Chester, it’s fair to say, are having a season it would be kind to describe as average. They’d be just five points clear of the relegation places if it was three down as normal this season. This contrasts sharply with seasonal finishes of third, seventh and ninth since dropping to the NLN. Having said that, they’re not at all bad at home, having only lost twice in 13 matches. It’s just that they’re absolutely awful away.
Their underwhelmingness cost managers Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley their jobs in November, with former York and Gateshead boss Steve Watson now in charge.
That home record, coupled with Hereford’s really quite poor showing at the Deva since dropping the U from HUFC, makes this trickier than it may appear from a cursory look at the league table. The Bulls have lost 3-0, 4-1 and 5-3 at Chester in their time in the NLN to date, not hugely encouraging numbers. That 5-3 signalled the end of Paul White’s tenure as the Hereford goalkeeper, and Brandon Hall’s return to favour.
The Seals’ form is very tricky to read. Following a run of three straight losses, they creditably drew with Brackley and thrashed Southport 5-0 at the Deva, before losing last time out to struggling Darlington at the QuakerDome, and that was a Darlo who had lost their last four games.
Manager Watson considered that performance to be ‘mind-boggling’ and ‘impossible almost…to happen’. If he’s that deluded about the invincibility of his charges, a side sitting 16th in the National League North, there’s surely some complacency there to exploit on Saturday.
Former Kidderminster midfielder Declan Weeks is the player who makes things tick for Chester, and was one of the few bright sparks at Darlington. Fellow midfielder Harrison Burke recently signed a new contract keeping him at the Deva until 2024, a sign that the club is looking to sensibly build a settled nucleus of a squad for longer term stability and success – an approach that could perhaps be emulated at Edgar Street over the summer.
Keenan Patten rather had his night ruined by Krystian Pearce’s needless sending off on Tuesday, with his debut cut short to allow for Jamie Egan to come on to fill the gap at centre back. He’ll be keen(an) to have a proper go at it here, and will be competing with returnee Harry Pinchard and, hopefully, a fit again Ryan Lloyd for a starting place in midfield. With Luke Haines’ return also imminent, it might be worth trying one of the many capable midfielders at the club as an experimental centre forward. One of them might just be a natural finisher, a spiritual heir to McNeil, Phillips, Guinan or Chopper Mills. It’s admittedly a long shot, but with chances going begging match after match it might be worth a go.
In the absence of a true fox in the box, and assuming no-one will be brought in ahead of the game, Josh Gowling will have to decide whether to keep faith with Mo Touray up top, or give Miles Storey a start.
If the TOE-Maz-McLean creative hub hasn’t been battered too much by events at Aggborough, and if they’re not too tired out after such a purple patch recently, they can surely conjure a goal or two between them here. The trick will be not shipping four or five at the other end of course. Given that recent record at the Deva, it could be that Josh Gowling decides to give Andreas Sondergaard his debut in goal alongside Brandon Hall and does away with a striker entirely.
Defensively, if Egan continues to show the promise he has done in his gametime for the Bulls so far, there will be few concerns about the Chief’s absence through suspension, particularly with Ben Pollock’s growing authority alongside him.
Admittedly Seb Revan isn’t the best defender ever, but it seems only a matter of time before his rampaging wing-play results in a wonder-goal. Amazing to think that he’s only 18, born in 2003, which is quite possibly the year I bought my newest trousers. Quite ridiculous.
When these sides met in November at Edgar Street, a Luke Haines strike was enough to give the hosts the points. However, Chester would have considered themselves unlucky not to come away with a draw, and it got very dicey defensively for Hereford towards the end.
Following Tuesday’s setback, with wounds now licked and disappointment slowly turning to hope in that age-old way of the footballing season, getting back on track with a win here, as unusual as it would be historically, would provide a solid building block on which to base another mini-winning streak, and finally a parking of HFC tanks on the play-off lawn.
COYW