Kingsley James says there is no excuse for the nosedive in performances and insists the Chester FC players have to put things right.

However, the central midfielder, who has already played more games than in any other season in his career, feels the squad are jaded and in need of a rest and fresh blood.

With no game until January 17 and Steve Burr working on more new signings following the arrivals of Josh Green and Ryan Higgins, James insists the Blues can rediscover top form.

James said: “It’s been a busy period with a lot of games and we’ve had 10 men in a couple of those games and had to play 120 minutes against Telford in the FA Trophy.

“A few of us probably have got a little bit of fatigue and it’s not an excuse because being tired doesn’t allow for our performances, which haven’t been good enough, but the break does give us a chance to regroup.

“I think I have played 35 games this season including the England C match, which is the most consecutive games I’ve ever played and the most I’ve played in one season.

“Just recently we have struggled a little bit but I think overall we’ve done well this season. We have put our mark on the league and teams know what we are about and come to stop us playing, which is a sign of respect.

“I think we’ll just in a bit of a rut at the minute and we are not where we were. We can get out of it and we just need to grind out a win.”

Rotherham-born James arrived from Hereford United in the summer on a 12-month deal and has been the player of the season so far with his performances earning him an England C cap in November.

He has missed just one game in the Vanarama Conference, FA Cup and FA Trophy through suspension, and the ex-Sheffield United trainee is reported to have attracted interest from Football League clubs.

James, who says he’s ‘settled’ at the club, wants the Blues to move up a gear over the rest of the campaign and reckons an influx of new faces can help them do that.

He said: “It can freshen the squad up and when the manager brought in a couple of lads on loan it livened things up and made us raise our game. I think we’re looking for that but really we have got to stick together as a group whether that’s new players, current players, the staff and everyone at the club.

“We win as a team and we lose as a team, and we’re all disappointed with the last few weeks so we just need to get back to what we know we are capable of. We have put our stamp on the league and when we do turn up we are a match for anyone.”