THE Chester City soap opera continued on Saturday, with yet another lack-lustre and error-strewn performance, this time against a part-time side who hadn’t won any of their last four Blue Square Premier League outings.
An interview published, given by the club’s managing director Bob Gray, indicated that the ownership of the club’s shares still hadn’t been resolved, while a twice extended deadline to pay off outstanding football creditors is now just a mere week away, failure to pay up could mean expulsion from the league.
To add to the worries a transfer embargo, which precludes City from bringing any loan players to the Deva Stadium. still hangs over the club. And early last week money couldn’t be found to extend the temporary agreements of two players who had given Chester greater quality and more importantly increased their ability to compete at this level of football on an acceptable basis.
The situation gives the Deva Stadium faithful an understandable feeling of doom and gloom and it also appears to be getting through to the under-achieving squad of players.
Chester manager Jim Harvey, who has the unenviable job of turning water into wine, was forthright following his team’s third consecutive defeat.
“I was disappointed not to win the game, but it is difficult to rant and rave at the players because unfortunately some of them are just not good enough.
“Altrincham deserved to lead by 2-0 at the break.
“We came a bit stronger at the start of the second half but we just lacked the quality that was needed.”
Colin Little and Rob Williams gave Altrincham a two-goal lead in a one-sided first period.
City’s Glenn Rule registered with a 20-yard scorcher after 63 minutes to bring the home side back into it, but Chris Senior restored the Mancunian’s two-goal cushion in injury time..
Chester are in action tomorrow night, when they travel to face second placed Stevenage Borough. The match is midfield player Clark Keltie’s last for City unless his loan spell from Rochdale is extended by the club.
CHESTER CITY: Danby, Rule, Roberts, Ryan, Meynell, Barry, Keltie, Owen (Wilkinson 46), Beesley, Blundell (Ellams 75), Chadwick. Subs: Kay, Kelly.
ALTRINCHAM: Cockburn, Densmore, Young, Williams, Doughty, Lawton (Burns 39, Welch 87), Clee, Danylyk, Senior, McAliskey (Owens 72), Little. Subs: Saunders, Pearson.
REFEREE: Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire).
ATT: 1,132.
