Chesterfield manager Paul Cook has revealed that defender Brenden Horton could still have a future at the club, despite not having been registered in their EFL squad this season.
The 24-year-old joined the Spireites in 2022 following the expiration of his contract at Doncaster Rovers. He played a key role in the club’s National League success last season, featuring 26 times as the Derbyshire-based side were crowned champions.
This season has been a different story though. Chesterfield brought in Lewis Gordon in the summer, with the former Bristol Rovers left-back having started every League Two game thus far.
Horton has made two appearances in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, notching two assists in a 3-2 win over Grimsby Town last week. However, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the campaign, it looks as if his time at the SMH Group Stadium is coming to an end.
Paul Cook Offers Potential Lifeline to Horton
Although there are no imminent plans to reintegrate Horton into the squad, Cook has admitted that he will be an option should first-choice left-back Gordon suffer an injury. Speaking to the Derbyshire Times, he said:
“Branden has probably been our back-up left-back all season. We have got two slots in the squad but we haven’t felt a necessity to fulfil them due to the balance and the squad of the team. If, for example, Lewis Gordon was to be injured, Branden would have always come right into the squad and played.
“Branden Horton hasn’t changed as a player, Branden is a very good footballer. Branden has served our football club really, really well and is still very much a part of what we are trying to do. But, unfortunately, when you are not named in a squad sometimes, and you might go out on loan maybe, it is perceived that you are finished and stuff. You are never finished at a football club until the day you leave.”
Writer’s View
Horton will no doubt feel frustrated at his lack of game time, especially as he contributed so much to Chesterfield’s National League title win. What will be more frustrating is that he hasn’t even been registered for the EFL squad. However, it is a long season and with the Spireites harbouring ambitions of back-to-back promotions, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the defender called upon in the coming months as the games start to come thick and fast.
Head of Writing
