Mark Wright: Chester City FC need to act now

Feb 10 2009 by Paul Wheelock, Chester Chronicle

BELEAGUERED boss Mark Wright says freefalling Chester City must bring in reinforcements this week – or risk relegation from the Football League.

The Blues are now just 10 points above the League Two drop spots after going down to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at title-challenging Brentford on Saturday.

And Wright, forced to field three clearly unfit players at Griffin Park with a substitutes bench full of kids for back up, believes his side will slip further into the mire unless he is allowed to make moves in the market – and fast.

The transfer window for loan signings opens today, but Wright will not be able to wheel and deal unless the Football League-sanctioned transfer embargo imposed on cash-strapped Chester is lifted.

Wright is hoping the powers-that-be at the Deva Stadium are able to do that as, otherwise, the consequences do not bear thinking about.

Wright said: “I’m telling you now we can get this club out of this position we’re in, fighting relegation, if we’re allowed to get players in.

“If we’re not, then the answer’s there for everyone to see.

“When I first got here I said we needed five players. Two centre-halves, two centre-forwards and a big midfield player. But, instead of adding to what we have, we let someone like Mark Hughes go on deadline day.

“I do understand the position behind the scenes, but as a football man and as a football manager, unless we get recruitments, it’s impossible. And if we’re allowed to bring players in, it needs to be this week.

“I’ve never been in a position like this either as a football player or as a football manager. This is 10 times harder than when I first came to this football club and I had to save them from going down from the Conference.”

Goalkeeper John Danby and centre-backs Paul Linwood and Shaun Kelly played through the pain barrier at Brentford. But Kelly (knee) and captain Linwood (groin) paid the price and have now joined Stephen Vaughan, Richie Partridge and Damien Mozika in the treatment room before Saturday’s trip to Morecambe (3pm).

Wright said: “We are majorly, majorly up against it. We’ve got five kids of 16 on the bench and three players out there who shouldn’t have started because they’re injured, but they wanted to fight for the cause.

“We’ve got nothing in reserve. We might have Stephen Vaughan back for the last month of the season, but that’s only a maybe.

“We’ve got Richie Partridge gone down with a hamstring, we’ve got Damien Mozika with a hamstring and we had Laurence Wilson suspended.

“They would have made us more solid but I don’t know where the goals are going to come from.”