Hird at home with Spireites after scooping Derbyshire Times award

The Spireites centre-half has been a consistent figure at the heart of the back four this season, racking up 42 games in all competitions.

And was your winner for the 2016 award, which was presented by the newspaper’s Matt Brooks at the Proact Stadium on Friday.

It was a double scoop for Hird who picked up a similar honour from the Times’ sister paper Sheffield Star in mid-week.

Hird was delighted to receive the trophy.

“I’m over the moon to be given the award, and the one on Wednesday,” said Hird. “Thank you to all those who voted for me.

“Football’s not just an individual sport though, it’s a team one, and I’ve got to thank my team-mates for helping me perform as consistently as I have this season.”

Hird signed for Chesterfield in July 2012, after his contract expired at Doncaster Rovers, and has gone on to make 166 appearances for the club in four years.

He was part of the Spireites side that clinched the League Two title and made it all the way to the JP Trophy final in 2014.

And was again heavily involved as Paul Cook’s team reached the League One play-offs in 2015, signing a new two-year deal that summer.

“I’ve been here a long time now and it definitely feels like home,” he said. “I love the place and the people around the place.

“The staff have been great with me. The club’s been great with me, from the chairman (Dave Allen) down.

“All the others behind the scene that the fans don’t see - the cleaner, kitchen staff among others - from top to bottom everyone’s been good to me and I’ve tried to repay them by putting solid performances in on the pitch.”

A 3-0 win over Bury on Saturday assured Chesterfield of a place in English football’s third tier next season.

“It’s been a transitional season for the club,” said Hird. “We lost the manager (Cook) from last season and some of the players from the successful season that we had that year.

“We’ve had a change in management and a lot of players have come and gone. We’ve used a lot of players. I think over the last couple of months we’ve kept a consistency.

“We’ve kept a core to the side and our results have been reasonable. We’re safe in the league and that’s important.

“It’s not been a hugely successful season because it’s not a great achievement just to be safe in the league.

“It is an achievement considering the season that we’ve had and the transitional period at the club.

“I think the players can look at themselves in the mirror and say they’ve done their best and we can all look forward to next season.”

He added: “It’s a big summer for the club. The manager’s (Danny Wilson’s) staying and the staff which is great for the football club as well.

“I think if we can add some quality players to the good players we’ve got here we can look to push high up in the table next year.”