The elation of daylight opening up between Chester FC and their relegation rivals, only to be tempered days later by said rivals picking up unlikely points, is happening with such regularity that Blues fans will no doubt be able to empathise with Bill Murray’s situation in Groundhog Day.

The promise of a new dawn and the ability to breathe a little easier has been replaced by nervous workings of possible permutations (most of them pessimistic)  and fingernails bitten to the quick.

The victory over Hyde was riddled with the inadequacies and persistent problems that have dogged the Blues first season in non-league football’s top flight since their 2010 reformation, and if ever a snapshot of what have been features of the club’s toils this season it was the 90 minutes against the Tigers last Saturday.

That result is in the books now and, while goal difference could yet play a deciding factor, the three points were precious ones.

Then, of course, Aldershot Town and Hereford United had to go and spoil the optimism by doing what they, like Chester, have failed to do all too often this season – win a game of football.

It was that feeling again. The feeling that Blues fans have experienced on several occasions this season when the stark realisation of just how perilous the position of the those battling the drop is.

The games keep coming and they don’t get any easier.

Chester face a trip to Blundell Park and a clash with promotion-chasing Grimsby Town on Saturday (3.07pm) and will be going into the game very much the underdogs.

Paul Hurst’s men currently lie in third place in the Conference Premier and look a good bet for being in the end-of-season play-off mix. But the Mariners may be suffering from a touch of fatigue on Saturday, with their clash with the Blues being their fourth game this week – a result of a congested fixture list.

Steve Burr is confident in the ability of his side to come away from banks of the Humber with the three points and a spring in their step.

Michael Kay has been in excellent form of late
Michael Kay has been in excellent form of late

Lennell John-Lewis v Michael Kay

At a time of the season when, with so much at stake, you look to your established players to lift themselves and help carry their side over the line, there has been one player who has gloved up and headed into the ring to do battle – Michael Kay.

After spending much of the season in and out of the side, played out of position and failing to capture any kind of consistent form, Kay, of late, has come to the fore.

With the Blues attempting to execute their escape plan, 24-year-old Kay must have been watching the US show Prison Break as he has thrown down the chicken’s foot, challenged the rest and shown he is up for fighting the blue and white cause.

Ex-Sunderland and Tranmere Rovers defender Kay, a former England Youth international, has taken ownership of the shirt at the heart of the Blues back line and, based on current form, must be one of the first names on manager Burr’s team sheet.

This weekend, however, he will face arguably his sternest test to date in Grimsby’s talented striker John-Lewis.

While not a prolific forward by any stretch of the imagination – he has bagged only five league goals this season – the 24-year-old is fleet of foot and has been a key component in Hurst’s sides charge up the table this season.

Kay is arguably Chester’s quickest centre-back and and will have to be on his toes when he faces John-Lewis, a striker who likes to play off the shoulder of his marker and stretch the back line to make space for others.

With the form Kay is in at the moment though, he will fancy his chances of keeping tabs on the pacy hitman and ensuring he doesn’t finally find his shooting boots.

Craig Disley will be key for Grimsby this weekend
Craig Disley will be key for Grimsby this weekend

Craig Disley v Jason Jarrett

In the centre of proceedings this weekend will be two men with a combined age of 66 and a grand total of 735 appearances in the Football League and Conference in their careers, which both began back in the 1990s.

Jarrett, 34, has divided opinion of Blues fans this campaign with his performances, both under Burr and his predecessor Neil Young.

The central midfield partnership of ex-Norwich City man Jarrett and Andy Bond looks like it will be the one that sees out the remainder of the season, and Burr will be looking to the experience of Jarrett to come to the fore and help steady the ship.

In Disley, Jarrett will be facing one of the most steady heads in the league and a player who is the heartbeat of the Mariners side.

The former Mansfield Town and Bristol Rovers stalwart is a canny campaigner and will be relishing a tussle with another older head. Neither player was involved in the mindnumbingly tedious 0-0 draw at the Swansway Chester Stadium back in September, a game which represented Grimsby boss Hurst’s first game in sole charge following the controversial departure of then co-manager Rob Scott.

Jarrett, a player who, when afforded time on the ball does possess quality in his locker, may benefit from pitting his wits against a fellow seasoned veteran.

If Jarrett can summon his vast experience and outwit his Grimsby counterpart, it could provide the key to a Chester victory.                                   

Shaun Pearson in action against Wrexham
Shaun Pearson in action against Wrexham

Shaun Pearson v Gareth Seddon

When the veteran striker Seddon tamely struck his effort at  Hyde goalkeeper Chris Kettings when it looked easier to score on Saturday he, like the rest of the Blues faithful, could barely believe it.

Fast forward 15 minutes and Chester fans were toasting a magnificent piece of skill to grab the opener with an exquisite lob. Seddon didn’t look suprised this time, he looked like a man who had shown that his fine effort in the televised BT Sport game against Dartford was no fluke.

The 33-year-old is Chester’s leading marksman with seven goals this campaign, a clear indicator of why the Blues have struggled in the lower reaches of the Conference Premier.

However, he is Chester’s most potenr attacking weapon and has the ability to find the target from difficult positions with a touch of class.

He will be facing a physical battle with 24-year-old Pearson, a player who has earned his stripes in United Counties League and Northern Premier League spells with Spalding United and Stamford respectively, before moving on to Boston United and then the Mariners back in 2011.

A tall, solid centre-back, Pearson has become a mainstay of the Town back line and has amassed over 80 appearances for the Cleethorpes club.

While the current Blues strike force may not possess the potency and pace that it did when Matty Taylor was leading the line with Seddon, it does also have plenty of heart, effort and commitment, something that was embodied by Craig Hobson’s mammoth shift at the weekend.

It may not take a lighting striker to break down the Mariners. Maybe some good old-fashioned determination and grit with sleeves rolled-up may be enough to secure a precious win. Coupled with a moment of Seddon magic, of course.

Chester, despite their lowly position, have managed to take points off all of the current top six this season, a fact that should provide some degree of hope that a positive result can be gleaned from this weekend’s encounter.]

Grimsby, after all, are not prolific scorers. They are a side who have possessed the ability to grind out results on a regular basis this season in a Conference Premier which, to be brutally honest, has been one of the weakest in recent memory in terms of quality.

Everybody is capable of beating everbody in this league. If Chester can muster a resulty at Grimsby this weekend and another at home to cross-border rivals Wrexham the following week, they may well live to fight another season in non-league football’s top tier.