Paul Cook will be looking to talent Arsenal once saw to address Chesterfield crisis | OneFootball

Chesterfield have used six different right-backs in League Two this season, but Paul Cook could now turn to an ex-Arsenal man, returning from injury.

After a lengthy spell out through injury, Vontae Daley-Campbell has been registered in Chesterfield’s 22-man squad following the news that fellow right-backs Ryheem Sheckleford and Janoi Donacien have been ruled out for the season.

But despite having started three different right-backs in their last four matches, Town have found form, picking up 16 points from the last possible 18 available, and they head into the run-in four points outside the play-offs with a game in hand.

Chesterfield have started with six different players at right-back this season, with Liam Mandeville being Cook's latest experiment against Barrow and Carlisle, and he has slotted into the position with great effect.

Mandeville was one of the Spireites’ standouts in a dominant display against the Blues on Tuesday night, getting forward from right-back to score the opener on a night where Town had 81% possession and 38 shots in a 2-1 win.

While Mandeville put on a show at right-back on Tuesday, earlier that day, a forgotten man turned out for Chesterfield’s reserves, and Paul Cook hopes he’ll have a part to play in Town’s late play-off challenge.

Vontae Daley-Campbell has been added to Chesterfield’s League Two squad

Chesterfield fans have joked that a curse has been placed on the right-back position this season, with Cook being forced into using six different players in the position, ranging from academy winger Liam Jessop to veteran centre-backs like Donacien.

But after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, former Arsenal youth product Daley-Campbell is edging closer to a return to first-team action.

The 24-year-old is currently looking to regain match sharpness and featured for Town’s reserves in a 0-0 draw against Bolton Wanderers at Alfreton Town on Tuesday afternoon after being registered in the Spireites’ 22-man League Two squad last week.

Daley-Campbell signed for the Spireites at the start of the season after impressing on trial, having failed to make an impact at League One Peterborough last campaign, and it hasn’t really worked out for him in Derbyshire either.

The playing squad at Chesterfield has changed massively since August, and after the first few weeks of the season, it looked like Daley-Campbell would battle it out for the right-back spot with Fulham loanee Devan Tanton, but the pair have been plagued with injuries.

The former Posh man started three of Town’s first four matches in League Two and looked solid both going forward and in the defensive third, but he was forced off in Chesterfield’s 5-2 away win at Morecambe in October and hasn’t featured since.

The ex-England U19 international required surgery on his hamstring and is now progressing well in his recovery, and as Cook’s only fit, natural right-back, Daley-Campbell will be looking to provide competition for Mandeville at full-back in the last seven games.

With Daley-Campbell back in the mix, it would allow the Swiss-Army knife Mandeville to be utilised elsewhere, having played on either wing, attacking midfield, and central midfield along with right-back this season.

With Cook’s tendency to rest and rotate players, he’s likely to be given the chance to impress, especially with the 58-year-old having to juggle playing five games in 14 days at this crucial point of the season.

Chesterfield’s assistant manager Danny Webb echoes this, suggesting the full-back will get his chance in the near future.

“Vontae (Daley-Campbell) needs to get fit, he has been put in the squad for a reason, not just to make the numbers up,” Webb told the Derbyshire Times after Tuesday’s reserve-team game.

“Hopefully come Saturday or next Tuesday he is a serious option because he will be fitter,” added the 41-year-old.

The position of Chesterfield right-back has been a poisoned chalice this season, but with seven games to go and Daley-Campbell fit again, Town can finally look to put their injury worries behind them.

Looking ahead to the transfer window, however, it’s a position Cook might look to strengthen.

Multiple Chesterfield right-backs are out of contract in the summer

With two quality players in each position, it looked as though the Spireites were looking to challenge for an automatic promotion spot after what, on paper, looked like a good summer window, but 39 different players later, it hasn’t quite worked out as planned.

Two new signings, Daley-Campbell and Tanton, started the season as Town’s right-backs, but within three months, both would be ruled out long-term.

Colombian international Tanton started the season brightly, but struggled with injuries, and had his loan spell cut short by parent club Fulham after eight league appearances.

Full-back Ryheem Sheckleford is into his third season in Derbyshire, but the former Maidenhead man has been plagued by injuries throughout his tenure.

A reliable performer when fit, Sheckleford looked like he was making the right-back spot his own in March before an injury ruled him out for the season.

The National League winner’s season was curtailed after just 17 appearances and 15 starts, which makes him Chesterfield’s most used player at right-back this campaign.

The 27-year-old is under contract until the summer of 2026 and has proven he’s a capable League Two quality player when fit, so he’s likely to stick around for the 2025/26 season.

Also, currently in the treatment room is fellow full-back Janoi Donacien, who has not been able to shake off his injury issues since joining Town as a free-agent in January.

The former Ipswich man has made just seven appearances since his move and is out-of-contract in the summer. At 31-years-old and unable to stay fit, it’s difficult to see Cook offering him a new deal at this stage.

Daley-Campbell’s contract is also set to expire in June, with the club having an option to extend it for a further year.

The 24-year-old does have the luxury of being fit, so if he gets his chance in the run-in, a string of excellent performances would likely put him in contention for an extension on his current deal.

It’s now or never. Not just for Daley-Campbell’s contract hopes, but for Chesterfield’s season too.