Few footballers will ever come close to having the bond with a club that Grenville Millington has with Chester FC.
Born a few miles down the road, the goalkeeper started in the B team aged 14 and made his first team debut as a 17-year-old amateur in 1969.
Ken Roberts didn’t offer him a professional deal and Millington had spells with Rhyl and Witton Albion but returned in 1973.
He spent the next 10 years at Sealand Road, making 345 appearances in total before leaving in 1983.
Millington continued to have a close association with the club even after his departure.
He has returned in numerous guises: invited guest; goalkeeping coach; supporter; chair of the Chester Former Players Association; honorary life vice president and the first inductee into the hall of fame are some.
Last month he was elected to the City Fans United board and last week the 62-year-old replaced Tony Durkin as chairman.
His record on the pitch made him a legend and that status together with his passion for the club and personable manner mean his elevation to chairman has been greeted with acclaim.
Millington told The Chronicle he was ‘proud and honoured’ to take on the role and hopes to get the club’s heart beating ‘louder and faster’.
“It seems to have been an eternity but it’s been less than a week,” he said.
“I have been involved with the club for a long time since I was a young boy but never imagined I would be chairman.
“I didn’t have any hesitation really other than I’m still working so I can’t make all the games but then Tony told me he wasn’t able to do that either so I thought let’s do it.
“I work across the road from the club and I tell people that whenever I pass the ground I can hear a noise and that’s the thumping heart of Chester FC and I want to get that heart beating louder and faster.”
Durkin had served as chairman since December 2012 but indicated he wished to stand down at a board meeting last Thursday and Millington was the unanimous choice to replace him.
“The playing side of things is quite easy for me because I will leave all that to Steve Burr,” said Millington.
“There are off the pitch things that the club needs help with and that’s what I’m here to do
“I look around the boardroom and look at our volunteers and I see a lot of talent here. We might not all have the experience at the moment but we will get that.
“I made mistakes as a goalkeeper and we might well make mistakes as a board but we are all here because we love this club and we are learning all the time.”
As a supporter-owned club, Chester face different challenges to other clubs but Millington believes fan-power can be a huge advantage too.
He has spent the past few days speaking to officials, volunteers and supporters in person and on the phone, and has no doubt the club has a bright future.
“We have the talent between us to take the club forwards,” he said.
“We have got to get the heart beating and once we have got that we have got to use our heads to be better and smarter.
“I don’t think we’ve quite got there yet but the feeling and the heartbeat is getting stronger and once we get that wind beneath us then the ball will be rolling.”
