Departing Blues defender Janoi Donacien admitted that saying his farewells at Playford Road on Thursday was the hardest goodbye he’s ever had to say.
Donacien joining League Two Chesterfield, where his former Town manager Paul Cook is boss and Kieron Dyer and Gary Roberts are on the staff, was confirmed yesterday, TWTD having revealed the deal was close to being completed last Tuesday.
The 31-year-old was out of contract with the Blues at the end of last season but remained at the club recovering from the groin surgery which had curtailed his 2023/24 in November last year and then an ankle problem he suffered on international duty with St Lucia in September.
Donacien joined the Blues from Accrington Stanley for £750,000 in the summer of 2018, one of incoming boss Paul Hurst’s signings from the lower leagues.
Having been sent back to Accrington and then Fleetwood on loan by Paul Lambert, the Luton-raised defender went on to become one of the most successful of that summer’s additions along with his former Stanley teammate Kayden Jackson and was a key man in the early days of Kieran McKenna’s time at Town. In total, he made 111 starts and 24 sub appearances for the club without scoring.
On Friday, manager Kieran McKenna paid tribute to Donacien following his "emotional” goodbye the previous day and said he would always be welcome back at the club.
"I think this is the hardest goodbye I’ve ever had to say,” Donacien told TownTV. "I don’t really want to say goodbye, I always try to say, ‘see you later’ because ‘goodbye’ means you’re probably never going to see someone again, so I’ve just tried to keep it nice and hopefully I do see most of the people again.”
Reflecting on his six-and-a-half years at the club, during which time the Blues have been relegated and stagnated in League One before the rise to the Premier League under Kieran McKenna, Donacien reflected: "High points, extreme high points, signing, extreme low points and then just extreme highs again, just riding the wave of football.
"I’ve seen pretty much everything that’s happened here. On the inside and from outside because obviously I left to go on loan. I’ve seen pretty much everything.”
McKenna’s appointment in December 2021 marked the point when Town’s fortunes changed with Donacien one of the first names on the teamsheet in the Northern Irishman’s first season and a half at the club, injury having limited his involvement in the Championship promotion campaign.
"The change, it’s hard to put in words because as soon as he came in, everything just started moving in a completely different direction,” the defender recalled.
"The club, fans, everyone and that’s just the way that he came in and the way he was with everyone from day one and then you can see what happened now.
"I’m proud to say I was a part of it. Proud to say I was here with the boys in all the celebrations. I’ll look back fondly on those memories.
"When I think back on my time here, I think there’s a video at the end of the season, not even the games, the end of the season on the pitch with my son and my family and stuff, it’s the vibe that I felt here.”
As well as his teammates and the coaches, Donacien forged strong bonds with the club’s off-field staff during his time at the club and he thanked them as well as the supporters.
"There’s a lot of people I call family here,” he said. "Shelly, who has been here a long time, it’s sad to see her go today, she was holding back a bit.
"I’m a people person, so I’ve spent a lot of time with everyone around here. Some very, very special people here that have helped me a lot, on the pitch and off the pitch as well. I just want to say thank you to everyone.
"To the supporters as well, I say thank you to everyone that has stood outside the coaches. There’s a good group of people who were continuously there with us throughout the hard times and the good times and I hope there are plenty more good times to come.”