John Pemberton on fitness levels of his Chesterfield squad

A lack of fitness was one of the criticisms aimed at the players in the first half of the season under previous manager John Sheridan.

After the win against Wrexham last time out midfielder Curtis Weston said training was the biggest change that had taken place since Pemberton came in at the start of January.

Pemberton, who has introduced GPS trackers, a sports scientist and psychology sessions, said: “I do not think for a minute that they were not fit, they just were not sharp.

“It is just being able to compete at an intensity and be able to repeat the intensity of the work, I think that is what they were struggling with.

“That is one of the things that as staff we have addressed quickly.

“They do work hard in training and I have to say the training ground is not in the best condition so they do work probably harder than they should because of the state of the training area because of the weather.

“I certainly think you can’t say they are not fit enough because you do not score in the last minute (against Wrexham) if you are not fit.”

Meanwhile, Blues midfielder Jack Holmes, 19, has joined non-league side Handsworth on loan until April 28, although a recall clause has been inserted in the agreement.