A nice change to let the football do the talking

WITH a temporary lull in the bizarre off-field activities at the club over the Christmas period, it's been nice to concentrate on just watching the football with the games coming thick and fast.

And in a reversal of fortune when compared with recent seasons, it has been successful football on Chester's part - or at least it was until yesterday's defeat at Macclesfield. The change in management appears to be paying dividends and, all of a sudden, the team looks highly motivated and competitive.

Watching a vibrant Bradford City side kept at bay in front of 12,000 of their own fans was refreshing, especially on the back of the early season capitulations at Dagenham and Rotherham.

It's important for Chester to produce some of their own players through youth development, so to see Kelly and Roberts prove themselves in this game (with a bit of help from Danby and Linwood!) was a joy to behold for the 200-odd in the away end.

The victory over Accrington Stanley was by no means a perfect performance, but it was a vast improvement on earlier in the season when you feel City would have contrived to draw or even lose the game.

Mark Wright insisted in his programme notes that he is already looking forward to next season. A few more wins and he will have the luxury of mid-table security, an achievement within touching distance now but which appeared a million miles away not long ago.