CHESTER CITY will go into today's Coca Cola League Two match at Notts County trying to put some much needed sparkle into their festive period.

Successive 3-0 home defeats at the hands of Macclesfield Town on Boxing Day and Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday have put the brakes on City's push towards the play-off placings, but assistant manager Graham Barrow is hopeful that today's game at Meadow Lane will bring about a change of fortunes.

He said: "We have to be more disciplined and cut out the basic errors.

"Against MK Dons we played better in the first half, but once the first goal went in we lacked discipline, then one became two and two became three.

"We drew against Notts County in the game here earlier in the season and we have to show that same sort of performance over there and cut out silly mistakes."

Referring to Saturday's defeat Barrow added: "We are not giving ourselves a chance at the moment.

"The turning point wasthe penalty, but we are disappointed that perhaps the slowest player on the pitch (Clive Platt), was first to the rebound.

"It was annoying that we had a player sent off and others booked because of a lack of discipline. We have to work on this aspect of our game."

Chester were slightly the better side in the first half on Saturday. Harper in the visitors' goal was forced to make excellent saves to deny Jon Walters and Gregg Blundell, then he made a top drawer stop to push away a 20 yards thunderbolt from Sean Hessey.

Slightly against the run of play the visitors took the lead after 59 minutes.

Dons' leading scorer Izzy McLeod went down on the edge of the area following a challenge from Simon Marples and referee Darren Deadman immediately pointed to the spot.

Danby parried McLeod's spot kick, but Platt following in bundled the ball over the line.

Dons doubled their advantage five minutes later as Danby allowed a header from man of the match Paul Butler to go across the face of the goal, and McLeod had a simple job to score from close range.

The scoring was wrapped up on 76 minutes, when Jon-Paul McGovern's 20 yard free kick flew into the net, but City keeper Danby will probably be disappointed to have conceded such a goal.

To compound Chester's misery Paul Linwood was dismissed two minutes from time, when he collected his second booking of the game, which means he will miss today's trip to Meadow Lane.

City also have doubts surrounding the fitness of defender Ashley Westwood, who suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday.

CHESTER CITY: Danby, Westwood (Bolland 71), Marples, Linwood, Hessey, Artell, Hand, Bennett (Steele 71), Martinez, Walters, Blundell. Subs: Palethorpe, Sandwith, Semple.

MILTON KEYNES DONS: Harper, Lewington, O'Hanlon, Butler, Diallo, McGovern, Dyer (Edds 64), Andrews, Wilbraham (Smith 78), Platt, McLeod (Taylor 67). Subs: Baines-Pilart, Mitchell.

REFEREE: Darren Deadman (Cam-bridge).

ATTENDANCE: 2,271.