Will Chesterfield look to strengthen before registration deadline? Lester gives his take on free agents

But given that available players are highly likely to be severely lacking in match fitness, Jack Lester believes the answer to the Spireites’ relegation battle must come from within his current squad.

Lester brought in 11 players during the January transfer window, including the likes of Drew Talbot and George Smith who were released by their clubs and free agent Giles Coke, who had been without a team for months.

Coke looked the part on his debut – his first competitive game for two years – but suffered a hamstring injury and then, having recovered, an Achilles tear in a practise match.

With Coke joining fellow injury victims Sam Hird and Gozie Ugwu on the sidelines for the rest of the season, Lester admits he’s cast his eye over free agents.

“We’ve looked,” he said.

“It has to be someone who was out of contract in January, that’s the first thing.

“Even if they’re out of contract now, you can’t sign them.

“For someone to have been let go in January, there’s a reason.”

The lack of time to get any new signings fully fit is also prohibitive in the manager’s eyes.

“Now we’re in March so they’d have had no football for three months minimum and it’s unlikely you’re going to get them up to speed,” he said.

“It’d take four, five or six weeks to get them up to anything like what’s going to affect it.

“(The answer) has to come from within.”