Chesterfield: Paul Cook may turn to forgotten man to stop Newport County threat – View | OneFootball

With both Chey Dunkley and Tom Naylor unavailable for Chesterfield's trip to Newport, a Spireite legend may be in line for a rare start.

Tom Naylor and Chey Dunkley have started at centre-back together in six of Chesterfield’s 11 games back in League Two as the duo have created a solid partnership to start the campaign but Paul Cook will be without both men for Friday’s trip to Newport.

It was revealed that Dunkley has picked up a neck issue and will be sidelined for an unknown period of time, while Naylor received a fifth yellow card of the season against Notts County and will miss the trip to Rodney Parade.

In recent weeks, Fulham loanee Harvey Araujo has impressed at centre-back alongside Dunkley as Naylor progressed into a more familiar midfield role, meaning the 19-year-old is expected to start a third successive game.

Araujo’s next partner will likely be one of Chesterfield’s National League title-winning heroes, who has found minutes hard to come by at the start of the season.

Jamie Grimes is set to be handed a rare opportunity against Newport.

Chesterfield captain Grimes has made over 140 appearances for Town, including 43 in their National League title win last season, but with new signings Dunkley and Araujo impressing and Naylor also successfully stepping into defense, Grimes has only started two games in the league this season.

While it may be harsh to say Cook has moved on from an ‘old school’ defender like Grimes in favor of the more technically gifted Araujo, the manager was quoted saying: “We can’t stand still for anyone,” regarding decisions on fan favorites, suggesting some of last season's heroes may have moved down the pecking order.

The 33-year-old is not the only Spireite struggling for minutes, as fellow centre-back Tyrone Williams has only played one League Two minute this season, while fellow title-winner Branden Horton has not featured at all.

Grimes, like other squad players, has picked up regular pitch time in the EFL Trophy, where he has impressed. The former Hereford man helped keep a clean sheet in a 1-0 away win over Lincoln, who are currently fourth in League One.

The Spireites captain also helped orchestrate a penalty shootout win over Manchester City U21s following a 1-1 draw, helping Town to the top of their group with one game to play, as qualification to the next round looks likely.

Grimes’ first league start of the season came against Grimsby, where the defender replaced the suspended Dunkley and put in a battling display in a 2-1 win in what remains Chesterfield’s only home win of the season.

His other League Two start came against Bromley, where he struggled to keep Michael Cheek at bay, as the forward scored a record 10th goal against the Spireites in a 2-2 draw.

Although Naylor will undoubtedly be a big miss for the Spireites, Grimes’ size may come in handy against Newport’s unique number nine.

Grimes could help handle Kyle Hudlin's aerial threat.

On Friday, the Spireites are faced with the challenge of defending the tallest player in professional football - 6’9” Kyle Hudlin.

Hudlin has caused the Spireites a problem in the past as he was part of the Solihull Moors team who comfortably beat Chesterfield 3-1 in the semi-final of the National League play-offs in 2022. He even scored in the final in their 2-1 extra-time defeat to Grimsby.

The Huddersfield loanee has been a handful for League Two defenses in recent weeks with two goals and an assist in his last three games, having only recently broken into Nelson Jardim’s side.

Hudlin got on the end of winger Kieron Evans’ cross and found the back of the net in their 3-1 defeat to Bradford and did the same against Salford, attacking the front post and scoring with a glancing header from a corner.

The former Burton man will fancy his chances on Friday as the Spireites have struggled against target men in recent weeks - with Notts County’s Alassana Jatta rising above the Chesterfield defense and heading home past Max Thompson to make the score 1-1 last weekend.

The strike partnership of Nathan Lowe and Jamile Matt were a constant threat for Walsall in their 2-2 draw at the SMH Group, with 6’3” Lowe grabbing a brace, while Cheek once again bagged against the Spireites for Bromley.

When Naylor has played in defense, teams have tended to play on his 5’11” frame and looked to bully the 33-year-old, but with Grimes likely to play alongside Araujo, his size and strength should help the Spireites deal with the Hudlin problem.

With question marks surrounding the severity of Dunkley’s injury, Grimes is likely to be handed a rare opportunity to impress this Friday, but his challenge won’t come much bigger than marking one of the biggest men in the sport.