Former Ipswich Town defender Janoi Donacien has signed for League Two side Chesterfield, where he'll be reunited with ex-Blues boss Paul Cook.

Donacien, 31, was a free agent after being released by Town at the end of last season, but remained in Suffolk to build his fitness while searching for a new club.

Town boss Kieran McKenna revealed last Friday that he'd officially left the club as he prepared to sign for the Spireites, who sit tenth in League Two.

Donacien will be reunited with ex-Town boss Paul Cook at Chesterfield (Image: Pagepix Ltd) And that move was announced this lunchtime, with St Lucian international Donacien signing a deal until the end of the season in Derbyshire.

As well as Cook, he'll also be working with Town legend Kieron Dyer, who's a coach at Chesterfield, and playing alongside fellow ex-Blue Armando Dobra.

He said: "It feels good to have got it all done and I’m ready to go. I’ve been in contact with the gaffer and ‘KD' (Dyer) for a while now and they’ve been keeping tabs on me.

"He (Paul Cook) brought me back in and he helped me a lot. It will be good to play under him again."

Janoi Donacien played a key role in promotion from League One (Image: Ross Halls) Donacien's journey at Town in many ways mirrored the rise of the club - it was packed with ups and downs, but his constant professionalism and ability to defend one v one made him a fan favourite in Suffolk.

The versatile defender joined the Blues in 2018, initially on loan from Accrington Stanley before making a permanent move.

After a tough spell which included two loan moves, he played an important part in the side that secured promotion from League One, teaming superbly with Wes Burns down the right hand side of the pitch.

Donacien and Wes Burns formed a great combo down the right in League One (Image: Steve Waller - stephenwaller.com) Speaking last week, McKenna said of Donacien: "He’s a brilliant story at the club, he sort of summarises the highs and the lows, from arriving and then having a really difficult first season.

"The resilience that he’s shown then, in the more resilient times at the club, to be out on loan twice but to keep coming back and giving his best.

“To come full circle and get back into the team pretty regularly before I arrived. Then he played, of course, in my first game, and had a massive part in the promotion from League One.

READ MORE: From obscurity to a nailed-on starter - Donacien's remarkable Town journey

"He had a big part to play in the squad last year and started the season really well at right-back. Then unfortunately had injuries last season, so wasn’t able to play as much as we would’ve liked, but he had a massive part to play behind the scenes.

“He’s just a great guy, a positive energy, a great vibe all the time. He was really good in the dressing room and has written his place in the history of the football club, like so many others in that group.

“He had his operation in the summer, which thankfully fixed the issue that he missed last season with. He’s been in a pretty good position health wise this season and has trained with us for the last few months.

“Apart from one or two little minor side issues, his fitness has been great and he’s looked good in training. He’s just really keen to go out and get some games now."

Donacien was a fan favourite at Town (Image: Ross Halls) The Town boss added: “He’ll be sorely missed around the building, but he also leaves with great fondness, great memories, having had a big part to play in the club.

"I know for a fact that, like so many others in the group that he’s been with, he’ll always be welcome at the club in the years to come.”