91Èȱ¬

Chesterfield winger Luis Boa Morte says the lure of English football persuaded him to join the League Two side.

Boa Morte, 35, was released by West Ham in August 2011 and had stints in Greece and South Africa before returning to England with the Spireites this week.

"I identify myself with English football because I've spent 14 years here," he told 91Èȱ¬ Look North.

"I like the crowds and the way that teams always play in a way that shows they are not afraid to concede."

He added: "In other countries the emphasis is just on not letting in a goal and then if you do people say 'well if we lose 1-0 it is not so bad'.

"It is not like that in England. Here it is always physical, the supporters get the players going and are really enthusiastic."

The former Portugal international has agreed a short-term deal until January with the Spireites.

Other than a brief spell in the second tier with Fulham, Boa Morte has spent the whole of his career in England in the top flight with Arsenal, Southampton, the Cottagers and West Ham.

He admitted that he had not known much about Chesterfield prior to a chance meeting with former Fulham colleague Mark Crossley, now goalkeeping coach at the Proact Stadium, at a reserve game.

"I bumped into Mark and we had a quick chat about me coming here," he continued.

"I didn't know much about the club so I made a few searches on the internet and then I decided to come.

"They've got a brand new stadium, good training facilities and Mark gave me some helpful information too."