All of that juicy cash coursing through
the turnstiles has been boosted this week in a perfect example of the ‘Football
Family’ looking after its own. The Premier League has fished around down the
back of the sofa, washed the oil and misogyny and homophobia off the loose
change, and benevolently handed clubs in the NLN £22k each (that’s twenty-two
thousand pounds, or three minutes of Harry Kane’s time). OK, OK, I haven’t
checked the Harry Kane maths, I was too busy trying to be all bitingly satirical
in the probably misguided hope that this column will at some point win a Pulitzer
Prize. Reports that certain favoured clubs in the division above are to get £22m each instead are as yet unsubstantiated.
A 6-0 win for Hereford on Tuesday night against Blyth would have seen them edge ahead of Saturday’s visitors in the table, but that never looked likely in a match that could easily have ended 1-1, with the Bulls looking a little flat against a team who look to be in for a very long winter. That might seem harsh as it was the third win in a row, and perhaps captain Jared Hodgkiss had a point in chastising a critical someone on the Len Weston Terrace in the first half by pointing out that ‘We’re winning’ (with that sentence not necessarily consisting of just the two words), but nevertheless another Storeyless gear will have to be found on Saturday to record another win.
Tom Owen Evans should probably consider it a compliment that he was fouled out of the Blyth game in any creative sense, but was as Ryan Lloydish as Ryan Lloyd himself in doing the Ryan Lloyd stuff when Ryan Lloyd moved to left back, and that was admirable.
If Patrick Fini misses out here, the multi-aforementioned Ryan Lloyd could slot in at left back and be relied upon, which could result in James Vincent starting in midfield. If Vincent, as he looks to get his season up and running properly after an injury-hit start, has anything like the same influence in the middle as Krystian Pearce has done at the back, supporters will be delighted.
Defensively things are looking better with the marshalling influence of Pearce, although there were still several jittery moments on Tuesday, and in the attacking third Ryan McLean has burst into life and seems to be playing with confidence. If Chester’s scouts have done their homework having witnessed his performance on Tuesday, he’ll be a marked man, but that will hopefully create space up front for Dan Smith and newbie Jaanai Gordon, with TOE in support and Zeli Ismael available off the bench.
There are still concerns about the lack of a clinical or instinctive finisher up front, although Dan Smith’s finish on Tuesday to put the game to bed was as clinical as a hospital.
Chester have, as has often seemed to be the case in the past, been solid at home but ropey away, losing four of their six away matches, and without a win on the road this season. Their last four games have featured 18 goals, so this could be an entertaining one.
That strength at home has been very much in evidence against Hereford, with the Bulls finding themselves on the end of some thumpings at the Deva in their time in the National League North. However, Hereford did win 2-0 the last time the clubs met at Edgar Street, a win which featured a stand-out performance from a certain Josh Gowling.
‘Uncompromising’ management duo Anthony
Johnson and Bernard Morley are still at the helm at the Deva, and will have
their charges revved up with a rousing load of shouty nonsense in their
pre-match team-rant. Johnson mentioned after Chester's 2-2 comeback draw last time out against Darlington that the Deva crowd is capable of sucking a goal in. Well, so's the Meadow End pal.
Veteran defender and three-time winner of the NLN Danny Livesey has a wealth of Football League experience and will be playing a similar marshalling role to Krystian Pearce at the other end, possibly alongside fellow veteran Simon Grand. Midfielder James Hardy, once considered destined for great things before injuries took their toll, could be a real threat if he’s back to full fitness. Those elderly legs of Livesey and Grand could be sorely tested by the pace of Ryan McLean.
Should it be needed, which it shouldn’t, there’s the added incentive here of Steve Burr wanting to beat his old employers, something that’s going to become a recurring theme, with three matches against Kidderminster in little more than a month coming up soon.
Finally, there always seems to be a full moon when it goes dark at Edgar Street this season. I don’t really know how lunar cycles work, but I assume there can’t possibly be another one on Saturday if there was one on Tuesday, but if so, by some quirk of astronomical physics or whatever the right phrase for moon stuff is, you should watch out, because half of the Chester team is bearded, and we all know what bearded people can turn into under a full moon. Can’t be too careful.
Didn’t think I’d end on werewolves when I started this, but there you go.
COYW