Why Chesterfield won't hit peak fitness in time for Grimsby visit

The fitness coach, who spent eight and a half years at Wigan Athletic – where he first encountered Gary Caldwell – believes it’s important to avoid peaking too soon.

And his boss, with whom he says he enjoys a constructive relationship, agrees.

“I think some people panic because they’ve got to get players fit in six weeks of pre-season for the first game,” he said.

“This manager doesn’t work like that.

“If the club don’t start like a house on fire from a physical point of view yes the manager will be disappointed, but if they hit peak fitness on the first day you’re fighting a losing battle all the way through the season because it’s so long.

“Part of our job is that we can have that discussion about resting players, there will be times in the season when we can do some extra fitness work to try and keep that momentum building and building.

“If we peak too early you get to Christmas and it feels like Easter.”

Piper has been involved in football for around a decade and worked with the academy, Under 21s and first team at Wigan Athletic.