Former Portsmouth, Wigan and Ipswich boss Paul Cook's sending off goes viral on Twitter as Scunthorpe fans lap up referee's decision

Twitter account @Ironarmyhd has had more than 42,000 views of a video showing the now Chesterfield boss being sent off during the Spireites’ 2-1 win at Scunthorpe on Boxing Day.

It also captures the 55-year-old’s reaction to referee Scott Simpson’s decision, with Cook seen sarcastically applauding the match official before turning his attentions to the Iron fans prior to being led down the tunnel at Glanford Park.

It’s all quite humorous, really, with even the ex-Blues manager himself seeing the funny side of it as he exits the dugouts.

However, the sequence of events looks avoidable, given Simpson’s initial decision to book Cook during the second half of the National League game.

Yet the brandishing of the yellow card didn’t go down well with the Scouser, who carried on barracking the match official as he made his way back onto the field of play.

That prompted a dramatic U-turn by Simpson, who swiftly handed Cook his marching orders.

As the former Wigan and Ipswich boss continued his exchange of words, the Scunthorpe fans were clearly delighted with what they were witnessing.

And Cook didn’t want to let them down as he quickly mouthed a few words in their direction and waved his arms about before eventually heading down the tunnel with a wry smile on his face.

The incident didn’t impact the result, though, with Chesterfield claiming a 2-1 win – a victory that keeps them third in the table.

Former Blues striker Caolan Lavery, whom Cook signed on loan during his time at Fratton Park, opened the scoring for the hosts.

However, Chesterfield hit back through goals from Joe Quigley to extend their unbeaten league run to eight games.