KEITH Curle is expecting a warm reception from Chester fans tonight as he returns with his new Torquay United side.

It is the first time Curle - remembered by Blues fans for his attacking football and sharp suits - has returned to the Saunders Honda Stadium in a competitive game since he was sacked by chairman Stephen Vaughan last season.

The Gulls are struggling for survival but Curle insists he will adopt the same attacking strategy he did when in charge of the Blues.

'I have regrets, of course I do, any manager does when his time at a club is cut short,' he said.

'But I still believe that my style is the right way to play the game.

'I think the Chester fans reacted to that and appreciated it and I would be disappointed if I got an unfriendly welcome.'

Curle, whose family still live in Chester, disagreed with Mark Wright's view that teams cannot play themselves out of trouble in League Two.

United have won just one game in their last 20 but Curle only took the head coach position earlier this month and is changing the way the club approaches games.

'I believe the job of a coach and a manager is to encourage the players to express themselves on the pitch,' he said.

'All players start off wanting to express their talent and ability and a coach must nurture that and work it into the game rather than stifle it.

'That is my philosophy and I am happy with it.'

Curle has been to see Chester a number of times since his sacking 12 months ago.

'I had a complimentary ticket for the derby with Wrexham,' he said.

'I asked for my money back as it was a dire game.

'But I still think a lot of Chester and have spoken to the chairman a number of times since I left about where it went wrong and why it didn't work.

'It will be nice to come back to Chester to see a lot of people I was friends with at the club.'

Curle insists that he will let the football do the talking tonight, despite admitting he has a frosty relationship with Chester boss Mark Wright after he refused to shake Curle's hand after Chester beat Peterborough 1-0 at London Road last season.

'We will let football decide,' said Curle. 'But I hope if he has a problem with me we can discuss it face to face rather than in the media.

'I understand he has also expressed an interest in Lee Thorpe.

'I would not talk about Chester players without having made a formal approach and I hope others observe the same courtesy.'