Town Talked To Super Jack

Buckley made attempts to take Lester back to his first club following his release from Nottm Forest last month.

Having worked with Lester previously, Buckley was hoping to rekindle the working relationship of a player he greatly admires. Buckley infamously expressed his disappointment at losing Lester to Nottm Forest for a £300,000 price tag in 2000.

Despite talking briefly with Lester about returning to Blundell Park, the Town boss was snubbed in preference to a three-year deal at Saltergate.

Although disappointed, Buckley wasn’t too disheartened and accepted the players decision.

‘There was something like a two-minute conversation on the phone with Jack,’ he told the Grimsby Telegraph.

‘He knows me and the club and he took the call and listened to what I had to say.

‘I knew he would keep his options open but he said he would call back when he made his mind up.

‘That call didn’t come though, and I was slightly disappointed about that when I heard he had signed for Chesterfield.

‘But it doesn’t affect my plans a great deal because that was just something I thought I’d enquire about.

‘I have other targets that I am looking at before we start again.