Chesterfield manager Paul Cook has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association following his dismissal at half-time during a 4-1 defeat at Newport County in League Two.
The FA confirmed the charge on Thursday, November 5, six days after referee Zac Kennard-Kettle sent Cook off in the tunnel at Rodney Parade on Friday, October 30. The 59-year-old faces two separate allegations regarding his conduct both before and after receiving the red card. Cook has until Monday, November 9 to provide a formal response.
In an official statement confirmed by Chesterfield, the FA said Cook is alleged to have behaved improperly during the half-time interval or used abusive or insulting words towards a match official. The governing body stated that this conduct led directly to his red card.
The second allegation focuses on events after the dismissal. The FA said Cook is also alleged to have continued behaving improperly or used further abusive or insulting words towards an official after he had been sent off.
That second allegation could lead to a far more severe penalty. A standard red card for confronting a referee usually brings an automatic one-match or two-match suspension and a set fine. However, continuing a confrontation after a dismissal is treated as an aggravated offence under FA disciplinary rules.
Such cases are referred to an Independent Regulatory Commission rather than being settled through standard penalty notices. The commission holds the power to impose a longer touchline ban and a heavier fine.
Two disputed decisions preceded the half-time confrontation
The tunnel incident followed a difficult first half for Chesterfield, who went into the break 4-0 down at Rodney Parade.
Cameron Norman opened the scoring for Newport in the 14th minute, and Thomas Davies added a second four minutes later. Around the 20-minute mark, Chesterfield believed a Newport defender had handled a goal-bound effort on the line. Kennard-Kettle allowed play to continue, meaning the visitors were not awarded a penalty and Newport kept all 11 players on the pitch.
Harrison Biggins made it 3-0 in the 29th minute. Chesterfield thought they had pulled a goal back in the 37th minute, but the effort was ruled out for offside against defender Remeao Hutton. Yahaya Bamba added Newport’s fourth goal in first-half stoppage time.
Liam Mandeville scored for Chesterfield in the 58th minute, but the visitors could not launch a comeback and the match finished 4-1.
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Before the FA announced the charge, Cook discussed the red card with the Derbyshire Times. He explained that he had waited for Kennard-Kettle at half-time to question the two decisions and claimed that professional referees had since told him both calls were incorrect. Cook told the newspaper,
I was waiting for the referee at half time and I got sent off trying to dispute the decisions he made. The professional referees have clearly indicated to me that there were two incorrect decisions, handball and sending off, and a Chesterfield goal was clearly onside. They are big moments, massive moments, and the referee refuses to discuss them with me.
Cook expects a ban as Chesterfield face a busy November
Despite his frustration with the officiating, Cook said earlier in the week that he expected to be punished and would accept the outcome. He also acknowledged that his team had to take responsibility for its performance.
“I will take my punishment. I have no problem with my punishment,” Cook said. “I would imagine it will be a ban and a fine and that’s the madness of football today that they will come on the back of what we witnessed.”
He added: “While we did let our supporters down a little bit, we were also let down by officials and not for the first time for us. When our fans travel to Newport they want to see a fair game. If we have a man sent off, it’s football, but when we are in a position 20 minutes in when the other team could have been playing with ten men and we would have a penalty, the reality of the game has changed.”
The Newport incident was not the first time Cook and members of his coaching staff had clashed with Kennard-Kettle. The referee also took charge of Chesterfield’s 1-0 League Two defeat at Walsall in September 2025, when assistant manager Gary Roberts was booked.
After that match, Cook told local radio station 1866 Sport that he was tired of getting into trouble with officials and planned to stop speaking to referees.
The defeat at Newport came a week after Chesterfield beat Crewe Alexandra 5-1 at home. It left them 10th in the League Two table with 19 points from 14 matches, one point outside the play-off places.
Because Cook’s response to the FA is due by Monday, November 9, he remains eligible to take his place in the technical area for Chesterfield’s FA Cup first-round home match against Yeovil Town on Saturday, November 7, unless the FA takes further action before then.
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Any suspension imposed next week could affect a busy run of fixtures. Chesterfield are due to visit local rivals Mansfield Town in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday, November 10, before facing Bristol Rovers in the league on November 14 and Shrewsbury Town on November 21.
The Derbyshire Times reported the charge and the November 9 response deadline.
