Spireites boss praises players' selfless character

A lack of fit defenders forced the boss to change the formation for Boxing Day’s 2-0 defeat to Crewe - Chesterfield’s third consecutive defeat.

But Lester was full of praise for his side - particularly two players who have played on through illness and injury in recent weeks.

Robbie Weir and Sam Hird both played when not fully fit to earn the praise of their manager.

“That is the kind of characters you want, people who put themselves out there to fail when they are not quite right,” Lester said.

“Because if you do fail you will come in for criticism, that’s football. They get massive credit from me from a management point of view for putting themselves forward when they are not right.

“That is vital for successful teams.”

Chesterfield face two matches in three days this weekend, at home against Colchester on Saturday, followed by a trip to Coventry on Monday.

Lester added: “We are a little bit patched up at the minute.

“Needs must. We will pick the team most likely to win on Saturday and then deal with Monday on Sunday.”