A famous Seal once sang that ‘we’re never going to survive unless we get a little crazy’.
While that famous Seal wasn’t Harry McNally and may have had no links with Chester FC whatsoever, there may be wisdom in the lyrics to the 1991 hit, sang by the ex-husband of supermodel Heidi Klum.
While Steve Burr’s declaration that his Blues side need three wins from their remaining five games to ensure their Conference Premier survival may have raised a few eyebrows, it’s exactly the right tone to be taking as Chester head into the home straight.
For the final five games, which include trips to high-flying Cambridge United and promotion-chasing Grimsby Town, the Blues need to upset the apple cart, rip up the form book – get a little crazy.
The defeat to Welling Unied last weekend was a miserable one. But, as per the previous two weeks, the mood has changed from negative to positive in a matter of days, mainly due to the late victory for Luton Town at Dartford on Tuesday night and Southport’s 4-0 hammering at home to Braintree.
Suddenly, there is optimism in the air and this weekend’s visit of Hyde FC provides another chance for Chester to get in the driving seat and create some daylight between themselves and the rest of the relegation battlers.
Hyde will be coming to the Swansway Chester Stadium looking to avoid being given the unwanted accolade of the lowest number of points accrued in a Conference Premier season. A record currently held by Leigh RMI who finished the 2004/2005 season with just 18 points.
The Tigers, under the stewardship of former Chester City defender Scott McNiven, have endured a miserable campaign which has seen them win just once, suffer 32 defeats and concede 102 goals.
The tone was set on the first day of the season when the Manchester side were blown away by Forest Green Rovers 8-0 at the New Lawn. Former Blues loanee Matty Taylor netted a brace that day.
Things haven’t improved much throughout the course of the season, with the Tigers limping from defeat to defeat, culminating in their confirmed relegation from non-league football’s top flight at the beginning of March.
Of course, two Hyde players, Luke Ashworth and Danny Carlton, are now in the Blues ranks but will be unable to play this weekend due to the conditions of their loan agreement.
Other players to depart Ewen Fields in recent weeks include leading scorer Scott Spencer, who joined FC Halifax Town, and Kelvin Lomax, who packed his bags and headed to a new life Down Under with Shepparton United SC.
Blues fans will be rightly expecting to see the three points secured on Saturday. But it won’t simply be a case of turning up to take the spoils, with the Tigers playing for pride – and their futures.
Andy Bond v Alex Brown
This weekend sees a return to the club for the popular ex-Chester midfielder Brown, a key component in the Blues Evo-Stik Premier-winning campaign of 2011/2012.
Brown, 29, made 39 appearances for Neil Young’s side and impressed many a Blues fan with his ability on the ball and classy play.
A joint winner of the Player’s Player Award with Michael Taylor that season, Brown left to join Hyde at the beginning of last season and helped them stay in the Conference Premier last season.
Blues fans will know the threat he possesses and the class he has in his locker after witnessing it first-hand. It will be up to Bond to ensure that he uses his experience to snuff out the danger and limit Brown’s time on the ball.
Bond has been a key figure for Burr’s men since his arrival from League One side Colchester United back in January, but he, like the rest of the side, will be wanting to put a bad performance at Park View Road last week behind him and help the Blues to a vital three points.
Both Bond and Brown are players who like to get hold of the ball and can dictate a game. The player that manages to win this duel could be key to determining where the points will be heading on Saturday afternoon.
Gareth Seddon v Will Haining
With just six league goals this season, Seddon is still Chester’s leading scorer for this campaign. A damning indictment of how poor the Blues have been in front of goal – minus Matty Taylor’s all too brief contribution, of course.
The experienced 33-year-old wasn’t in the best physical health during the Blues defeat against the Wings last weekend but, having had a week to recover from a bout of tonsillitis and the benefit of two training sessions, he should be raring to go against the Tigers.
Seddon is a player with a phenomenal goal scoring record in the lower leagues over the years, but who has suffered with the lack of a regular strike partner and a lack of service this season.
This weekend will see him face a defence which has sprung more leaks than Julian Assange and Edward Snowden combined.
It is vital that the strong striker finds that golden touch which saw him rifle a superb winner against Dartford last month on BT Sport. He has shown he has the quality.
In Haining, Seddon will be facing a campaigner with a considerable amount of Football League and Scottish Premier League experience.
The 31-year-old Glaswegian made over 150 Football League appearances for Oldham Athletic before departing the Latics to join SPL side St Mirren back in 2007.
He spent two years at the Paisley side before moving south of the border and joining Morecambe, where he turned out 121 times for the Shrimps.
The strong 6ft centre back will relish a physical tussle with Seddon, a challenge that the Blues striker will no doubt be up for.
If Seddon can get some service in and around the box, I back him to find the target and seal a vital three points.
On a side note, the two also have the modelling industry in common. While Seddon earns a living away from the game as a male model, Haining’s wife, Michelle Marsh, is a former glamour model who has appeared on The Sun’s page three many times, as well as a enjoying a brief stint as a pop star back in 2006.
Craig Mahon v Adam Blakeman
If there has been one bright spot from this season, aside from the 2-0 win at the Racecourse against Wrexham, it has been the emergence of the likeable Irishman, Mahon.
After being frozen out at the beginning of the season and farmed out on loan to AFC Fylde, it now seems unthinkable that the dimunitive 24-year-old Dubliner would not be in the starting XI if fit.
After showing Blues fans glimpses of his talent while at Vauxhall Motors last season, Mahon has continued his upward trajectory this season and remains Chester’s best attacking outlet and the most direct player that Burr possesses in his arsenal.
His wonderous solo effort against Southport was a joy to behold and his workrate, both in attack and defence, has endeared him to Blues fans.
Former Bolton Wanderers Blakeman, 22, will not relish facing Mahon as the Widnes-born full-back has been given a torrid time throughout this season.
Brother of ex-Southport player Liam and grandson of former Ipswich Town player Larry Carberry, Blakeman made just one appearance for the Trotters, in a League Cup game against Macclesfield Town back in 2011, before joining Hyde at the beginning of this current campaign.
The youngster has been a mainstay of the Tigers side this season and will be able to call upon his pace to try and keep Mahon at bay.
The key for Mahon and Chester’s chances of finding the back of the net, will be to exploit the flanks and find their way to the dead ball line. If the tricky winger can get past Blakeman and provide some ammunition to blue and white shirts in the area in those areas, it could provide Chester with the openings they need to secure the three points.
If Mahon can find his groove early on, I back him to give the Hyde full-back a miserable time.
A win against the already doomed Tigers will set the Blues up nicely for a tough run-in of games which will ultimately decide their fate this season.
Anything less than victory will be a hammer blow to their chances of maintaining their Conference Premier status, which is why this weekend’s game is the biggest game of the season thus far for Burr’s men.
If a positive result and performance can raise spirits and confidence ahead of these tough games, maybe the target of a further two wins might not seem so ambitious.
