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17.WHAT HAPPENED TO... |
Continuing our look at the whereabouts
of last seasons players:
Ryan
Sugden (pic left) may have only played one
season at Chester but the hard working striker made
a lasting impression with his direct style and running
off the ball. Ryan made 26 starts and seven substitute
appearances in the Conference for Chester and scored
12 goals – all of them before Christmas. He
also scored a hat trick in the FA Cup against Radcliffe
Borough, the first Chester player to score three
goals in the competition since Paul Crossley back
in 1977. Suggs made his City debut, as a substitute,
in the first game of the season against Kettering
and then started the next game against Telford where
he scored the only goal of the game. A sending off
in the FA Cup at Morecambe seemed to disrupt his
season and after his suspension he failed to find
the net again for Chester. Ryan also represented
the England National Game X1 against Italy while
with Chester. Bradford-born Ryan had started his
career in the School of Excellence at Oldham Athletic
and after a hatful of goals for the youth team and
reserves made his league bow at the end of the 1998/99
season. Perhaps his most memorable moment as an Oldham
player was scoring an injury time equaliser against
Blackpool which condemned the Seasiders to relegation
to Division Three in 1999/2000. Illness problems
restricted his appearances at Boundary Park and in
February 2002 he moved to our Conference rivals,
Scarborough where he played alongside Darryn Stamp
and Steve Brodie. During the summer Ryan moved to
Burton Albion, where he had spent a period on loan
in April 2001. It proved an extremely short stay
at Eton Park and at the end of August he was transferred
to Morecambe for a five figure sum fulfilling his
desire to return to full time football.
Steve
Harkness (pic right) was one of the biggest
names to sign for the club in recent seasons but
only made ten appearances before retiring from the
game to concentrate on his business interests. Carlisle-born
Steve, a former England Youth international, made
his Football League debut for his home town club
back in the 1988/89 season. At the age of 17, after
just 13 appearances for Carlisle, he made a dream £75,000
move to Liverpool. A versatile player, who could
play at full back, midfield or as a central defender
he finally gained a regular place in the Liverpool
side at the start of the 1995/96 season but was then
unfortunate to suffer a broken leg against Coventry
City, an injury which kept him out of the game for
12 months. In his ten seasons at Anfield Steve made
just over 100 league appearances and also had periods
on loan with Huddersfield Town and Southend United.
In March 1999 Steve made a £750,000 move to
Benfica but returned after only six months and nine
appearances to sign for Blackburn Rovers for £400,000.
In September 2000 Steve was on the move again, this
time in a £200,000 deal with Sheffield Wednesday
where he made 30 appearances at full back. In summer
2002 his contract was terminated with mutual consent
and he joined up with his old Anfield playing colleague,
Mark Wright, at the Deva Stadium.
Chas
Sumner [Published 23/09/03]
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NEW DATE The away match at Leamington has now been rearranged for Tuesday 10 December. |
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