GARY Waddock is warning Chester that they will underestimate his freefalling Aldershot Town side at their peril.
The Blues need to take maximum points from their final two games of the campaign to give themselves a fighting chance of League Two survival – and the injury-ravaged Shots would appear to be there for the taking.
On an eight-match winless run which has seen them pick up just three draws, last season’s Blue Square Premier champions have plummeted from the edge of the play-offs into mid-table mediocrity.
But City would be wrong to believe their hosts will have nothing to play for, according to boss Waddock.
He has released three players this week, including captain Rhys Day, and he wants the other members of his squad who are soon to be out of contract to use the match as the chance to persuade him they are worth a new deal.
“Chester are not out of it yet and we know they will be coming to our place for the three points,” said Waddock, a former Queens Park Rangers and Republic of Ireland midfielder.
“We know we’re going to be in for a difficult afternoon and we’ve got a number of injuries, so it’s going to be a big test.
“But it’s our last home game of the season and we want to finish on a high. Results haven’t gone our way in recent weeks, but some of our lads are playing for their careers as one or two are out of contact, so we will be going for the win.”
Waddock, having had a brief spell in charge at QPR in which he kept them in the Championship, led Aldershot to the Blue Square Premier title 16 years after the club reformed following the demise of Aldershot FC.
It ended their five-year stint in the division formerly known as the Conference and Waddock believes the Blues would find it tough if they did make the dreaded drop.
He said: “There are a lot of big clubs in there who should be in the Football League but who have found it very difficult to get out of.
“It’s not easy and sometimes you have to take a step back to take two forward.
“If Chester do go down, it’s going to be tough and the only way you can get back is through hard work between managers, coaches, players, chairman, directors and fans.”
Aldershot’s former City midfielder Chris Blackburn misses out on Saturday through injury.
