Marcus Bignot insists that there is ‘no way’ that Chester FC could continue to do ‘nothing’ after the club made the switch to full-time training.

The Blues were dumped out of the FA Cup at the fourth qualifying round stage on Saturday after an abject display saw them beaten 2-0 by National League North outfit Kidderminster Harriers .

Chester were second best for 90 minutes at Aggborough against the full-time Harriers, and around 200 of the travelling band of 522 fans stayed behind after the final whistle to berate the players, with chants of ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ emanating from the away end.

Blues boss Bignot, who instructed his players to remain out on the field while the fans voiced their opinion, told the press after the game that the club would be moving to full-time, four days a week training from the start of this week.

It is something that he says simply had to happen.

“There is no way we could continue to do nothing and we simply have to move to four days if we are to be a competitive side,” said the Chester manager.

“Kidderminster were full time. A team in the league below us were the full-time side and we were the part-timers. It shows you the way that the game is going and we simply have to keep up with that. If we don’t then we will see performances like Saturday again.”

The majority of the Chester squad are on 52-week contracts and do not have a set number of days written in to them, allowing for flexibility.

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But with a number of the squad having coaching jobs away from their Chester commitments, four days a week may not be something that appeals to the whole squad.

“Look, we’ve got to head in this direction and there won’t be any problems, this is very much happening now and we are full-time,” he said.

“The players have bought into it but we know that there are guys who may need some flexibility, and we will speak to them and see what we can do about that. We needed to progress to full-time - it had to happen.

“What it does show is that the football club is doing everything it possibly can to progress with what it has. The challenge now is for me and the players to make sure we get it right on the pitch.”

Chester FC 2 Kidderminster Harriers 0: Blues fans berate the players at the final whistle

Bignot’s side played a behind-closed-doors friendly with a strong Salford City side on Tuesday, where a stunning Nyal Bell strike and a goal from a trialist right back earned a 2-0 win.

And Bignot says the response has been what he would have hoped for after Saturday.

“The players have responded well the early part of the week and it was the reaction that I was looking for,” he said.

“The fans made their feelings known towards what they thought of the performance on Saturday and it is up to the players as individuals how they take that and how they decide to respond to it.

“But training well during the week counts for nothing if it doesn’t translate into a performance against Boreham Wood on Saturday and that’s what we are working towards.”

Andy Halls is banned for Saturday’s clash at home to Boreham Wood after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season at Kidderminster.