By Dan Warren

At 37, most professional footballers have half an eye on swapping the training field for the golf course.

Allison eyes new Spireites deal

Not Wayne Allison. "The Chief", as he is affectionately known, may be closing in on his fifth decade, but he retains all the enthusiasm of a trainee just awarded his first professional contract.

And the veteran striker - currently banging them in for Chesterfield, the eighth club in his 18-year career - has no reason to hang up his boots just yet.

With seven strikes already this campaign, Allison is just a hat-trick away from reaching a landmark 200 career goals.

Not that Allison knew much about the milestone - he was so immersed in playing it took someone to inform him about the double century.

"Getting to 200 would be nice, but it's not the be all and end all," he told BBC Sport.

"It's nice to get a double hundred, obviously, but my personal game is not really paramount, it's a team effort."

Team spirit is something Chesterfield have in abundance, having bounced back well following a disastrous start in which they lost five of their first six games.

Five consecutive league victories followed and the Spireites - who have been perennial strugglers in League One since being promoted from the basement division in 200-01 - find themselves in the lofty heigts of fifth place.

Allison has played no small part in the revival, with his strikes including the winner in a remarkable comeback victory at Walsall and both goals in a 2-0 win over Port Vale.

"I've got to be happy haven't I?" said Allison.

"It's decent form and all strikers want that. So I'm quite happy for myself and for the team as well because we had a tough start to the season.

ALLISON'S CAREER RECORD Halifax 07/87-07/89 101 games 30 goals Watford 07/89-08/90 7 games 0 goals Bristol C 08/90-07/95 225 games 57 goals Swindon 07/95-11/97 122 games 36 goals Huddersfield 11/97-09/99 86 games 19 goals Tranmere 09/99-07/02 117 games 32 goals Sheffield U 07/02-06/04 91 games 10 goals Chesterfield 06/04-now 57 games 13 goals

"But we've hopefully turned the corner and we're looking quite strong.

Nonetheless, the affable Allison has seen enough of the game to know not to get carried away with a good run of success.

And while he will happily talk about most things he will not get drawn into thoughts of promotion until at least the end of April 2006.

"We'd be very foolish if we think we can just stay where we are right now - that isn't football," he said

"You only stay there through hard work and good play. As long as we keep our feet on the ground and work hard for each other they we may just achieve what we deserve.

"It's true I'm not finding it too hard to score goals - but that's at the moment. I think a side is only as good as the people behind them.

"We've defended well, and the midfield players and the wide men have created a lot of opportunities for us up front, so it's down to us to take the opportunities that are ours. It's good fun at the moment and I'm enjoying it."

Enjoyment seems to have been the key to Allison's long career, which he said he has no intention of bringing to an end just yet.

He is under contract at Saltergate until next summer and has high hopes of earning a new contract. But regardless of what the future holds, it is unlikely Allison will take any bad memories from the game.

"I've enjoyed every minute of it, I've had no regrets," he said.

"I've played with some great players, good managers and I've met a lot of people in and out of the game that I wouldn't have if I hadn't been a footballer, so I appreciate the game a lot more and I know how extremely lucky I am."