Jack Lester

See also Jack Lester (disambiguation)

Jack Lester

Personal information
Full name	Jack William Lester
Date of birth	8 October 1975 (1975-10-08)
Place of birth	Sheffield, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Chesterfield
Number	14
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994–2000	Grimsby Town	132	(17)
1996	→ Doncaster Rovers (loan)	11	(1)
2000–2003	Nottingham Forest	99	(21)
2003–2004	Sheffield United	44	(12)
2004–2007	Nottingham Forest	76	(13)
2007–	Chesterfield	154	(76)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:55, 21 January 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Jack William Lester (born 8 October 1975 in Sheffield, England) is an English professional footballer, currently playing for English Football League One side Chesterfield. He plays as a striker. He started his professional career with Grimsby Town, where he moved through the ranks helping the club to two victories at Wembley Stadium in the 1997-98 season by winning the Football League Trophy and the Football League Second Division Play-Offs. Lester also played for Doncaster Rovers and Nottingham Forest before joining home town club Sheffield United. He has since returned for a second spell at Forest before joining Chesterfield.

Career

Grimsby Town

Lester started his career with Grimsby Town and signed his first professional contract in 1994. He was nurtured into a first team role at Grimsby by manager Alan Buckley and his assistant John Cockerill. After a brief loan spell with Doncaster Rovers in which he played 10 games (4 in the starting lineup) and scored one goal, Lester became a regular at Blundell Park. During his time there he formed notable strike partnerships with Clive Mendonca, Steve Livingstone, Lee Ashcroft and Jamie Forrester. It was during the 1997–1998 season that he had arguably his best season with Grimsby. He was a regular fixture in the first team and helped the club succeed in an impressive double final win at Wembley Stadium. The Mariners defeated A.F.C. Bournemouth in the Football League Trophy before beating Northampton Town in the Division Two Play Off Final a few weeks later. Lester stayed with Grimsby until mid way through three 1999–2000 season when he was controversially sold just after the turn of the millennium. He made over 90 league appearances and scored 17 league goals in his time with The Mariners, and is still a popular figure at the club.

Nottingham Forest

David Platt signed Lester for former European champions Nottingham Forest in 2000 for £300,000, just three weeks after he led the Grimsby attack beating Forest 4–3 in the League; it was from that game that Platt became interested in signing the player. It took some time for Lester to settle in at the City Ground but when Platt left the club, new manager Paul Hart moved him to an attacking midfield role where he flourished, making over 70 starts and scoring 24 goals. In 2003 he was released by Hart in an attempt to reduce debts.

Sheffield United

He was signed by his hometown club Sheffield United at the start of the 2003–4 season. Lester played alongside Steve Kabba amongst others at Bramall Lane. He remained a first choice striker at the club for the entire season and made around 50 appearances for United until his exit in November 2004.

Nottingham Forest (second spell)

Lester was offered the chance to return to Forest and he was re-signed by Joe Kinnear in 2004 for £50,000. He scored in his first game but in his third start damaged knee ligaments which kept him out of action for almost 9 months. He went on to play over 30 games in this second spell, mostly as a substitute. Then after Nottingham Forest failed win promotion in the 2006–07 season, he was released by manager Colin Calderwood.

Chesterfield

In June 2007 he signed for Chesterfield F.C. on a 3 year contract. He finished the 2007/08 season as Chesterfield's top scorer, with 27 goals in all competitions. This tally made him 3rd top scorer in League Two, with 25 goals in the league, 4 behind Aaron McLean of Peterborough. That season he also became the fastest post-war Chesterfield player to 20 goals in a season, getting his 20th (and 100th career goal) live on TV against Hereford United. He finished the season third in England on goal to game ratio, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres.

Lester scored his 100th League career goal in the 2–1 win over Exeter City on 28 January 2009. He also set a club record in becoming the first striker at the club to score 20 goals in consecutive seasons for 82 years. Despite scoring fewer goals than in his first season at Chesterfield, he finished the 2008/9 term as joint-top scorer for League 2, with 20 League goals.

Lester's goals have brought him great popularity among Chesterfield fans. With the Spireites moving to a new stadium in July 2010, part of their End of an Era merchandise included a "Saltergate Legends" plate, on which Lester was included.

In the 2010/11 season Lester scored 17 goals in 29 games (all in home games) as Chesterfield won Football League 2. Later going on to sign a new 2 year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2013.

Lester suffered a broken arm against Leyton Orient in September 2011 which kept him out of the side for three months. Lacking both Jack and injured goalkeeper Tommy Lee, Chesterfield's results suffered and the team slumped to the foot of the division. Lester returned to the team in late December but was suspended and missed three further matches after the referee in the home game against Walsall watched recorded footage from the game and saw him strike an opponent.

On 30 January 2012 Jack scored the late winning goal at Boundary Park against Oldham Athletic which ensured that Chesterfield qualified for the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Wembley, on a 3-1 aggregate score.

Honours

Grimsby Town

• Second Division play-off winner: 1997–98
• Auto Windscreens Shield winner: 1997–98

Chesterfield FC

• Football League 2 PFA Fan's Player of the Year 2008
• Football League 2 winner 2010/11

External links

• Jack Lester career stats at Soccerbase