MATCH PREVIEW: CHESTER FC v BISHOP’S STORTFORD

Chester welcome Bishop’s Stortford to the Leap76 stadium this weekend with Calum McIntyre’s men looking to respond following a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Buxton in midweek.

With news that full-back Kieran Coates could be out for up to six weeks, Blues boss McIntyre will be forced to make a change to a team that has remained untouched for the past two games.

THE OPPOSITION:

Bishop’s Stortford currently prop up the Vanarama National League North table as they find themselves in 24th position after 27 games, 13 points away from the safety.

After being promoted last season from the Isthmian Premier Division as champions, the Blues have struggled for much of this term.

The reverse fixture at Woodside Park was the opening game of this season, with Bishop Stortford coming away victorious, a 2-0 win with both goals coming courtesy of Ryan Charles.

Four league defeats in a row has left them with an uphill battle for survival, but their most recent game resulted in a shock 6-1 dismantling of National League outfit Aldershot Town in the FA Trophy, with midfielder Kane Crichlow scoring five of the six goals.

THE GAFFER:

Steve Smith

The 66-year-old has been with the Hertfordshire based club for well over seven years now.

Smith initially joined as assistant manager in October of the 2016/17 campaign before being appointed as the manager at the start of the 2019/20 season.

Under his guidance the Blues won the Isthmian Premier division by four points last season and a large part of that success was due to having the best defence in the division, as they only conceded 33 times in 42 matches.

Prior to joining Bishop’s Stortford, he had spells as an assistant manager at Chelmsford and Heybridge Swift.

ONE TO WATCH:

Kane Crichlow

The aforementioned midfielder is fresh off scoring five times in their 6-1 thumping of Aldershot Town which took his goal tally to seven for the campaign in all competitions.

The Bermudian international, who has 11 caps for the Gombey Warriors, only joined the club as recently as December 2023 and it is fair to say that the 23-year-old has made an instant impact.

His youth career consisted of spells at AFC Wimbledon and Watford before starting his senior career by transferring to Greek outfit Episkopi.

His proficiency in front of goal extends to his international career with seven goals in 11 games for Bermuda, resulting in a goal average of 0.6 goals per game

LEAGUE FORM GUIDE:

Chester FC l W12 D6 L9 l F32 A21 l Pos 9th

Last Three

Rushall Olympic (H) l L 0-1 l Scorers: None

Gloucester City (H) l W 3-0 l Scorers: Iwan Murray, Tom Peers, George Glendon

Buxton (H) l L 0-1 l Scorers: None

Bishop’s Stortford l W5 D2 L20 l F26 A58 l Pos 24th

Last Three

Peterborough Sports (A) l L 4-2 l Scorers: Bunya Alemanji, Darren Foxley

Blyth Spartans (H) l L 3-1 l Scorers: Amadou Kassarate

South Shields (H) l L 3-2 l Scorers: Kane Crichlow, Darren Foxley

Match preview by Jude Deedigan.

MATCH DETAILS:

Kick off is 3pm on Saturday afternoon at the Leap76 Stadium. The postcode for the ground is CH1 4LT.

TICKETS:

Supporters are advised that while the temporary capacity reduction remains in place, matchday admission will not be available at turnstiles, meaning tickets will have to either be purchased online at: 

chesterfc.ktckts.com 

or at the Ticket Office.