won the League Two title by four points, but a pre-season injury kept the former Scunthorpe man from making his Chesterfield debut until last weekend.

Explosive winger Colclough made his first appearance since the opening day, and excited fans with his directness, pace and crossing ability in his 20-minute cameo off the bench. The former Wigan man scored seven goals in Chesterfield's National League title win last season.

The Spireites have only scored four goals in five league games since their 5-0 demolition of Crewe and the options of Madden and Colclough could add a new dimension to a frontline which has become stagnant in recent weeks.

Chesterfield have regularly dominated opponents since their return to League Two.

While it may not be ideal that the Spireites have gifted opposition soft goals at the start of the season, from a tactical perspective, it shows Cook’s system is defensively solid and hard to break down.

Only five clubs have conceded fewer than Town’s six league goals and of those six goals, two were 30-yard screamers from Swindon’s Will Wright and Grimsby’s Charles Varnam, as well as a free-header from a set-piece at Gillingham.

The step-up in quality from National League to League Two will lead to more ‘moments of magic’ from the opposition, but the Spireites will consider themselves unlucky to drop points to Wright’s shot, which was worth 0.01xG, an effort that had a 1% chance of scoring.

Only Notts County and MK Dons average more than Chesterfield’s 62.4% possession in League Two, a number almost 10% higher than the next highest, Doncaster, proving that Cook has successfully implemented his 4-2-3-1 into a new division.

Despite dropping points in multiple games, Chesterfield’s 1-0 defeat to Port Vale was the Spireites’ only poor performance of the season, as Town were bullied by an experienced Vale side, not having a shot on target in 90 minutes.

The National League winners will be disappointed with their current points tally, as they're already four points off the play-offs, but their impressive possession stats will please Cook.

With key players expected to come back into the forward line, Chesterfield’s ability to control games should put them in good stead if they can iron out the individual errors at the back.

Patience is probably the name of the game.