Chester City: same again please

Sep 5 2008 by David Triggs, Chester Chronicle

Same again please

BLUES boss Simon Davies has no plans to tamper with a winning formula tomorrow as he looks for a repeat of Saturday’s stunning 5-1 thrashing of Barnet.

In-form Bury are next up at the Deva Stadium and Davies will stick with the line-up that delivered City’s long-awaited first victory of the season against the Bees.

“For once, the team near on picks itself,” said the Chester manager, who is yet to name an unchanged side this season.

“The Barnet performance was of such a level that it would be unfair to change too much about it. Sometimes when you play away, you might change it slightly and be a bit more cautious. But when you’re at home it’s your duty to take the game to teams and we’ll do the same this week.”

Striker Paul Taylor and midfielders Mark Hughes and Stephen Vaughan were all handed their first starts of the season against Barnet and the trio should all keep their places against Bury, who have picked up an impressive 10 points from their opening four matches.

Davies said: “We’re up against a decent team who have made a good start.

“What I would say about them is that they are decent going forward, but not the greatest at the back we feel. We’ll try and exploit that.”

Davies felt Saturday’s five-goal hammering of Barnet was just rewards for the hard work his players had put in during training to turn around City’s fortunes.

“We’ve got an honest bunch of lads and when we didn’t start off so well, every single player was here on the training ground and they wouldn’t throw in the towel,” said Davies.

“Now we’ve got the result we were all longing for, we must push on from here.”

Like Chester, Bury go into tomorrow’s game without any injury worries and in good spirits.

Shakers boss Alan Knill said: “It was a great win for Chester against Barnet, and I have to say that I’m delighted they won.

“It helps us in a way because if we were going there with them having lost four or five games on the trot, there would be a danger of us thinking it would be an easy game and taking our foot of the gas.”

Monday’s transfer deadline passed without any comings or goings at the Deva Stadium, although striker Eddie Johnson – a free agent who has been training with the Blues since the start of the season – remains with the club.

He will sign a contract as soon as Davies is able to trim Chester’s wage bill, which is currently at the level permitted by the Football League’s salary cap. Free agents are allowed to move outside the transfer window.

“Eddie’s going to be a part of Chester City,” said Davies. “We’ve sorted out a deal with him for the future and we’re sorting him out financially with that package.

“Within the next six to seven weeks, he’ll be registered.”

More Blues news – pages 62-63.