News from Deva Stadium March 2016

29 March 2016
CLUB TO CREATE NEW SENIOR ROLE
The club have announced that they are to introduce a new senior role of Chief Executive Officer. The role carries the responsibility of all the dayto-day activitires within the club. CFU have issued the following statement regarding the role.

“The Board of City Fans United has recently reviewed the staffing needs of the Club and has determined that we will create a new role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

This will be a very senior role within the Club, with the CEO having direct responsibility and oversight of all the Club’s day-to-day activities, as well as developing and implementing a strategic business plan to grow both our income and fan-base and to take the Club forward in new and sustainable ways. An open recruitment process for the new role will begin shortly.

As the CEO role will encompass all our commercial activities, then unfortunately, this means that the present role of Commercial Manager becomes redundant and Tracey Smith will leave her post on 31 March 2016.

The Board would wish to place on record its thanks to Tracey for the contribution she made during her time with us and for the energy and enthusiasm she brought to the Club.”

28 March 2016
LATE GOAL RESCUES POINT FOR BLUES

Four goals in the final ten minutes set up a dramatic finish as Chester and Guiseley drew 3-3 yesterday afternoon. Ross Hannah had given the Blues the lead six minutes before the half-time break following a move with Ryan lloyd.

Two second half goals in seven minutes for the home side though Emile Sinclair and Will Hatfield gave Guiseley the lead with nine minutes remaining. Steve Burr brought on Kane Richards (for James Alibi) and he equalised almost immediately.

With the match heading into the final minute Sinclair scored his second goal and looked to have grabbed all three points however Tom Shaw scored from close range in the third minute of stoppage to rescue a point for Chester who remain 17th, five points above the relegation line.

• League Table after Guiseley match

Picture © Rick Matthews (Chester Leader)

27 March 2016
CHESTER AGAIN FAIL TO HOLD ON TO LEAD

Chester were beaten at home 2-1 by Barrow on Saturday despite taking a first half lead through Ross Hannah. A swirling wind and heavy rain made conditions difficult throughout the match. Jordan Williams levelled for the Bluebirds ten minutes into the second period and the same played netted the winning goal five minutes from time.

Assistant manager John McCarthy said: “The result was a massive disappointment. We get all kinds of abuse from people at the end of that game and that’s difficult to take but I don’t want a group of fans to think we don’t care anymore than them because we’re working it and feeling it every day.”

“We’re not stuck second or third from bottom, there’s a few clubs that would be quite happy to be us. We'll hold our nerve and make sure we put in a good performance and do what we have done this season against the likes of Guiseley and Boreham Wood, we pick up points and by Saturday the picture could look very secure and very safe.”

“In terms of where we are at, we’re alright. You look around the other results and we’re five points clear. It’s not like other years, we’ve never been in that bottom four position.”

Picture © Rick Matthews (Chester Leader)

23 March 2016
DISAPPOINTING DERBY FOR BLUES

Chester conceded three second half goals to rivals Wrexham on Saturday in a disappointing derby result. The home side had missed a host of chances in the opening period but the Blues held out until the 65th minute when a mistake from Craig Mahon set up Kayden Jackson to race through on goal, Ryan Astles fouled him in the area to concede a penalty and pick up a red card from referee Adrian Holmes in the process.

Connor Jennings converted the spot-kick at the Dragons took advantage of the extra man increasing their lead with further goals from Jackson and Robbie Evans to run out convincing winners.

Blues manager Steve Burr said: “It was a dreadful ball across to put the Wrexham lad through and one ball over the top and Ryan has caught the lad and not only are you down to 10 men but you’ve got to face a penalty and they’ve scored from it.”

“I felt that in the first-half we couldn’t quite cope with their extra man in midfield and that’s why we changed things around at half-time. I thought we were coping okay with the shape and in the second-half 15 minutes in we seemed to have weathered that storm and then got a foothold in the game and then we give possession away and Wrexham make the most of it with the through ball, get the penalty and score from it so that was hard to take.”

“If you look back at the goals and the games that we’ve lost this season, sometimes it’s not been through good play but basic mistakes from ourselves.”

The defeat leaves Chester in 16th place, six points above the relegation zone with some crucial games coming up over Easter. On Saturday Barrow, four points ahead of Chester are the visitors and then the Blues travel to Guiseley on Monday who currently sit just two points below Chester.

• League Table after Wrexham defeat

Picture © Rick Matthews (Chester Leader)

19 March 2016
DEFENDER SIGNS ON LOAN
Chester have completed the signing of Stoke City defender Ben Barber on loan for the rest of the season.

18 March 2016
NEW DEAL FOR HUGHES
Midfielder Sam Hughes who has recently broken into the first team has been rewarded with a new one year contract. The 18-year-old who came through the academy system has scored 5 goals in 9+10 first team appearances for the club.

A delighted Hughes told the Chester Chronicle: “I’m absolutely made up. It’s a step in the right direction for me and a new challenge for me so it’s put my mind at rest now knowing I’ve got another year and hopefully I can kick on between now and the end of the season.”

17 March 2016
WREXHAM TICKETS
Tickets for Saturday’s derby match at Wrexham are still on general sale from the club ticket office from 10.00-16.00hrs today and from 10.00-12.00hrs tomorrow.

The price of the tickets are:
£19.00 for adults
£14.00 for over-62’s and under-21’s
£7.00 for over-80s and under-18’s
£3.00 for family tickets for under-18’s
£1.00 for family tickets for under-11’s.
Tickets for wheelchair users are £12.00 with disabled fans charged at the age related prices although their carers will be admitted free of charge. In addition to the match ticket price, supporters must also book for the coach to the ground which is an additional £7.00 per person and coaches will leave the Chester FC at 12.30hrs.

GUISELEY TRAVEL OFFER
As a thankyou to the supporters who have travelled away this season the Away Travel are putting on a special offer of just £5.00 for the trip to Guiseley on Easter Monday 28 March. Bookings can be made by telephone to the Club on 01244 371376. Please book your place early so that coaches can be reserved. The coaches will leave from the ground at 11.00hrs.

16 March 2016
CUP EXIT FOR BLUES
Chester were knocked out in the semi-final of the Cheshire Senior Cup 1-0 at Tranmere Rovers. The only goal of the game came from Jonny Margetts on 75 minutes. Tranmere will now play Stockport County in the final.

Chester: Worsnop, Higgins, Astles, Sharps, Waters, Shaw, Rooney, Richards, O’Brien, Mahon, Hobson. Subs not used: Thompson, Chapell, Alabi, Lloyd, Hughes.

14 March 2016
BLUES BEATEN BY PENALTY AT EASTLEIGH

A great defensive display, coupled with some heroic goalkeeping from Tony Thompson, wasn’t enough to earn a point at promotion chasing Eastleigh who secured victory with a controversial penalty 20 minutes from time.

Defender Ryan Astles was adjudged to have fouled on-loan Portsmouth striker Matt Tubbs who converted the spot kick himself. Ross Hannah saw a goal chalked off in a tight offside decision early on before the home side went on to dominate most of the game in a sandy bumpy pitch.

But with both Astles and Ben Heneghan throwing their bodies in the way of numerous shots, and Thompson’s fine saves denying The Spitfires it looked like the Blues would come away with a hard earned point until the penalty decision.

Manager Steve Burr praised the effort of his side: “I said to the lads that we couldn’t have done anymore. Defending is a big part of the game as well and we stood up to the challenge and I thought we looked really solid and a penalty is the difference between three points or not so we’re disappointed but at the same time I couldn’t have asked anymore from the lads.”

“We didn’t create a lot in the second-half to be fair but I thought we started the game really bright but maybe with what’s happened this week you could see there were tired legs with the long trip down.”

• League Table

PEERS JOINS HEDNESFORD
Forward Tom Peers, who came through the youth team ranks at Chester, has joined Hednesford Town after a couple of successful loan spells at the Staffordshire club. Peers scored four goals in 9+28 first team appearances for Chester.

9 March 2016
BLUES ROMP TO RECORD VICTORY

Manager Steve Burr described the first half of this game as the best he’d ever seen in his time in management. Chester left the pitch at half time to a standing ovation having scored six goals in a thrilling opening 45 minutes. Sam Hughes opened the scoring after just five minutes and James Alibi added a second seven minutes later.

Aldershot pulled a goal back before Hughes and Alibi scored four more goals between them in an astonishing last 10 minutes of the half with Alibi. Two further goals after the break from Ross Hannah and a reply from the Shots left the final scoreline 8-2 and a healthy improvement on the goal difference column.

A delighted Steve Burr said after the game: “It was a great achievement and I said to the lads than in all my time managing teams that’s as good as I’ve seen, I’ve had a few big results but that first-half performance was pretty awesome.”

“Through these disappointing results, the one thing both myself and Jon McCarthy know is that these lads have been 100% behind us and working hard in training. We see a lot of the stuff we saw on Tuesday night in training. I said to them ‘look you’ve got to replicate that into the league games’.

“It’s a terrific club and the fans came on Tuesday and supported us and got behind us, and I think there was only a couple moaning that we conceded two.”

“The fans have had a right to moan at the performances because they expect better. I expect better and sometimes it doesn’t work out like that but we’ll keep working away and doing our best to keep this club in this division. I want more than that but at the minute that just seems to be where we’re at to keep ourselves halfway or above halfway.”

Chester will hope to take this form into the weekend when they travel to Hampshire to play Eastleigh, kick-off 15.00hrs.

• League Table

CHESHIRE SENIOR CUP
Admission prices for the semi-final af the Cheshire Senior Cup against Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park on Monday 14 March have been set as £4.00 for adults and £2.00 for seniors and under-16s. The game will kick-off at 19.45hrs.

7 March 2016
CHESTER HELD BY BROMLEY

The Blues slipped another place towards the relegation zone on Saturday after failing to take advantage of their first half dominance against Bromley. Ross Hannah had given Chester a first half lead with his 20th goal of the season but the Blues were left to rue a series of other missed chances in the opening half before Moses Emmanuel equalised for the Kent side shortly after the restart.

Manager Steve Burr said: “We should have added to the goal that we scored in the first half and I thought we knocked the ball about quite well. But when you’re on top you’ve got to take those chances and I just felt that Lloydy (Ryan Lloyd) should have got in there on a couple of occasions.”

“Danny O'Brien and Johnny Hunt both got plenty of crosses into he box, but decisions inside the penalty box are going against us a little bit, because I thought Ross had been brought down, but we’re not getting the rub of the green at the minute.”

Chester dropped to 17th in the league just five points above the drop line. They are next in action on Tuesday night with the visit of Aldershot Town, kick-off 19.45hrs.

Picture © Rick Matthews (Chester Leader)

WREXHAM TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for the league game against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday 19 March (kick-off 14.00hrs) go on sale to Season Ticket holders and CFU members from Tomorrow. Tickets will continue to be on sale until Friday 11 March, with the ticket office open from 10.00 until 16.00hrs. Tickets will then go on general sale on Sunday 13 March until Friday 18 March. The ticket office will also be open on these days between 10.00-16.00hrs. Note that sales will end at 12.00hrs on Friday 18 March.

The price of the tickets are:
£19.00 for adults
£14.00 for over-62’s and under-21’s
£7.00 for over-80s and under-18’s
£3.00 for family tickets for under-18’s
£1.00 for family tickets for under-11’s.
Tickets for wheelchair users are £12.00 with disabled fans charged at the age related prices although their carers will be admitted free of charge. In addition to the match ticket price, supporters must also book for the coach to the ground which is an additional £7.00 per person and coaches will leave the Chester FC at 12.30hrs.

2 March 2016
FREE GAME FOR CHILDREN ON SATURDAY
The football club have announced that accompanied children will be admitted free for Saturday's home match against Bromley (kick-off 15.00hrs). Families, schools, clubs and community groups will be allocated the seats behind the goal in the South Stand. The initiative is being organised by the Chester FC Community Trust. The deal is one adult per three children will receive a free ticket. Additional adult tickets are available at a reduced rate of £10.00 each.

To take advantage of the offer and book your free tickets, please email community@chesterfc.com with the names of the children attending, their home addresses with post code, and the name of the school, team or community group attended. Tickets requested will be available for collection from the South Stand from 14.00hrs on Saturday.

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