"Jed" came late to Chesterfield: on Goole's books, and playing Sunday football with Brampton Rovers, he was taken on in March 1984 before signing professional forms the following August. He made his debut at Bury and launched his career with a clean sheet as the Spireites' goal lay under siege for most of the game. Chris won a Fourth Division championship medal in his first season and, for a couple of years, at least, combined football with first-class cricket, as Derbyshire's wicketkeeper. The cash-strapped Spireites sold him to Stockport, where he joined Ernie Moss and Phil Brown, and York paid their record fee for a 'keeper to take him to Bootham Crescent. He was voted into the Fourth Division team of the season in '89-90 before losing his place: he was loaned to Scunthorpe in February of 1992 but was sent off on his Iron debut.

John Duncan brought him back to Saltergate on loan in December '92, and the move became permanent a month later. He was looking solid and reliable when injury struck, against Shrewsbury in January, '94: he let a soft shot through his legs and, in reaching to reclaim the ball, dislocated a shoulder. He won his place back at the start of the '94-5 play-off season but sometimes played as if preoccupied by the injury: his bravery was never in question, though. A year after doing the shoulder, he charged to dive at the feet of a Scunthorpe player and broke his leg in two places. That injury ended his League career, but he went on to serve Unibond League Emley with distinction, particularly in their epic FA Cup run in '97-8.

Chris has regularly assisted with local radio commentary and has been the under-19 coach for Derbyshire County Cricket Club. At Ilkeston Town he became chief scout in the summer of 2000, becoming Reserves Coach in October of that year. He and another ex-Spireite, Ian Helliwell, became joint caretaker-managers at the New Manor after John McGovern's sacking in March 2001.  He continues an involvement in football by serving as assistant manager to Nicky Law at Buxton and most recently at Alftreton Town.

Chris was given his unusual nickname by Bob Newton who, having seen Chris's first car, reckoned it looked like the beaten-up, pre-war Buick driven by Jed Clampett in the opening credits of "The Beverly Hillbillies," a 1960s American sitcom.