More Chester FC news
Jon McCarthy insists Chester FC will develop more of an attacking threat.
But the Blues boss will not be ‘sacrificing the principles’ that have seen his side concede just two goals so far this season.
Chester have also scored only two times in their opening three matches with the 1-1 and 0-0 home draws with AFC Fylde and FC Halifax Town being followed by a 1-1 draw at Hartlepool United in midweek.
And, speaking ahead of Saturday’s visit of high-flying Sutton United to the Swansway Chester Stadium (3pm), McCarthy said: “I think any manager at any level that doesn’t have a look tactically at how you are able stop your opponent is foolish.
“But it’s that transition word you’ll hear lots of. This is what we do when haven’t got the ball and, actually, when we do have the ball, this is what we do.
“The balance is who is on top of the game. If we’re right on top of the game then you’ll see lots of that forward thing.
“There are other elements, too. Craig Mahon and Ross Hannah are still getting fit and we’ve had a couple of injuries to Nyal Bell and Harry White, which has affected things.
“Fylde came to play, so we had an equal amount of chances, whereas Halifax came to just set up shop. It wasn’t so much as us doing that, it was Halifax getting lots of people behind the ball and making it difficult.
“The thing I liked about it was what Halifax would have wanted to do, and what we would have wanted to do if we were away from home, was say, ‘go on, come off your shape, go and gamble a little bit, and that’s how we beat you 1-0’.
“But we probed and probed and got control of the game in the second half, created some chances, and did offer a lot of width.
“But don’t expect Craig Mahon to stand right out on the touchline and throw balls to him. See how we create and how we do it with the movement of our midfielders and the other group of players we’re trying to get into those wide areas. You will actually see a lot of our players in wide positions, it’s just a little bit more sophisticated.”
Injury restricted winger Mahon to just three appearances in the second half of the 2016-17 campaign while striker Hannah missed most of pre-season after returning to the club following a stop-start season with Barrow AFC.
And McCarthy, speaking at the Chester FC Community Trust Soccer School event at FootGolf Chester that was attended by the Blues first-team squad and staff, believes the duo’s return to full match sharpness will be a big boost.
He said: “We’ve conceded just two goals, which can be a real positive.
“I think people are going, ‘he’s done what he said he was going to do, they are really solid, and there’s a lot of sense to it’.
“That’s how we’re going to retain our status in this league and if we’re going to do anything.
“There’s plenty more to come from us attacking wise, but being a little bit more stable, a little bit more consistent, I think that’s how this football club has to be.
“Given me another set of circumstances, which is where we’re trying to get to, and I’m very able to deal with that, and give you a different game plan, but it’s right for what we have this season.
“Let’s hope we see the little tweaks we’ve made that gives us some more chances and more goals but I’m not going to sacrifice that principle because I think it’s right for this football club.”
McCarthy is hopeful Bell will be fit to be included in the squad to face Sutton.
