More Chester FC news
Ross Thorpe insists that there will be nothing sentimental about when Solihull Moors visit Chester FC on Saturday for a crunch six-pointer in the National League.
Blues assistant manager Thorpe was part of the backroom team when Chester boss Marcus Bignot was at the helm of the Midlands side for five successful years between 2011 and 2015.
Having guided them to promotion from the National League North in 2016, Bignot left Solihull in November of that year to take up the vacant managerial position at League Two side Grimsby Town.
Since his departure there have been three men in charge at Damson Park, the latest being former Cheltenham Town manager Mark Yates, who brings his side to the Swansway Chester Stadium on Saturday for a crucial battle between the relegation threatened sides.
“We’re not thinking about how it is a former club or anything like that, it has been a year since the gaffer left,” said Thorpe, who arrived as assistant to Bignot when he took the job at Chester in September.
“He built success at Solihull but all that matters on Saturday for us is the result and the three points - the performance comes after that.
“We know a lot about them, of course, but since the gaffer left there have been three managers in 12 months when before that they had one in five years.
“They have got some good players who we know well but it also means we can plan effectively for it and give ourselves the best possible chance of taking the points.”
Chester have been without a game since the miserable 4-0 drubbing at home to Dagenham & Redbridge on November 25.
The Blues capitulated in the second have against the Daggers live in front of the BT Sport cameras and the performance provoked much ire from the home fans come the final whistle.
And while Thorpe admits that the performance was nowhere near good enough, he believes that there haven’t been too many instances of that since he and Bignot arrived at the club.
He said: “I think we have had two games since we arrived where the fans can ask serious questions - Kidderminster and the last 15 minutes of the Dagenham & Redbridge game.
“We know that if we turn in performances like that then we will be there to be shot at and are going to really struggle.
“But we know we have a group of players who found that performance unacceptable against Dagenham. They are an intelligent bunch and they know what is expected of them and that it wasn’t good enough.
“But we have had a two-week break now where we have been able to get some people back in the programme and have been able to really assess where we are at and where we can move forward.”
The break from National League action has allowed Chester to get a number of players back into the fold, with Ryan Astles now back to fitness and absentees including Craig Mahon, Tom Shaw and loanee Reece Hall-Johnson all in contention to make the squad for the visit of Solihull Moors on Saturday.
“Sometimes you don’t want a break, whether it is because you are on a good run and want to keep playing or whether you want to bounce back from a loss quickly,” he said.
“But this break means we can get some people back, but it isn’t just about that.
“Lucas Dawson and Kingsley James have played every minute since we have been at the football club and that has to be managed as well. It is important that they get the time to recover fully and be at their best too.
“The medical staff - Kath, Meg, Luke and all the support staff - have really stepped up to the plate this past couple of weeks to help us get in a better position.”
