Thursday 22 December 2011 17:48, UK
Goalkeeper Steve Phillips believes Crewe are reaping the benefits of intensive fitness work under boss Steve Davis.
When Davis replaced Dario Gradi in the Gresty Road hotseat last month he expressed concern with his players' endurance levels. He has since led the Railwaymen to a four-match unbeaten run in npower League Two, including a 1-1 draw with Crawley despite Shaun Miller's 15th-minute sending off on Saturday, and Phillips believes extra work on the training ground is paying off. "One thing we are doing is a lot more in terms of fitness work so that bodes well for the last 10 minutes, especially if you've got 10 men like we did on Saturday," said the 33-year-old. "That is a slight improvement on when Dario was in charge." Nevertheless, Phillips is keen to temper any expectations of a play-off push at this stage of the season. "We're quietly confident that we can progress," he said. "We're not going to talk about play-offs, we're not going to talk about anything else other than just keep on trying to play well. And if you play well you're going to win games."