New Chesterfield signing Stefan Payne has got 'fire in his belly' to succeed after Grimsby Town incident

The 29-year-old striker joined on a free transfer after being released by Grimsby Town, who were relegated from League Two last season, so he will face his former club in the National League this year.

The forward was involved in an incident which made national headlines when he ‘headbutted’ a teammate during a game against Bradford City and, as a result, was left out for the latter part of last season.

But Rowe has followed his career for a number of years and believes he has a lot to offer.

On Payne, Rowe said: “He has got the fire in his belly.

“We all make mistakes and we all have road bumps along our journey whether that is a management journey or player journey.

“Obviously he has made a mistake last season which has been well documented but I am sure he is here to put it right.

“I trust his ability. I have watched him for a long time. I first watched him live in an FA Cup game for Shrewsbury against Aldershot and I was really impressed.

"I have followed his career and he is a goalscorer in the EFL so I am sure he can be a goalscorer in the National League when he was previously at Dover.”

Payne has been prolific at National League level with Dover Athletic and has played in the Championship with Barnsley.

He has had several clubs during his career including Shrewsbury Town, Tranmere Rovers and Bristol Rovers.

Explaining to the DT what type of player Payne is, Rowe said: “He will occupy the centre-backs, he can be a target man and he can run in behind as well and he scores goals so that is a good combination for any striker.

“What he needs to do now is really knuckle down, which he has been in the off-season, he has had an off-season schedule which he has worked to.

“I am really looking forward to working with him and getting him firing again.”