Jack Lester
- See also Jack Lester (disambiguation)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jack William Lester[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 October 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Sheffield, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Gateshead | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992-1994 | Grimsby Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–2000 | Grimsby Town | 133 | (17) |
| 1996 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2000–2003 | Nottingham Forest | 99 | (21) |
| 2003–2004 | Sheffield United | 44 | (12) |
| 2004–2007 | Nottingham Forest | 76 | (12) |
| 2007–2013 | Chesterfield | 197 | (83) |
| 2014– | Gateshead | 0 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:50, 3 February 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Jack William Lester (born 8 October 1975) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Conference Premier side Gateshead.
Sheffield born Lester came through the youth ranks at Grimsby Town where he moved into the first team in 1994. He became a first team regular and was part of the squad that was victorious in the Football League Trophy and Football League Second Division play-offs during the 1997-98 season. He played at Blundell Park until midway through the 1999-2000 campaign when he was sold to Town's First Division relegation rivals Nottingham Forest. He spent three years as a first team regular for Forest before switching to Sheffield United in 2003. Lester returned to Forest after only spending a year with The Blades. Lester remained at the City Ground for another three seasons before joining Chesterfield in 2007. After six years at Chesterfield, Lester retired on 27 April 2013. On 3 February 2014, Lester came out of retirement and joined Gateshead on a non-contract basis.
Career
Grimsby Town
Lester started his career with Grimsby Town and signed his first professional contract in 1994. He was nurtured into a first team role at Grimsby by manager Alan Buckley and his assistant John Cockerill. After a brief loan spell with Doncaster Rovers in which he played 11 games (5 in the starting lineup) and scored one goal, Lester became a regular at Blundell Park. During his time there he formed notable strike partnerships with Clive Mendonca, Steve Livingstone, Lee Ashcroft and Jamie Forrester. It was during the 1997–1998 season that he had arguably his best season with Grimsby. He was a regular fixture in the first team and helped the club succeed in an impressive double final win at Wembley Stadium. The Mariners defeated Bournemouth in the Football League Trophy (although Lester was suspended for the final)[2] before beating Northampton Town in the Division Two Play Off Final a few weeks later. Lester stayed with Grimsby until mid way through the 1999–2000 season when he was controversially sold just after the turn of the millennium. He made 133 league appearances and scored 17 league goals in his time with The Mariners, and is still a popular figure at the club.
Nottingham Forest
David Platt signed Lester for former European champions Nottingham Forest in 2000 for £300,000, just three weeks after he led the Grimsby attack beating Forest 4–3 in the League; it was from that game that Platt became interested in signing the player. It took some time for Lester to settle in at the City Ground but when Platt left the club, new manager Paul Hart moved him to an attacking midfield role where he flourished, making over 70 starts and scoring 24 goals. In 2003 he was released by Hart in an attempt to reduce debts.
Sheffield United
He was signed by his hometown club Sheffield United at the start of the 2003–4 season. Lester played alongside Steve Kabba amongst others at Bramall Lane. He remained a first choice striker at the club for the entire season and made 50 appearances for United until his exit in November 2004.
Return to Forest
Lester was offered the chance to return to Forest and he was re-signed by Joe Kinnear in 2004 for £50,000. He scored in his first game but in his third start damaged knee ligaments which kept him out of action for almost 9 months. He went on to play 88 games in this second spell. Then after Nottingham Forest failed win promotion in the 2006–07 season, he was released by manager Colin Calderwood.[3]
Chesterfield
In June 2007 he signed for Chesterfield on a 3-year contract.[4] He finished the 2007/08 season as Chesterfield's top scorer, with 25 goals in all competitions. This tally made him 3rd top scorer in League Two, with 23 goals in the league, 6 behind Aaron McLean of Peterborough United. That season he also became the fastest post-war Chesterfield player to 20 goals in a season, getting his 20th (and 100th career goal) live on TV against Hereford United. He finished the season third in England on goal to game ratio, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres. Lester scored his 100th League career goal in the 2–1 win over Exeter City on 28 January 2009. He also set a club record in becoming the first striker at the club to score 20 goals in consecutive seasons for 82 years. Despite scoring fewer goals than in his first season at Chesterfield, he finished the 2008/9 term as joint-top scorer for League Two, with 20 League goals.
In the 2010/11 season Lester scored 17 goals in 43 games (all in home games) as Chesterfield won Football League Two. Later going on to sign a new 2-year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2013. Lester suffered a broken arm against Leyton Orient in September 2011 which kept him out of the side for three months. Lacking both Jack and injured goalkeeper Tommy Lee, Chesterfield's results suffered and the team slumped to the foot of the division. Lester returned to the team in late December but was suspended and missed three further matches after the referee in the home game against Walsall watched recorded footage from the game and saw him strike an opponent. On 30 January 2012 Jack scored the late winning goal at Boundary Park against Oldham Athletic which ensured that Chesterfield reached the final of the Football League Trophy at Wembley, on a 3-1 aggregate score.
In his final season for Chesterfield (2012-13), Lester played the majority of his games from the substitutes bench. He made only 11 starts despite figuring in 38 games in all competitions. Regardless of this his score rate is still impressive, having bagged 11 goals from just 1,454 minutes of football (the equivalent of just over 16 full games).[5] Jack played his last game for Chesterfield, and his last game in professional football on 27 April 2013. He scored twice as The Spireites won 4-0 in a game that was a "fitting send off for a player who will forever be remembered by the Chesterfield faithful".[6] His legendary status is regularly referred to by the club and fans [7] and in August 2013, Chesterfield announced that the number worn by Lester (14) would be retired. [8]
Gateshead
On 3 February 2014, Lester came out of retirement, signing for Conference Premier side Gateshead on non-contract terms.[9]
Career statistics
| Club | Division | Season | League[A] | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[B] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Grimsby Town (loan) | First Division | 1994–95 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 1995–96 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | ||
| Second Division | 1997–98 | 40 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 57 | 9 | |
| First Division | 1998–99 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | |
| 1999–2000 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 7 | ||
| Total | 133 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 167 | 25 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers (loan) | Third Division | 1996–97 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | ||
| Nottingham Forest | First Division | 1999–2000 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
| 2000–01 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 7 | ||
| 2001–02 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 9 | ||
| Total | 99 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 104 | 24 | ||
| Sheffield United | First Division | 2003–04 | 32 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 15 |
| Championship | 2004–05 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| Total | 44 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 16 | ||
| Nottingham Forest | Championship | 2004–05 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| League One | 2005–06 | 38 | 5 | 2[1] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 5 | |
| 2006–07 | 35 | 6[2] | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 45 | 7 | ||
| Total | 76 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 88 | 13 | ||
| Chesterfield | League Two | 2007–08 | 36 | 23[3] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 25 |
| 2008–09 | 37 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 23 | ||
| 2009–10 | 29 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 12 | ||
| 2010–11 | 40 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 17 | ||
| League One | 2011–12 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 4 | |
| League Two | 2012–13 | 34 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 11 | |
| Total | 197 | 83 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 219 | 92 | ||
| Gateshead | Conference Premier | 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career Totals | 560 | 146 | 26 | 8 | 30 | 14 | 23 | 3 | 639 | 171 | ||
- A. ^ The "League" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in The Football League and Football Conference.
- B. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the Football League Trophy, FA Trophy and play-offs.
- 1. ^ One appearance missing from Soccerbase reference.[12]
- 2. ^ One goal from Soccerbase reference attributed to Grant Holt.[13]
- 3. ^ One goal from Soccerbase reference attributed to Adam Rooney.[14] One goal from Soccerbase reference attributed to Peter Leven.[15]
Honours
- Grimsby Town
- Second Division play-offs (1): 1997–98
- Football League Trophy (1): 1997–98
- Chesterfield
- Football League Two (1): 2010–11
- Football League Trophy (1): 2011–12
- Football League Two PFA Fan's Player of the Year (1): 2008
References
- ↑ "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 86. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ↑ "Lester and Connell go head to head in final". BBC. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ↑ Nine players released by Forest
- ↑ Chesterfield sign striker Lester
- ↑ "Jack Lester - Player Statistics". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ↑ "Lester Steals the Show". Chesterfield FC Match Report. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ↑ "Spireites: Chesterfield fans pay tribute to Jack Lester’s time with the club". Derbyshire Times. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ↑ On the eve of the new season, it has been announced that Chesterfield's number 14 shirt has been retired in honour of Jack Lester http://www.chesterfield-fc.co.uk/news/article/20130802-number-14-shirt-retired-960941.aspx Chesterfield FC Retrieved 2 August 2013
- ↑ "Jack Lester: Gateshead end ex-Chesterfield striker's retirement". BBC Sport. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ↑ Jack Lester career stats at Soccerbase
- ↑ "Jack Lester". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ↑ "Weymouth 0-2 Nottingham Forest". BBC Dorset Sport. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ↑ "Blackpool 0-2 Nottm Forest". BBC Sport. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ↑ "Chesterfield 3-4 Rochdale". BBC Sport. 16 January 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ↑ "Chesterfield 1-2 Peterborough". BBC Sport. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
External links
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