CHESTER CITY chairman Stephen Vaughan quashed any lingering fears about a move to Widnes at Wednesday night's fans forum at the Saunders Honda Stadium.

A dispute with Chester City Council last year over the lease arrangements for the Blues' home ground left Vaughan wondering whether a move elsewhere would be more beneficial.

Having bought a stake in Widnes Vikings, the Chester chairman hit the headlines after refusing to rule out the possibility of a relocation to the Vikings' Halton Stadium home.

But, according to Vaughan, the matter is closed and City are staying put.

'It was always absolute nonsense,' he said. 'We've got 110 years left on a 120 year lease (on the Saunders Honda Stadium) and I would expect us to fulfil that.'

Vaughan now owns a controlling stake in the Vikings and he revealed the only link between 'the Chemics' and the Blues could involve a jointly-owned training facility.

The Chester chairman said: 'We've identified two sites and they're both in Cheshire.

'If we could combine the two by getting the right funding together, I'll purchase the site.'

Chester's second fans' forum of the season was not as well-attended as the first but there were still plenty of supporters packed into the Blues Bar, where Vaughan, commercial manager Bob Gray and director Paul Baker fielded questions for 80 minutes.

Under item four on Wednesday night's agenda - 'creditors to date' - Vaughan confirmed the club owed £278,000 inclusive of PAYE to the VAT man.

But he added: 'There are no borrowings or no loans against the club. We are the most stable position we've been in for 20 years.'

Matters relating to proposals to turn the Saunders Honda Stadium site into a multi-purpose leisure facility or 'Deva Sports Village' - announced in The Chronicle in February - have been put on hold until after the local elections.

The club is also looking into playing more Friday night fixtures at home, while there are plans to introduce a 'loyalty card' for fans, giving them priority for tickets.

Charles Lambert, of the Chester City Supporters' Association, praised club officials for giving fans the chance to put their questions to the Blues' hierarchy.

He said: 'It was great that Stephen gave fans the chance to question him face to face. Not many chairmen would do that, especially after such a controversial season.'

Lambert added: 'We also need to address our public image. We need to create a feelgood factor about the club which will encourage the local authorities and local businesses to be more supportive. For that reason it was disappointing that Stephen could not give a guarantee that the club won't face further winding up petitions from the likes of Inland Revenue in the future.'

There was no public discussion of issues relating the ISA and Chester City Supporters' Trust's shares in the club.