Kane Richards has hailed manager Jon McCarthy’s attention to detail and the team spirit he has engendered as big reasons behind Chester FC’s rise.
The Blues go into their New Year’s Day home clash with Solihull Moors (3pm) above and on the coat-tails of teams with significantly larger budgets in the Vanarama National League.
And young striker Richards, who will be pushing for a recall after scoring off the bench on Boxing Day, has sought to explain how that has happened.
The 22-year-old said: “The gaffer is almost OCD with the organisation he drills into us.
“As a player that’s great because we all know our jobs. Even if you’re not playing, once you come in, or come off the bench, you know exactly what’s expected of you.
“We’re really starting to reap the benefits of the work the gaffer has done in setting us up, from the start of the season until now. You can really see it on the pitch.
“He has got leaders all around the dressing room, people who tell you if you’re not doing something right, and the team spirit is the best I’ve ever witnessed or been part of.”
Seventh-placed Chester would have moved within four points of the play-offs had they won their first festive fixture with Solihull at Damson Park on Boxing Day.
But after Johnny Hunt was shown a 16th-minute red card they went down to only their second league defeat in 18 matches.
Richards said: “Over the course of the season we have grown up a lot, as players and as a team, and we’re not used to losing.
“The boys were disappointed because even with 10 men for the majority of the game we felt we coped with them well and felt we should have beaten them.
“That’s the belief we’ve got in the dressing room. We believe we can beat anyone.
“We’re not looking too far forward, we just look to the next game. That has kept us grounded.
“But for me personally I believe if we carry on how we are playing we can push into the play-offs.
“I think we have shown over the season we can beat the play-off teams and we can beat most teams in this league.
“And, if we’re not winning, we’re not losing, and that’s a great thing to have.
“The thing that hurt the most [on Boxing Day] was that most of the teams around us dropped points.
“But we just look to the next game now and look to kick on again.”
Richards has had to settle for a place on the bench since returning from suspension.
But he capped a lively substitute’s appearance in the controversial 3-2 defeat at Solihull on Boxing Day by making it seven goals for the season and four in his last five matches.
And Richards, who is now fully recovered from a niggling injury, said: “It was nice to get back playing and get back on the scoresheet.
“Whoever plays out there, we know it’s going to be tough to get back in, because of the competition for places.
“All I can do is keep trying to perform when I’m out on the pitch.”
