The eagerly anticipated new book featuring archive photographs of Chester City Football Club by club historian Chas Sumner is now in the shops.

The 128 page book contains over 220 images illustrating the history of Chester City, a club that has suffered more than its fair share of misfortune in the last few years. Team groups, player portraits, action shots, programme covers and other club memorabilia are all included in this pictorial collection, which covers the story of City from their early years to the present day. Chester Football Club was formed in 1885 (the name Chester City was adopted in 1983) as an amalgamation of Chester Rovers and Old King's Scholars, and this book traces the progress of the club from its pre-League days, through its sixty-nine years of Football League membership, to the disastrous day when the club were relegated out of the League, in May 2000.

Some memorable cup matches are recalled, including photographs of the 1952 FA Cup encounter with Chelsea, and the incredible League Cup campaign of 1974/75, when Fourth Division Chester reached the semi-finals, defeating the First Division Champions, Leeds United, on the way. Promotion and relegation seasons are all remembered in a selection of fascinating pictures, and many memories will be jogged by photographs of the sorely missed Sealand Road ground, as well as the 1964/65 team that scored 119 League goals and gave Manchester United an FA Cup fright at Old Trafford.

The compilation contains superb pictures of many famous former Chester players, including Stan Pearson, Ron Davies, Ian Rush and Lee Dixon, as well as lesser-known stalwarts who served the club with distinction, such as Ray Gill, Gary Talbot, Grenville Millington and Stuart Rimmer.

Compiled by Chas Sumner, a supporter of more than thirty years, this book is certain to revive memories for Chester supporters both past and present.

Published by Tempus Publishing as part of their ‘Images of Sport’ series, the book is on sale at numerous outlets.

ISBN: 0-7524-2420-3

PRICE £10.99

BOOK SIGNING
Around 100 City fans attended the book signing at Bookland on Saturday 13 April. Sixty copies of the book were sold in the shop during the hour as fans eagerly queued for the signatures of author Chas Sumner, record scorer Stuart Rimmer and defender and former Northern Ireland international Iain Jenkins. More copies were signed and sold later in the club shop prior to the game with Dover Athletic.