Chester Chronicle - Deva Fever

Our Southern equals under scrutiny

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 14:57:20 +0000

Ask any northerner where the best football is played - in the North or the South - and anyone born north of the Watford Gap will come up with only one answer. But are we all right?

I went along to Leatherhead's Fetcham Grove ground on Tuesday to put my instincts to the test.

Leatherhead, known as the Tanners, are currently top of the Ryman Div 1 South - the Southern equivalent of the Evostik Div 1 North. So it was a good comparison of 'like v like'.

Top of the League and having a laugh!

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:25:14 +0000

It's taken a while to get used to the feeling of sitting atop any league, but what a great sensation it is!

And the moment Chester rose to the top of the Evostik North couldn't have been any better for me - as I had picked the away match at Cammell Laird as one of my pilgrimages from the land of the Exiles.

This was my second full away match supporting the new club and there's no comparison between watching Chester in the Evostik North than the sorry, old club in the Conference. This is a lot more fun!

New identity for Chester Exiles dartists

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:56:41 +0000

Gillingham, Bolton Wanderers, Southampton, Burnley, Exeter City - sound familiar? They are the teams coming between the Chester Exiles darts team and promotion to the next rung of the darting ladder.

Yes, the overlords of the darts league run by the Association of Provincial Football Supporters' Clubs in London, allowed the newly-named Chester Exiles darts team to keep their place in Division Three for season 2010-11, despite their new identity.

Exile Adrian Lee: Eaten out of house and home

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:49:24 +0000

Just before half time the announcer at Harrogate informed us that all the pies were already sold out. Rather mournfully he added: "You've eaten us out of house and home."

This lark of suddenly being a 'big club' is taking some getting used to but, I have to admit, I'm enjoying it. So, it seems, are my fellow fans as more than 600 made the journey to Yorkshire on Saturday.

Yet again we hugely outnumbered the home support and I felt a warm glow as I explained to the owner of our hotel how many Chester fans were in town. He was impressed!

The Exiles join the Magnificent Seven

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:54:00 +0000

There've been more ups than downs following Chester in recent years, but I never thought I'd be standing in a leafy ground on the edge of a Gloucestershire hillside when it felt like it was all coming to an end.

The match at Forest Green Rovers had been one of my most eagerly-awaited fixtures, but as I drove into nearby Stroud less than three hours before kick-off I learned I wouldn't be seeing Chester make their debut at the New Lawn.

An unusual awayday for the Exiles

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:22:04 +0000

It was like a typical matchday - royal blue Chester scarf around my neck, Exiles banner in my bag and camera at the ready in case of an unmissable photo opportunity. But this matchday was a bit different from the norm, as I was off to the High Court in the Strand to witness the potential winding-up of a once-proud football club.

Security was tight at the High Court - the banner and camera had to be x-rayed - but I got clearance and headed off through a maze of buildings to find Court 55 on the fourth floor of the Thomas More Building.

Two sweet victories bring smile to the Exiles

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:01:17 +0000

I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to enjoy watching a Chester game - then suddenly I get greedy and watch two wins in a row, with an amazing six goals scored by the Blues!

How low can Chester City go?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:29:52 +0000

The economic forecasters keep saying that Britain has reached the trough of the recession and is to climb out. Well I'm now wondering if the same is true of Chester City - has it reached the low point with the only way being up?

When last night's 4-0 defeat sank in, I honestly don't think I have ever felt so low about my team since they were relegated to the Conference back in the Terry Smith era.

Getting the passion back in following Chester City

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:48:23 +0000

This time last week I said that for this blog to be more uplifting I needed Chester to get three points against Rushden as well as a decent draw in the 4th qualifying round of the FA Cup. Well, you know what's coming next.....

First Chester lost at home to Rushden and had two players sent off. Then Lady luck didn't bring them a good cup draw either - a tie away at Barrow does not exactly fire my imagination.

Football under the flightpath

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:28:07 +0000

How ironic that my last blog talked about being prepared to watch football at a much lower level than current expectations as I watched a match (Leatherhead v Lewes) amongst a crowd of around 300 spectators.

I should've realised that I'd actually only have a few days to wait before watching Chester with just 350 other fans.

The magic of the cup starts early for the Exiles

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:23:58 +0000

I do enjoy a dose of Tuesday night football - what passion, commitment and desire to win I saw a couple of nights ago.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I wasn't at the Deva - but watching Leatherhead v Lewes in a replay of the FA Cup's 2nd qualifying round.

A day out in Salisbury

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:34:38 +0000

My build-up to City's first ever game against Salisbury went far too swimmingly. For about the first time ever, both the M25 and M3 were totally devoid of traffic enabling me to spot the spire of Salisbury on the approach to the city with nearly three hours to spare before kick-off.

I decided to pay an early visit to the ground, via the twistiest of roads complete with thatched cottages, roses and ducks. The memorably-named (not) Raymond McEnhill Stadium has to be THE most isolated ground in the BSP and above.

Somewhere in a corner of London...

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:55:47 +0000

Although it may be hard to believe, there were seven Chester fans gathered in the corner of an upmarket pub in the Pimlico area of London on Wednesday night. The landlord couldn't believe his ears when I told him we were all Chester supporters - I don't think he'd ever come across one before, never mind a Magnificent Seven!

But, as I'd gone nearly a month without seeing the team play, it was great for me to get my Chester City fix by talking to some fellow sufferers.

When Saturday comes...

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:38:24 +0000

Saturday will always feel like a football day to me and on those occasions when I'm not at a match, I'll generally be refreshing my laptop screen looking for a goal update.

But last Saturday, circumstances meant I was in a shopping centre from 3-5pm. It was a strange experience to see people who don't follow the God of Football going about their usual Saturday afternoon business - and this time I was one of them! I wasn't even wearing my Chester polo shirt to mark me out from the crowd.

Under those conditions, I was fully prepared for City to lose heavily. How could they win without me having some sort of participation - even at the end of the world wide web?

Obviously I had my mobile phone on hand to keep me updated as I mingled with the throng of non-football lovers. The first Chester goal actually came when I was on an escalator - possibly the first time someone has celebrated a Blues goal on that spot.

Carry on banging the drum!

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:16:55 +0000

It still seems hard to believe that Chester are playing football in the Blue Square Premier these days - with more than 5,000 watching the Blues at Oxford and 6,563 at Luton. It was just a shame that only 85 City fans felt drawn to Kenilworth Road on Saturday.

Those 85 loyal supporters did their best to make themselves heard though - aided admirably by the drummers.

If there was a league for football drummers, I'm sure Chester would win the championship each season!