Defender highlights key area where Chesterfield need to be more ‘savvy’

The Spireites’ possession-based style means it can take some time for them to find their rhythm and work themselves into a game. They came under pressure early on against Port Vale on Saturday and conceded after 11 minutes, which turned out to be the winner.

Dunkley explained: “I think an area we can be better in, not just this game, is just managing those early periods of the game. As much as we want to be a team that is front-footed and dominating possession in the right areas, we also need to be a team that is savvy and that can control those periods. So at the start of the game, either side of half-time and stoppage time – they are the crucial periods where most goals are scored on average. That is something we will look at. There are experienced players, including myself, who should step up and deal with that so I am not shying away from that. Especially away from home, it is so important to stay in a game, nullify the opposition, and when it calms down that is when we can get into our groove.”

He said: “It is a good bunch, willing to learn, wanting to get better, and what I like about this squad is that everyone is hungry whether it be the young lads or the seniors. Sometimes you have senior players who are not as hungry and young players who are just happy to be here. I think the culture that the gaffer and the staff are creating is healthy. We are building, we are new to the league, so we have to remember that as well. It is still early days but we want to see if we can get into a position where it is almost habit and second nature where we are seeing out games but I know we are building.”