City will be paying their first ever visit to Aggborough this weekend and should be including a Harriers old boy in their ranks. Ben Davies left here in May 2002 after failing to make the grade with Jan Molby and joined then Conference side Chester on a free transfer.
He blossomed at the Deva Stadium to become a regular first teamer for them and will now be looking forward to returning to his old haunt.
Also re-aquainting himself with some old mates will be Ian Foster who spent some time there last season before being released to re-join us in the close season. He first came back to us on loan at the end of last season but blotted his copybook when he was sent off in a home game against Huddersfield. He was immediately sent back to Chester but joined us permanently soon after.
Making his home debut for us will be last weeks signing, Bertrand Cozic. He had a good start to his time with the Harriers at Scunthorpe last week and has also won the Man of the Match award on Harriers Chatter this week.
Lining up for us, as well as Bertie, should be all of the squad with the exception of Christie and Hazell. There are doubts on the fitness of Tom Bennett (virus) and Dean Keates (shoulder) and they'll get a check over before the game and Johnny Mullins, Simon Weaver and Blair Sturrock are over the worst of their bout of mumps.
Lee Jenkins should also be back in contention now that he has served his three game ban for being sent off at Macclesfield.
Chester have been trying to strengthen their squad for the past six months by poaching every other clubs best players. They had a bit of cash come in following the sales of Kevin Ellison to Hull City (£100k) and Danny Collins to Sunderland for £140k and now they feel that they can just flash the cash for players to come running.
Sadly the likes of Kevin McLeod, Ryan Lowe, Michael Twiss and Sean Doherty would rather keep the status quo and stay where they are.
With City's well recorded money problems it's likely that these prospective new faces have thought about the long term prospects at a club in dire financial straits. You would have thought that any money coming in would be better off paying the bank manager what he's due and staying viable rather than end up like Rushden. Deep in it.
On their various websites the Chester fans seem to think that this game is a routine three points points for them. Get real lads, the points are ours!
Teams
Harriers from:
Danby, Lewis, Burton, Mullins, Jones, Sall, Weaver, Bennett, Hatswell, McHale, Beardsley, McGrath, Jenkins, Keates, Cozic, Gleeson, Sturrock, Birch, Foster, Russell.
Chester from:
Brown, MacKenzie, Elokobi, Hope, Vaughan, Hillier, Bolland, Edmondson, Watson, Bayliss, Walsh, Hessey, Davies, Atieno, Belle, Harris, Lathom, Booth, Drummond, O'Neill, Lynch, Carden, Branch, Whalley, Brown.
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