Stoke City boss Nathan Jones revealed that he felt he had to take Tyrese Campbell off at half-time last night because the striker was once again struggling with his fitness.

The ex-Luton boss claimed in the summer that Campbell needs to improve his 'durability' if he wants to feature consistently in the Potters side, but he is yet to establish himself as a regular in the XI.

He was handed a rare start against Crawley last night but was hooked at half-time despite showing some bright moments in what was a very poor display from the team.

That decision angered Stoke fans, particularly as the side went on to lose on penalties to the League Two outfit, but Jones insisted it was the right thing to do when speaking to Stoke-On-Trent Live.

"I took him off because he was looking at times a threat, but I know if I'm going to have to make changes there (up front) he won't last 90. We knew he might give us something for (another) 15/20 minutes, but I'm not sure."

The Staffordshire outfit are back in action against Nottingham Forest on Friday as they seek their first league win of the campaign.

The verdict

This is a baffling situation and you can understand why the fans are extremely frustrated.

Firstly, if Campbell isn't ready to play 90 minutes, you have to ask why. This was a problem that came up in July, so how is he still in a position now where he can only play 45 minutes?

Looking from the outside, it seems as if Jones isn't a fan of the player and he used him as the scapegoat for the awful first-half performance last night.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.