Chesterfield captain can't wait to face boyhood club Nottingham Forest

The skipper is a Reds fan, as are many of his friends, so he is looking forward to playing against them for the first time in his career when they visit the SMH Group Stadium on Saturday, July 13.

"Every time there is an FA Cup draw I always want Forest,” he said. “It is not the same because it is a pre-season friendly but a lot of my friends and family have already asked me for tickets. I am excited for it – it will be a great test for us. I have never played against Forest, even in pre-season, so it is one to tick off to say that I played against them.”

And the skipper also has his eyes on coming up against Forest’s city rivals Notts County when the proper stuff starts. The Magpies beat the Blues on penalties in the National League play-off final a year ago.

Grimes said: “We kind of owe them one – there is a little bit of pain there. It would be nice to beat them and put it right.”

The centre-back, who is doing his coaching badges, has been impressed with Chesterfield’s summer signings, including two familar names in Chey Dunkley and Tim Akinola.

He explained: "I played with Dunks at Kidderminster and he was incredible back then so I am sure he will be a great addition for us. He is really aggressive. He has had an incredible career. He is experienced and I am looking forward to seeing what he has learnt and what he can teach me. "

And on Akinola, who had a loan spell at the Spireites in the 2022/2023 season, said: “Athletically, he is a beast. When we are pressing teams and we need to be energetic, there is no one better. I’ve just told him I’ll wear my shinpads in training because he kicks everyone in training all the time!”

Grimes has played in League Two before but by his own admission he didn’t give the best account of himself and he is aiming to set the record straight.

“I am ready to go – I am excited for what this season brings,” he said.

"Last time I was in the Football League I didn’t show my best at all. It was one of the times of your life when you are not quite at the pinnacle of what you are doing, whether it is your personal life or whatever. But I am in a really good place now. I love where I am, I am enjoying my football and I really want to give it a good crack and prove to myself more than anything that I can play at this level.”

On the aims for the new season, he added: "I want us to be competitive, we have got a core group of players from last year and the signings we have made are very good. I want us to squeeze as much as we can out of ourselves and try to do as well as we can.

"I would like some more success, I had to wait a long time, it took a while for me, but I still feel really good and that I have got plenty to offer. I want to win as much as I can before my career ends.”