After it was announced that he would leave the club at the end of the 2025/26 season, Jamie Grimes has bid an emotional farewell to Chesterfield after five memorable years, bringing an end to a remarkable chapter that saw him captain the club to the National League title and achieve a long-awaited return to the EFL.
The defender departs having made 191 appearances, scoring 11 goals, leaving behind a memorable legacy with a town in which he has becoming ingrained in during the time he has spent in North Derbyshire.
“It’s difficult,” Grimes admitted. “All good things come to an end. The emotional side of it for me was when I left on loan (to Boston United), because I knew my time was up.
“When you look back (to 2021), the standard of the team, the standard of the facilities, the standard of everything the club do is just chalk and cheese, it’s gone through the roof. It’s incredible for me, I’m extremely proud and it was an honour to captain the club.
“When you go to a club you want to leave the shirt in a better place and I feel it is in a better place. I’m a small cog in a big wheel, but every day I just did my best. I’m really proud to have played my part in that history.”
Among his fondest memories is the 2023/24 title-winning campaign, which came after the heartbreak of losing at Wembley. “I think losing that game just galvanised us. You just knew it was going to be a magic season because everyone was on it when we came back for pre-season.”
The defining moment for Grimes came against Boreham Wood, when he scored twice to help secure the title. “That’s probably my best moment of my career. I’d never scored two in a game and never won a league title and I did it all in one day!”
As he moves on, Grimes added: “I’ll always be a Spireite wherever I go. I think I’ll always be like that because the club has done the best for me. I achieved my dream of going back into the Football League and winning the National League title and I wouldn’t want to have done it at another club. I’m a lifelong Chesterfield fan now and I’ll do anything for the club.”
The full interview can be watched on the Club’s YouTube channel.
