The game will be played at Leek’s Harrison Park stadium in Staffordshire on Tuesday 21st September.

Leek’s best ever league finish was a 19th place finish in Conference National  in 1997–98, the first of two seasons the team played at that level. The Blues have only twice progressed as far as the rounds proper of the FA Cup, reaching the first round in 1993–94 and the second round in 1990–91, when they held Chester City to a draw at home but lost 4–0 in the replay.

Leek reached the final of the FA Trophy in 1989–90 but lost 3–0 to Barrow at Wembley Stadium.

The highest attendance figure recorded at Harrison Park came when the club played near-neighbours Macclesfield Town in an FA Cup 2nd qualifying round match in the 1973–74 season in front of a crowd of 3,512.

10th July 2010

The first ever game in Chester FC’s history finally arrived at 15:10 on the 10th July, but by 17:00, it had turned into a day that many will want to forget thanks to a few mindless idiots.

Over 1300 Chester fans made the journey to Llanelian road to witness their re-birth of their beloved club, only to have their day marred by a small group of the travelling support.

On the field, Neil Young appears to have put a squad together that would certainly be in the upper half of the first division, while once again Dave Challinor got his tactics right as he got one over on his ex-boss with a 2-0 victory. 

Speaking before the game Challinor said "I know I’ve said results don’t really matter in pre-season, but after one or two things which have happened over the summer, I think Colwyn Bay supporters will be more than keen to see us put on a good show this afternoon, personally, I’m looking forward to a good test against a strong side."

With no less than six ex-Bay players in the Chester line-up, the game had a reunion feeling to it as the players ran out, but the game soon settled into a typical pre-season friendly, with neither team going in as hard as they would under normal league or cup conditions.

Chester had the better of the early minutes and very nearly took the lead when Mark Connolly delivered a precision free-kick. Michael Wilde directed the ball goal bound with an excellent header, but with the keeper beaten, Colwyn Bay were saved by the post.

Colwyn Bay grew stronger as the half went on, but both teams cancelled each other out as they went in at half time 0-0

Like last week, Dave Challinor once again made wholesale substitutions to have a look at the full squad.  It didn’t take the Bay’s new line-up long to open the scoring after Lee Davey ran onto a cross that looked like it had just gone out of play, but Lee Davey played to the whistle and delivered a pinpoint cross for Ben Jones to head home.

Five minutes later Lee Davey drove in a low cross for Joe O’Sullivan to collect, swivel and fire home inside the far post. 

Colwyn Bay continued to dominate, but neither team could create any further goal scoring opportunities and as the game entered the last fifteen minutes no one could be blamed for losing their concentration as events off the field took the focus off the game.

Overall, Colwyn Bay looked the more energetic and although had made more substitutions to give all the trialists a run, looked the more settled team.

Chester FC’s new manager, Neil Young, admitted after the game that his side will need to improve: “I thought we lost our way a bit in the last 10 minutes of the first half and in the second half we never really got a foothold in the game as their midfield began to dominate.”

The arch enemy, the red dragons of Wrexham AFC, are planning to swoop for former Chester City shot-stopper Wayne Brown, according to reports today.

Brown, a free agent having been released from Bury at the end of last season, has held talks with Saunders, although he feels the 33-year-old, who has also played for Chester City and Hereford United, might be out of Wrexham’s price range.

“I am still trying to sort out a deal to sign Wayne, but he might be out of our price range," said Saunders. “I thought I had got him and it is still on going, but I may have to look elsewhere.”

Chester FC’s rhino has been bought for the club by local businessman Andrew Donaldson, a partner at BiG Storage on Sealand Road.

Andrew is eager to see the revived football club welcomed into the heart of the city.

For more pictures of BiG Deva, visit my Flickr album… http://www.flickr.com/photos/28478216@N06/ 

Football League

Division 3N Runners-up – 1935/36

Division 4 Runners-up – 1985/86

Division 3 Runners-up – 1993/94

Nationwide Football Conference

Champions – 2003/04

Welsh Cup

Winners – 1907/08, 1932/33, 1946/47

Runners-up – 1908/09, 1909/10, 1934/35, 1935/36, 1952/53, 1953/54, 1954/55, 1957/58. 1965/66, 1969/70

Debenhams Cup

Winners – 1976/77

Division 3N Cup

Winners – 1935/36, 1936/37

Runners-up – 1945/46

Cheshire County League

Winners – 1921/22, 1925/26, 1926/27

Runners-up – 1930/31

The Combination

Winners – 1908/09

Runners-up – 1903/04, 1904/05, 1905/06, 1906/07, 1907/08

Nationwide Variety Club Trophy

Winners – 2000/01

J.C. Thompson Championship Shield

Runners-up – 2001/02

Cheshire Senior Cup

Winners – 1894/95, 1896/97, 1903/04, 1907/08, 1908/09, 1930/31, 1931/32

Runners-up – 1887/88, 1892/93, 1893/94, 1904/05, 1910/11, 1928/29

Lancashire Cup

Winners – 1956/57

Runners-up – 1952/53

Liverpool Senior Cup

Runners-up – 1895/96

Cheshire League Challenge Cup

Winners – 1923/24 (shared)

Runners-up – 1930/31

Cheshire Senior Medals

Winners – 1926/27

Runners-up – 1931/32

Cheshire Bowl

Winners – 1932/33, 1934/35, 1936/37, 1940/41, 1943/44, 1944/45, 1945/46, 1953/54, 1964/65

Runners-up – 1933/34, 1938/39, 1947/48, 1952/53, 1953/54, 1954/55

Cheshire Premier Cup

Winners – 1977/78, 1978/79, 1980/81

Runners-up – 1970/71, 1972/73, 1976/77, 1979/80, 1981/82 

Troubles continued off the field as the club entered administration during a depressing summer break.  Financial difficulties grew exponentially and the club’s final demise began when they failed to fulfil a fixture away at Forest Green Rovers in January 2010.  The club soon found themselves inevitably expelled from the Football Conference. 

The club’s league records were expunged and despite a last ditch attempt to apply for a place in the Welsh Premier League, the final nail in the coffin arrived weeks later when the club was officially wound up in the High Court for failing to pay a £26,125 tax bill.

Supporters group City Fans United had already begun preparations to form a phoenix club for the following season and from the ashes of the old club Chester Football Club was officially reborn on Thursday 21st May 2010 and now look’s forward to starting life in the Evo-stik Division 1 North, step four of the National League System. 

The new club received another welcome boost when Cheshire West and Chester Council granted the lease of the Deva Stadium, Chester City’s former ground, to the supporter owned club. 

Neil Young was appointed the club’s first manager with former Tranmere Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Grimsby Town player Gary Jones as his assistant.  Young has acted quickly to assemble a competitive squad of players as the new club looks forward to progressing back up the non-league pyramid.

Rose, a former Manchester United youth player, has signed an initial two year deal with Swindon with an option of a third. Michael Rose, 27, joined Chester City in 2001 during the ill fated Terry Smith era, after his release from Old Trafford.

Moves to Hereford United and Yeovil Town followed (along with caps for England’s semi-pro national team). Loan spells at Scunthorpe United and Cheltenham Town were followed by a move to Stockport County in 2006 where he settled.

Rose was a favourite among many County fans , playing over 100 times before making a loan move to Norwich City – helping them win League One last season.  Considered surplus to requirements, Rose has now joined Swindon Town.  Good luck for the new season Michael.

I dug out this great snapshot from the ‘True Blue’ archives, whilst researching the history of my local village team, Hawarden Rangers.  What a fantastic show of support for local non-league football, as capture by the Chester Chronicle. 

Chester FC certainly did work hard to build up local support in the 1970’s, and here’s a great example.  Legendary Chester FC captain, Bob Delgado, took time out to present trophies to local side, Hawarden Rangers at the Deeside Leisure Centre. 

Well done Bob and Chester FC, let’s hope we’ll see even more examples of this through the newly formed, support owned pheonix club in years to come.

Ian Rush illustrates which direction Chester City Football Club were heading

Whilst researching the history of my local team, Hawarden Rangers Football Club, local legend, former Liverpool and Wales International striker Ian Rush spoke of his early days in the game.

The word "legend" is somewhat over-used in football these days, but an entire generation of football fans will no doubt agree that Ian Rush is one player truly deserving of the title.

A true football great, Rush is still idolised on the Kop for his goalscoring exploits for Liverpool throughout the club’s golden era in the 1980s.  Still the Reds’ record scorer with an incredible 346 goals from 660 games, Rush is revered on Merseyside along with Kenny Dalglish, with whom he formed arguably the most successful strike partnership in British football history.

We discussed his experiences as a young footballer in Wales and the start of his football journey, at none other than Hawarden Rangers Football Club.  Asking the great man how his journey began, Rushie answered:

“I played for Hawarden Rangers in north Wales at club level and also for Flintshire, the area side.  That’s how I was brought up.  We used to play two or three times a week sometimes. We just loved playing.”

Q:  “What age were you when you joined Chester, your first professional club?”

A: “I joined when I was 14 as a schoolboy but 16 when I was an apprentice.”

Q: “So thinking back to the days before you joined a professional club, what do you think of when you think of grassroots football?  What’s your abiding memory?”

A: “My abiding memory is that we just loved playing. We used to play on really muddy pitches in them days but it was just a matter of playing and winning. We were fortunate that we had a good side and we always kept winning but it didn’t matter if it was a Saturday, Sunday or a midweek game, it was just a matter of getting out there."

Q: “You said you had a good side there. Was there anyone else who you played with as a kid who has since made it?”

A: “I played with Kevin Ratcliffe and Barry Horne, people like that.  A few years after me people like Mark Hughes played.  North Wales was quite a hotbed!”

Q: “If you had one stand out memory from your early days in football what would that be?”

A: “Once when I was playing for my school team we played the local rivals, won 8-4 and I scored the eight goals!  Something like that is a great memory.”

Q: “Excellent.  That’s quite a story for them as well I’m sure!”

A: “I suppose it is, yeah!”

Q: “Who was the biggest influence you had when you were a young man?”

A: “There were a couple. My dad was a big influence because he helped me to go wherever I wanted. We didn’t have a car then so he used to take me on the bus everywhere.  Also, Cliff Sear at Chester was a massive influence.  He gave me the confidence to express myself as I should. From 14 when I signed for them up to when I left Chester, he was a big influence on the football side.”

Q: “And what was the best piece of advice you ever received as a young footballer?”

A: “It’s always worth listening to advice.  You never stop learning in football, even now. I think listen to what the coach says and enjoy it.  There’s a lot of pressure on kids today so I think the most important part is to enjoy it, because if you’re not enjoying it you won’t play your best football."

Q: “When you played on the park as a kid, did you have visions of scoring in front of the Kop or for Wales?”

A: “Yeah of course you do, because you have dreams don’t you?  I had dreams of scoring in FA Cup finals. As an Everton fan as a kid I had dreams of scoring in front of the Gladys Street End. If you don’t have dreams, what is there?"

Ian Rush profile

Date of birth: 20 October 1961

Place of birth: St Asaph, Flintshire

Height: 5′ 11" / 1.8m
Position: Striker

Grassroots clubs: St Richard Gwyn High School; Hawarden Rangers; Flintshire

Professional clubs: Chester City – 39 appearances (17 goals); Liverpool – 660 (346); Juventus – 39 (14); Leeds United – 43 (3); Newcastle United – 14 (2); Sheffield United (loan) – 4 (0); Wrexham (player coach) – 24 (0); Sydney Olympic – 2 (1); Career total – 825 (383)

International caps: Wales – 73 appearances (28 goals)