Chester FC: Old boy Arthur Albiston impressed by reborn Blues

Jan 6 2011 by Paul Wheelock, Chester Chronicle

Chester FC: Old boy Arthur Albiston impressed by reborn Blues

WHILE it was impossible to escape the pervading sense of disappointment at the end of Monday’s match, the afternoon proved to be one of elation for a former Chester City player making his return to the Exacta Stadium.

Although Arthur Albiston is best known for his 14-year career with Manchester United, he holds his two-season stay with the Blues close to his heart and he was delighted to be asked to be the guest of honour for the Warrington Town clash.

It was only the second time that Albiston, 53, had been back at his old stamping ground since his departure 18 years ago. But the former Scotland international is only too aware of what the club has been through in the past 12 months.

It gave him great pleasure to find Chester FC in rude health and ready for the long climb back up the leagues.

“I came back for a function four or five years ago with Gary Bennett and Stuart Rimmer, which was good fun, but this is the first time I’ve been back for a match since I played,” said Albiston, whose time at the Blues was punctuated by a loan spell with Molde in Norway.

“It was very sad to see what happened to Chester City. But the club has bounced back, they’re top of the league and I hope they get promoted this season.

“The facilities they’ve got here are certainly geared up for the Football League. The fans have done really well to get everything in place, so let’s hope they can finish the season by winning the league.

“I’ve got a couple of close friends who were brought up in Chester and who come to a lot of the games. They’ve told me what has been happening, and I think what has happened here could be a role model for other clubs in trouble.”

Albiston, a top-class left-back in his playing days who made 485 appearances for United and won three FA Cups with the Old Trafford giants, has first-hand experience of the passion Chester supporters have for their team.

His first season with the club coincided with its final year in ‘exile’ 40 miles away at Macclesfield’s Moss Rose, where had it not been the dedication of their fans and the managerial miracles worked by Harry McNally, the Blues would have been relegated.

Albiston, a steadying influence throughout that unforgettable 1991-92 campaign, then made the move to Molde before returning to play in Chester’s first season at the Deva – now Exacta – Stadium.

“I’ve got some great memories of Harry, of Gary Bennett, of Billy Stewart in goal, of Barry Butler,” said Albiston, who never scored in his 77 appearances for the Blues.

“There was some real characters and although we didn’t get the results we wanted to get, those two years gave me memories that will stick with me just as much as the memories of playing for Manchester United. I had a great time and it was a real breath of fresh air coming here.

“Harry was a one-off. I’m sure he’s looking down on us wishing Chester all the best.”