Sam Hird sits easily in the top 50 of players who have made the most appearances for Chesterfield FC and from 2012-2018 he virtually saw it all! From a League 2 title win under Paul Cook and a near promotion to the Championship the season after, right through to relegation down to the National League only a handful of years later. Sam came to the c…

Matthew Greenan, aka The Stone Ranger on YouTube, is a lifelong Chesterfield FC fan, stone carver, and Peak District park ranger. On Sunday 4 February, Matthew will be carving the Chesterfield FC badge into a piece of Derbyshire stone live on YouTube. The final work will be raffled off to raise money for the Ernie Moss Foundation, with tickets avai…

Glyn Chamberlain is one of a small group of people who were born in Chesterfield, grew up supporting Chesterfield, and then went on to play for the club too. After starting his footballing career as a youth player at Burnley, he then went on to represent Chesterfield from 1976-1981 under the management of the legendary Arthur Cox. Since retiring fr…

Issue 5 of Legends of the Spire fanzine is out now! This is the independent Chesterfield FC fanzine, formerly called Linda's Sandwich shop. The zine features 44 pages of content and this issue includes... Cupets, Michael South's photos of 2023, Spanish Spireites, Cycling to Bangkok, Observations of National League streaming, a transcript of the pod…

Adie Shaw spent two seasons as a player at Chesterfield from, from 1988-1990, after starting out under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest and then spending some time at Halifax. Injury forced retirement at a young age in 1990 but he stayed at Chesterfield to start on community projects for the club which included youth coaching and development of th…

Bob Bloomer started his Chesterfield FC career as a youngster, around the club during the title win the in 1984/85 season. Over the coming years he quickly became a feature in the Spireites midfield and was with the club until early 1990. He then went on to enjoy a long spell at Cheltenham, via a couple of years at Bristol Rovers, and since retirem…

Chesterfield FC fan Daniel Cresswell is currently on an incredible adventure with his mate Alain, cycling from London to Bangkok. I caught up with Dan as he was taking some much needed downtime in Albania to recharge the muscles and the bank account! He told me about where the thirst for adventure came from, the highlights of the journey so far, an…

Despite growing up in the south, Steve Spooner actually made his name as a footballer at clubs like Derby County, Halifax and Chesterfield in the late 70's and early 80's. After moving to Chesterfield in 1983, the midfielder was a key member of John Duncan's title winning team in the 1984/85 season. He moved to Hereford in 1986 but came back to Che…

A fans favourite during his time at the club, striker Tom Denton was at Chesterfield from 2018-2022. He played under Martin Allen, John Pemberton, John Sheridan, James Rowe and Paul Cook. Standing at 6"7, Tom was an imposing presence at the top end of the pitch during his time with the club, and scored important goals that stopped a drop into regio…

Something a little different for this weeks interview as I got in the car and drove to Nottingham to meet former Spireite defender, Bryn Gunn. Due to us being in a pub beer garden this weeks episode is a little different and features some of what Bryn and I spoke about during my trip to Nottinghamshire. The European Cup winner with Nottingham Fores…

Writer Stepehen Poxon joins Dave Garratt this week to talk his new book, ERNIE! Ernie! is a heartfelt tribute to lower-league football hero Ernie Moss, a local boy made good who became a Chesterfield goalscoring legend. Ernie earned his place in footballing folklore for his phenomenal longevity and as Chesterfield's record goalscorer. It's a story …

Rob Edwards had three seasons at Chesterfield FC from 2000-2003. During that time he was part of the promotion winning squad under the management of Nicky Law and played alongside previous podcast guests like David Reeves, Sean Parrish and Ryan Williams. He also had two long spells at Huddersfield Town either side of his stint with the Spireites an…

Josh Law has an interesting past with Chesterfield FC. His Dad Nicky was a player in the 90s and manager in the 00s so he has fond memories of having a kick about around Saltergate with his cousin, a certain Ollie Banks. He was then a youth player, and then pro, at Chesterfield in the 00s himself, so it was great to share some Spireites memories fr…

Steve Fletcher is a huge legend at Bournemouth but in just one season at Chesterfield he became a firm fan favourite there too. Back in the 2007/08 season he moved up north to join Lee Richardson's Spireites as they tried to build for promotion. He formed a great partnership with Jack Lester that season and although the club missed out on promotion…

Still only 22yrs old, Levi Amantchi first joined Chesterfield back when the club was in League One. He was a youth player during the slide down from League One into the National League but got his chance under the management of Martin Allen as the Spireites started life in the National League. A pacey and strong striker, Levi is currently at Nation…

Ashley Foyle has enjoyed two spells at Chesterfield FC. Firstly as a product of the youth team and first team squad in the mid 00's, and then as a returning coach for the youth team a decade ago. From printing his own number on his first team shirt to coaching a young Laurence Maguire during his return to the Spireites as a coach, I delved into his…

Emma Young has been a Chesterfield fan since being lifted into the air by David Reeves during the pitch invasion after the dramatic last day relegation escape vs Luton in 2004. She since went on to become the Head Physio at the Spireites before moving onto Coventry City at the start of the season. Emma joined me to talk about working for the team s…

As Chesterfield fans we've all been extremely excited to see the new Matchwinner retro range go on sale this week. To celebrate the new partnership between the iconic brand and the team I support I popped along to their HQ in Dewsbury to have a look around and chat with their Head of Design, Alistair Wood. You can find the new Matchwinner retro ran…

With bags of pace and a willingness to take on any opponent Ryan Williams was a popular figure at Chesterfield FC. After growing up in the town he finally got the chance to play for the Spireites in 1999 in a difficult season where the team ultimately got relegated. But they bounced back the season after with a promotion under Nicky Law, in a seaso…

I welcome Kieran Maguire from the excellent The Price of Football podcast on to the show this week to have a look at Chesterfield FC's recently published accounts for the year ending 30 June 2022. Kieran cast an objective eye over some of the figures in the accounts whilst also picking up on some of the key trends in football finance today. You can…

I spoke to Premier League Referee Graham Scott about taking charge of the last ever match at Chesterfield FC's beloved Saltergate ground. That last game at the Recreation Ground, a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, in 2010 was memorable for a last minute winner from club legend Derek Niven. We spoke about his memories of that day as well as his rise to the…

I commissioned a German Heavy Metal band to make a new Chesterfield FC run out song! Yes, you read that right! I found a chap called Tim Nightpain of Nebelhaus and commissioned him to write a new Rammstein inspired Chesterfield FC anthem for the team to run out to. Here is the story behind it and the finished song!…

Goalkeeper Billy Stewart only played two and a half games for Chesterfield but they were crackers, featuring in the famous 5-2 playoff game vs Mansfield and the Wembley final vs Bury. Billy also had a long association with Chester as a player and has also coached every age group of goalkeeper at Liverpool. He joined me to talk about his long career…

From Dundalk to Wembley, Colin Larkin enjoyed a long career in football playing for teams like Wolves, Mansfield and Chesterfield from 1999 through to 2014. He was part of the Roy McFarland Chesterfield squad that had an amazing Carling Cup run in 2006 beating the likes of Wolves, Man City and West Ham along the way. Colin joined me to talk about t…

On Legends of the Spire this week I welcome our first choice goalkeeper from the 2021/22 season, Scott Loach. Current Derby goalkeeper Scott is well known for spells at clubs like Watford, Ipswich, Hartlepool and Barnet and came on the podcast to talk about ghost goals, England call ups, and the smell of a fresh pair of gloves! We also had a good c…

Sam Clucas had a meteoric rise from Non League to Premier League in just five seasons, scoring in each league along the way. It all started after being released from Leicester as a youngster for 'being too small' and it was a spell in Glenn Hoddle's Spanish academy that got him back on track. Sam is well remembered for his season spell at Chesterfi…

Nottingham born Calvin Plummer started his career at Brian Clough's Forest but had two spells at Chesterfield in the early and late 1980's. His highlight with the Spireites being a hattrick vs Stockport in the 1989/90 playoffs. The flying, tricky winger was a crowd favourite at the club and also had spells at Derby, Barnsley, Plymouth and a short t…

Brian 'Fergy' Ferguson had a short playing career at Chesterfield due to injury but still managed to be a pivotal figure in the 1984/85 title winning team. The full back (converted after a career in midfield) joined from Southend where he was playing under World Cup winner Bobby Moore and also played for Newcastle and Hull City amongst others. He j…

If you want to write about your passion for football where do you start? That was the question I posed to writer Daniel Gray on the podcast this week. Dan has a huge amount of experience as an author, screenwriter and podcaster. He joined me to talk about his new book 'The Silence of the Stands' and give some words of advice to any aspiring footbal…

With just under 400 league appearances under his belt for Chesterfield Andy Kowalski proudly sits at number nine in the top ten appearance makers for the club. He spent the whole of the 1970s and part of the 1980s at the club and played under half a dozen different managers and alongside some of the most iconic players in the clubs history. The for…

This week I'm joined by professional cricketer and Spireite supporter Ben Slater. Ben was born and grew up in Chesterfield and picked up a cricket bat at an early age. After playing for his home county Derbyshire he now plays for Nottinghamshire and has just won the Championship title with the Trent Bridge based club. He joined me to talk about his…

Goalkeeper Barry Roche joined Chesterfield on trial in the summer of 2005 and featured in friendlies against opposition including Matlock, Scarborough and...Malaga! He played well over 100 games for the Spireites with the high point most definitely being the Carling Cup run of 2006 when we came up against the likes of Manchester City and West Ham. …

I'm delighted to welcome Danny Wilson to the podcast this week. Danny spent nearly three years as a player with the Spireites in the early 1980's, lining up alongside legendary players like Alan Birch and Geoff Salmons. He then came back to the club in late 2015 to become manager of a team on the slide and kept Chesterfield up against the odds in h…

Jamie joined Chesterfield's youth team as a child and was with the club throughout his teenage years under the watchful eyes of Dave Bentley and Mark Jules. He didn't gain a professional contract with the club during a few tumultuous years when the management changed from John Sheridan to Paul Cook but has since enjoyed a great career playing and c…

This week I delve into the world of the Sports Journalism degree and welcome Holly Bacon to the podcast. Holly is just starting the second year of her degree and has already worked for Morecambe FC, the Non League Paper, The Telegraph and Radio Sheffield. She joined me to talk about her experience of working in sport so far and there is also plenty…

George Carline was a member of the Chesterfield FC squad in the 20/21 and 21/22 seasons becoming a firm fan favourite during his time with the club. He started his career at Cadbury Athletic with the smell of the chocolate factory in the air and found his way to Chesterfield after spells at clubs like Redditch, Solihull and Gloucester. George joine…

On the podcast this week I spoke to Alicia, Katie, Megan, Ruth and Stella about their experiences of being a female football fan. We firstly talked about their history of supporting Chesterfield FC including memorable matches, favourite players and the highs and lows of the last few years. We then spoke honestly about the negative side of supportin…

After spending time with Brentford as a youngster, goalkeeper Melvin Minter has played for a number of non league clubs and also had full time spells at Harrogate Town and Chesterfield. Melvin joined me to talk about a rollercoaster year at Chesterfield last season including managerial changes, FA Cup runs and a dance that went viral. _____________…

In only the third round of games in the 22/23 season two of the favourites for the title come face to face as Chesterfield face Wrexham on Tuesday evening. I spoke to Nathan from the 'Rob Ryan Red - Wrexham AFC' podcast to talk about the the last decade as a Wrexham fan, the well publicised takeover and (of course) a dig into the players that will …

With the 2022/23 season just a few days away I'm joined by Dorking Wanderers match reporter Dan Stobbart to get the lowdown on Chesterfield's first opponents of the season. Only founded in 1999, Dorking Wanderers have had an incredible rise through the leagues and will be aiming to surprise a few teams in the National League this season. Dan joined…

Bennett Steele joined Chesterfield from Everton in 1958 and spent just one season with the Spireites before being sold to Gateshead but has some lasting memories of the club. I went along to Bennett's house to record some of his career memories from his encyclopaedic mind. Featuring tactics and training in the 1950's, 'the best headed goal Salterga…

On the podcast this week I spoke to Dean Morgan, another one of the 2010/11 title winners at Chesterfield FC. After a career that took him to places like Colchester, Luton and Reading, Dean joined the Spireites via MK Dons in the Summer of 2010. The winger formed great partnerships with forwards like Craig Davies and Dean Morgan that season to earn…

This week I spoke to commentator Adam Summerton about his broadcasting work for companies such as BT Sport and Amazon. From supermarket carparks to Champions League footage Adam joined me to talk about his career in the industry to date. As the voice of the Vanarama National League coverage on BT Sport we also talked about his opinion on Chesterfie…

Lawrie Madden made his name at clubs like Charlton Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday before joining Chesterfield as a veteran in 1993. The defender joined me to take me through his whole career in 60 minutes featuring managers like Howard Wilkinson and Ron Atkinson, Cup finals, playing alongside Paul Cook and John Sheridan and writing match reports …

Ollie Banks spent three seasons at Chesterfield from 2013-2016, winning a league title and reaching a cup final along the way. But that wasn't his first experience of life with the Spireites, as he was around the club over a decade earlier when his Dad was assistant to Nicky Law during our promotion campaign in 2000-01. Ollie joined me to to talk a…

I'm delighted to have Nathan Smith on Legends of the Spire this week. He was a hugely popular figure during his three seasons a Chesterfield from 2011-2014 where he experienced the lows of a relegation alongside the highs of a league title, a man of the match cup win at Wembley and player of the season accolades. Outside of football he has been dev…

This week I spoke to former New Zealand international Liam Graham about his incredible decade in football. Starting out in Australia, and then a short spell in Japan, he found himself at Vicenza in Italy and then got caught up in a match fixing (not him) scandal at Pro Patria. He arrived at Chesterfield in 2015 and after initially having to play un…

Neal Trotman experienced a bit of everything in his football career. Starting with Burnley's youth academy the defender went on to play for clubs like Oldham, Preston, Southampton and, of course, Chesterfield. Experiencing injury, big money moves, being released and early retirement it seems fitting that he has gone on to be a trained psychotherapi…

Player, captain, coach and even referee! Steve Baines has done it all. After a career at clubs like Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield and Bradford Steve joined Chesterfield in 1983, reuniting with John Duncan after their spell together at Scunthorpe. He captained the side that won the league in the 84/85 season whilst also assisting John Duncan with …

I'll be back with more former Chesterfield players in the coming weeks but in the meantime I thought it would be good to check in with another Chesterfield football podcast, SpireitesWrite. We got together to talk about the ups and downs of podcasting about the spireites, highlights of the last few years and speculating about the legends of the fut…