BLUES boss Bobby Williamson says there is “every chance” of him adding to his squad before the January transfer window slams shut next week.

Since the window opened on January 1, Chester have offloaded seven players and recruited just two – midfielder John Welsh and striker Craig Lindfield, both on loan.

The trimming of the wage bill has left Williamson with some room for manoeuvre in the transfer market and he is hoping to seal a loan move for an experienced League Two striker in time for tomorrow’s home meeting with Rotherham.

When asked about the possibility of adding to his squad before the weekend, Williamson said: “There’s every chance. I’ve been speaking to a few managers, a few agents and things have been going on behind the scenes.

“You don’t know what’s around the corner. Someone could pick up the phone and enquire about one of our better players. If the club sees it as viable and the player wants to go, then he could be off.

“But I’m hoping that the players who are here will want to stay here and do well for us.”

As well as possibly adding a new signing, Williamson also expects to welcome back John Murphy and Tony Grant tomorrow following long injury lay-offs.

Striker Murphy, 31, hasn’t played since Boxing Day when he turned his ankle at Morecambe. He subsequently damaged his knee, forcing him to spend even longer on the sidelines. Midfielder Grant, 33, has been out of action since picking up a hamstring injury in the 2-2 draw at Wrexham in November.

Williamson is glad to see some of his old heads returning at a time when Chester are suffering from a poor run of results and confidence in the camp is low.

He said: “The most pleasing aspect is that we’re getting players back available for selection – John Murphy and Tony Grant could be available. Tony Dinning and Nathan Lowndes are still a bit away, but if we can get these four guys back in contention, then obviously complacency won’t set in.

“I do feel a couple of players might have taken their eye off the ball because they’ve not got anybody breathing down their neck. That’s disappointing but it’s human nature at times. If we can get them all back in contention, then I’m hoping we can start picking up results.

“We know what these guys have got to offer. It gets our squad back to a healthy size and adds competition for places.”