The Spireites staying up means '˜everything' to Hird

The centre-half helped the Spireites win promotion from League Two in 2014.

He’s bullish about Chesterfield’s survival chances, not only because of the talent he sees around him, but because he doesn’t want their previous success to come undone.

“Staying up means everything,” he said.

“When you’ve worked so hard for three or four years at a football club like the lads have, no one wants to get to a certain point and lose it, and end up back where you started.”

“I think we’ll stay up, 100 per cent. We’ve got enough in the dressing room to stay up, if not push up the table. It’s massively important.”

Hird admits with refreshing honesty that relegation would bring a personal financial cost: “People would be lying if they said money wasn’t an aspect.

“If we go down then everyone gets wage cuts. That’s the simple truth of it.

“At our level of football people have got mortgages, families, kids come into consideration.

“No one wants to be going down.”

Looking at the relegation battle ahead, Hird welcomed the extension of Declan John’s loan spell, but a new injury setback for Dan Jones has come as a blow.

“It’s desperately unlucky. I feel for him because before he got his injuries he was one of our best players,” said Hird.

“He’ll come back stronger, but it’s unfortunate that it looks like he’s going to be out for the rest of the season.”