WHEN Ashley Williams fired in the third and final goal in the win at Kendal Town on Tuesday, he became the 21st outfield player to score for Chester FC this season.
It is a statistic that not only demonstrates the strength in depth the Blues possess, but also their ability to find the net from anywhere on the pitch.
Yet as the title race has drawn to a close, their capacity for keeping their opponents out has taken on equal significance.
The shut-out at wet and windy Kendal was Chester’s sixth clean sheet in their last eight matches and their 22nd of the campaign.
Central to this has been the rock-solid partnership formed by George Horan and Michael Taylor at the heart of their defence.
Horan, the Blues’ inspirational captain, is delighted with the form the pair are showing.
He said: “We’d like to keep a clean sheet every game but it has been going well and we’ve only conceded 26 goals in the league.
“It’s been a definite plus but now we’ve got to keep it going in these last five games. If we keep it tight at the back then we’ll always have a chance.
“I think me and Michael work well together. There’s always a bit of banter on the pitch – we give each other a fair bit of stick if one of us makes a mistake – and we’ve done well, especially in the last four games when we’ve kept clean sheets.
“It has given the team a platform to get wins.”
Horan admits Chester would not have beaten Kendal so comfortably had it not been for goalkeeper Matt Glennon.
The former Stockport County shot-stopper made a number of important saves on Tuesday, further vindicating Neil Young’s decision to bring him to the club after number one John Danby broke a finger in four places in February.
Blues boss Young’s decision to sign Glennon upset Danby’s deputy Adam Judge, who subsequently left the club.
Horan joked: “I think it was the first time Matt had made a save on Tuesday – it’s about time he did something!
“But he’s done well and it’s been good to work in front of such an experienced keeper.”
Chester-born Horan was the reborn club’s player of the year and players’ player of the year in its first year.
The 30-year-old has maintained a high level of performance this season.
But he believes Matty McNeil should be the big winner at next month’s end-of-season awards do.
Veteran striker McNeil, who has been sidelined for a month, has been told the knee injury he sustained in the win over Burscough requires surgery.
