Steve Burr welcomes back leading scorer Sean McConville and loan star Matty Hughes to face Bristol Rovers on Saturday (3pm).

Chester have not lost in six home matches and the manager has a close to full strength squad to choose from as he plots to keep that run going.

McConville and Hughes return from suspension but might have to make do with places on the bench following the fine 1-0 win over Gateshead last weekend.

Rhys Oates impressed in his first start after signing on loan from Barnsley and John Rooney looked more comfortable having been moved back into an advanced role to accommodate Josh O'Keefe, another loan addition.

Burr could elect to give the tireless Craig Hobson a breather and bring Hughes, who has three goals in five games, back into the side.

Assistant boss Jon McCarthy has confidence the manager will make the right call on his team selection.

McCarthy said: “I have a little input but the gaffer always picks the team and he’ll go home Friday night, sleep on it and come in on Saturday and say ‘this is the team we’re going with’.

“He has that instinct, he had it when I played for him and he’s very clever about things.

“It can be hard to keep players happy when they’re not in the team but the gaffer does it.

“It’s created an honesty among the players and those in the team know there is a responsibility to the rest of the squad and the club to perform or someone else will come in.”

Rovers have recovered from a challenging start to life outside the Football League but continue to battle the pressure of high expectations.

A return of one point from the first three matches meant any fans thinking the club would bounce straight back after relegation soon realised that would not be the case.

Rovers were the pre-season title favourites with chairman Nick Higgs insisting the budget given to manager Darrell Clarke would be at the ‘top end’ of the league.

Clarke, who has his doubters on the terraces after being unable to save the Gas from relegation, had a good summer recruitment wise too.

He added experience in the likes of Lee Mansell, Andy Monkhouse and Neal Trotman, and brought in non-league know-how with the signings of Stuart Sinclair and Matty Taylor, who Burr had tried to convince to come back to Chester on a permanent basis after a prolific loan spell last term.

It took time for Clarke’s new look squad to settle and a five game winning streak silenced some of his critics but a run of two wins from eight games has made the natives restless once again.

Clarke has accused some supporters of being too negative and dwelling on the past, and said that was damaging the morale of the team.

“It does feel at times that it is us against the world because people keep reminding me where Bristol Rovers were five or six years ago,” he said after one angry fan tried to board the team bus following a draw at Alfreton.

“I keep hearing about the good players who have played for the club in the past and it is difficult. We have to rise above that, keep going and believe in ourselves.”

Rovers from away from the Memorial Ground has been a positive with Clarke’s side having taken 12 points from the last 18 on the road.

Assistant manager Marcus Stewart, who started his career with the club, thinks that Rovers will have the Blues worried.

Stewart said: “Chester aren’t a bad team and they got a good result at the weekend but they will be saying the same thing about us

“We’re not a bad team away from home, hard to beat that’s what we are and it’ll be a tough game like most away games are.

“We’ll go there expecting to win the game, that’s how we are.”