Last season, Chris's first at Saltergate was, for him as an individual, an incredibly successful one. Supporters' Club Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year being just two of the many plaudits he received. Why? Because he's a match winner and an eye catcher, you can't ask for much more than that. But with Chris you can add to it that he's adaptable and has grown into being much more of a team player this season, his work rate being of a level rarely associated with his type of player.

Let's just cast our mind back to last season and remember just a few of Brando's contributions. His first ever Spireites goal, that awesome overhead kick against Port Vale, his equaliser against West Ham United in the televised League Cup match and a whole host of other great showings, tinged with an odd fit of petulance which earned a yellow card or two too many.

This overhead kick goal v Port Vale signalled Brando's arrival

Christopher William Brandon was born in Bradford on 7^th April 1976, he had a spell as a youngster with Sheffield United but, at 18, moved into the non league scene, initially with Farsley Celtic, in 1995 he linked up with Bradford Park Avenue, then came Stafford Rangers, Lancaster City, back to Stafford and back to Park Avenue. A not untypical nomadic life for a non league footballer.

It was ex Bradford City, Wolves and Torquay player Micky Holmes, who'd had a spell in non league as a youngster with Yeadon Celtic, that recommended Chris to then Torquay Manager Wes Saunders, so in 1999 he trekked down to the English Riviera, signed on, and on 7^th August that year, the opening day of the season, he helped The Gulls to a 2-1 win at Shrewsbury Town in his Football League debut.

The previous season, United had struggled in the lower reaches of the basement but, by October, they were in a promotion slot though they faded a bit to finish in 9^th place, a big improvement on the previous Brandon free season. The first senior Brandon goal came at home to Peterborough United, one down after 19 minutes Eifion Williams, now at Hartlepool, equalised before, after 53 minutes Chris beat keeper Mark Tyler to register a goal and a win.

A nasty knee injury kept him out of virtually all of the 2000-01 season, Saunders left the hot seat after a brush with the Conference, they needed to avoid defeat in the last game of the season at Barnet to stay in the League, The Gulls hung on to win 3-2 after being 3-0 up at half time. In came a certain Roy McFarland and Brando, back to fitness, featured in the Manager's opening game, a 1-0 loss at Bristol Rovers. The first three League games of the season were lost but gradually points began to come and Torquay finished a comfortable 15 points off the trapdoor into non league football.

However, during that season they enjoyed a big Cup day at Tottenham Hotspur, Ledley King and Les Ferdinand bagged second half goals to beat United 2-0. Included in Torquay's website's report on the match, "Chris Brandon used his trickery to make several of Tottenham's World Class names look a little stupid."

Torquay desperately wanted to keep Chris at Plainmoor but he exercised his Bosman option and chose to join Chesterfield in the summer of 2002, Dave Rushbury had been tracking his progress right from the start of his Managerial spell, and straight away our new signing began to endear himself to the Saltergate faithful, the big match against West Ham merely confirming to the Country that we'd got a class act on board. The broken wrist suffered against Brentford three games before the end of the season seemed disastrous to all Spireites fans, but Lee Richardson conjured up the team spirit required in the games against Bristol City and Blackpool to ensure our survival as Chrissy watched from the touchline.

Whether playing wide, up front or behind the strikers, Brandon's twisting and turning worries defenders and creates plenty of openings, but this season an additional steeliness has come into his game, witnessed best in the home game against Wrexham when he ensured Carlos Edwards, one of the top men in the section this season, rarely managed to contribute to the game.

Scoring at Wycombe

Roy McFarland also seems to have persuaded Chris that back chat earns yellow cards and not a change of heart from the referee. Though the recipient of ten yellows this season, only the one for a "dive" at Brighton wasn't the result of aggressive play whereas several of his 11 cautions last term came after, let's call them, discussions with officials! After two games out suspended, he's due back for the Port Vale game.