Saltergate 10 years on: Tommy Lee recalls the moment he realised how big a club Chesterfield was

It was when Tommy Lee was looking out at thousands of Spireites fans on the Saltergate pitch that he realised just how big the club was.
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He was a relatively young goalkeeper at the time, aged 24.

The stopper had started his career at giants Manchester United so any club he joined after would understandably have seemed small.

The Bournemouth game in 2010 was his first experience of a packed Saltergate – and a big moment in his nine years at Chesterfield.

Tommy Lee in the final match at Saltergate against Bournemouth in 2010.Tommy Lee in the final match at Saltergate against Bournemouth in 2010.
Tommy Lee in the final match at Saltergate against Bournemouth in 2010.
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“It was probably my first realisation of just how big the club was,” Lee told the DT.

“After the fans came on the pitch at the end of the match we all went into the stand with the chairman. I think John Sheridan was passed a microphone and he spoke a little bit about Saltergate and then about going forward.

“That was another realisation for me that actually we are going to have to get promoted next season because this is such a big football club and we are going to a new stadium.

“There was a little bit more pressure on it for me then which was a good thing and a real good eye opener for the sort of football club I was at.”

Lee pictured with Drew Talbot.Lee pictured with Drew Talbot.
Lee pictured with Drew Talbot.
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Lee’s first experience of Saltergate was when he was playing for Macclesfield Town.

For someone who had experienced some of the best facilities in the world at Old Trafford, this was another eye-opener for him.

He explained: “I remember pulling up to the ground and the first thing you see is the rusty corrugated iron facade and thinking ‘here we go, it is going to be one of those days’.

“As an opposing player my first memory was the changing rooms - not great.

Lee celebrates Chesterfield winning the JPT Trophy in 2012.Lee celebrates Chesterfield winning the JPT Trophy in 2012.
Lee celebrates Chesterfield winning the JPT Trophy in 2012.
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“Even the most die-hard Chesterfield supporter at the time would have said at the time it was time to move.

“There were loads of memories there for a lot of people and it was sad to leave but I think it was the right time for the football club.”

Ahead of the Bournemouth match, Lee remembers the players’ entrance being busier than normal with Town supporters milling around.

He could feel the buzz. The excitement. The expectation.

“It did have that special feeling of a big game,” he said.

And Lee, who was forced to retire in November 2017 due to a shoulder injury, was reminded just how big it was by the more experienced players in the squad.

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He told the DT: “Players like Jack Lester, Mark Allott and Derek Niven - players who had been at the club a while - they were more aware of that than perhaps some of the younger players and they let us know through the week. Especially Jack who was saying ‘listen fellas we have got to win this game. It is the least the fans deserve’.”

As well as being Saltergate’s last game, Chesterfield still had an outside chance of the play-offs but they would need to beat Eddie Howe’s already promoted Cherries and results elsewhere would need to go their way.

Just as Derek Niven remembers his late winner in the fixture, Lee recalls his saves.

“What I remember from the game is Drew Talbot’s own goal to give them the lead,” he said. “After that I think it was a pretty even game. I made a couple of saves in the second half from Brett Pitman. I made one to my right which I tipped around the post. Then I made one to the left. I always remember the saves!”

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Standing at the other end of the pitch, urging his teammates on, it dawned on Lee what a disappointment it would be if they suffered defeat.

He admits: “With 10 minutes to go I remember thinking ‘this is going to be an embarrassment with all these fans turning up if we don’t win the game’.

“Then Jack Lester swiped one in which was a great finish.”

Then came Niven’s winner. In the 96th minute. Wow.

“I can’t remember what I did but I do remember seeing Derek shooting and thinking ‘that can’t go in’.

“It is a historic goal but I have definitely seen Derek strike them better than that. When it went in my first thought was ‘have we still got a chance of the play-offs here’.”

Sadly, they didn’t.

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But for Lee, who has just left a coaching role at Sheffield Wednesday to take up a similar job at rivals United, the game was the start of something special.

“I think it did absolutely play a part in the momentum and the start we made at the new stadium and the feelgood factor around the place and obviously that season (2010/11) we were unbelievable.

“I was privileged to play in both eras if you like. Saltergate, and then be part of the new stadium as well so that is definitely something I look back on and feel really proud of.”

The Blues legend went on to make 300 appearances for the club and won the League Two title twice and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in 2012.

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“I am really proud of what we achieved,” he tells the DT. “It is not nice to see the club where it is now. We were right on the cusp of doing something really special. My overriding feeling from my time at Chesterfield is the love I got from the fans and the support I got.”

Lee does not have any momentos from Saltergate but he will always have the memories.

“It is probably one of my best memories of the football club,” he adds. “It is not always one that I remember instantly. Winning the leagues and the Wembley appearances are always up there but to be privileged to be part of that little piece of history is something I do look back on with fondness definitely.”