All good things are supposed to come to an end, sooner or later, but Saddlers fans will be hoping that it’s the latter, in the case of the club’s great start to the season. Resources are coming back from injury to fill in for those suffering the strain and the future will start to look very rosy, if we can get over the next two or three weeks. The crucial period starts tomorrow night, with the visit to Chester City.

Darren Wrack has had a set back in his injury recovery, having picked up a strain this week, but this would probably have been too early for him anyway. Alex Nicholls has played in two reserve games, though, so he might be ready for a recall to the squad, although he has been pencilled in for another reserve appearance next week.

James Constable has also recovered from his injury and also played in the reserves this week, which may be fortunate, given that Hector Sam was withdrawn from the Trinidad and Tobago squad because he’s carrying a knock. He may well be fit enough to play some part, however. Clayton Ince was also withdrawn from the squad, and there seems to be a danger of him not playing as well The club have rated both T&T Internationals as “doubtful”. Enter Bertrand Bossu?

Allen Picken’s position is also problematical, as his knee problem just isn’t clearing up and Fangueiro will also be missing through injury.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see us line up 4 5 1, given the success of that formation in the second half last weekend, with Pead in the attacking midfield role.

Over with the opposition, however, strange things are happening. The club are struggling to meet the League rules over the wage cap, which has lead to Jermaine McSporran leaving, and Michael Branch has been left out of the team completely, as he’s been told he can leave on financial grounds, so one ex Saddler and another former Walsall target will either have gone, or not be available.

Ashley Westwood (hamstring) is likely to miss out, along with fellow defenders Paul Linwood (knee), Sean Hessey (hamstring) and Phil Bolland (shoulder), while midfielder Dean Bennett (calf) may make the bench. In addition, new signing from Torquay, Glenn Cronin, of whom a lot was expected, has been out with a foot injury since pre-season and they are suffering from other injury problems too.

They are trying to bring in Lincoln winger Ryan Semple on loan (he’s had a medical before signing), with a view to a permanent move in January, but that will, again, take them up to the wage cap limit and he has an injury at the moment which would be likely to stop him playing.

Dangerman? Difficult to say, really, as their problem seems to be scoring goals. If they can free up some funds, a new striker will be their number one priority, as the current collection of the much travelled Drew Broughton (ex Kidderminster and Rushden amongst many others), Blundell, Walters and Holdroyd just isn’t working, with the same number of goals between the four of them as Martin Butler has managed on his own.

As far as Saddlers fans are concerned, the main threat will be probably Roberto Martinez, who scored a cracker against us for Swansea last year and probably thinks he has something to prove to the Bescot faithful.

Predictions?

Chester are currently 14th in the table (ironically, the position occupied by last week’s opponents at the start of that game). They have won 4 and drawn 3 of their twelve games so far, scoring 14 goals in the process. More to the point, their home record is worse than the overall record, as they are in 18th place on home form:-

Played 6, Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 3, Goals For 5, Goals Against 6, Points 7.

Given a full week’s rest (less a day), after a period of two games a week, given the form shown in the second half last Saturday and given the confidence that must be flowing through the squad, I’m going to go for a narrow away win, especially with Dickie Dosh not having picked up the “Manager of the Month” curse!

The good news is Chester can be an excellent day out, providing fantastic opportunities for a crawl round a mixture of traditional and modern bars. However, the bad news is that there isn’t a pub within 20 minutes walk of the ground, and the club bar has ceased to admit away fans after problems a couple of seasons ago.

Of course the game being on a Friday makes thing even more awkward for those travelling after work. Train travellers are also dumped at the rather grotty station on the outskirts of the city and miles from the ground although there is a “hopper” bus service that takes you into the city centre.

Near the station there are a couple of places worth mentioning. There is a public bar in the Westminster Hotel on the main City Road that is very welcoming to non-residents, although the beer is a bit pricey. If real ale and some food are the priority, then hang a right off City Road towards the City and take in the Union Vaults on Egerton Road followed by the adjacent Mill Hotel around the corner on the canal-side. This is a converted Corn Mill boasting four bars and a barge restaurant, and is welcoming to a wide variety of clientele including families with children.

Anyone suitably amused by miserable, eccentric landlords (similar to old Bill who used to have The Fox, now the Wanderer, next to Molineux) should take themselves to The Albion next to the shopping centre. It’ll probably be shut, as the landlord basically opens when he likes which I find very endearing. On my last visit on a steaming hot June day I was confronted with “button up your shirt please young man” whilst awaiting my pint. Fabulous! Years since I’ve been called a “young man” in any sort of context, so I humbly accepted the 1950’s standards!

For those who like me enjoy living in the slightly more recent past, the pick of the City Centre pubs is the Shropshire Arms on Northgate near the Cathedral. Enjoy real ale and old fashioned table top Galaxians in a 1980’s style.

The City boasts the usual charmless chains, and some of the bar staff and managers can be particularly rude to anyone resembling a football fan, particularly a Walsall fan I find! We tend to be quite unpopular in this neck of the woods for some reason, I always remember school trips to Chester Zoo degenerating into a scene from Quadrophenia when the local school kids realised we were from Walsall, and now 25 years on it would seem most of those kids work for either Wetherspoons or Ultimate Leisure.

Either way if you make it into the City Centre for a drink, or try any of the bars around the station I would definitely recommend a taxi to the ground useful numbers being (01244) 346464 for anyone at the station heading towards the city, i.e. Mill Hotel end. Or (01244) 372372 for anyone in the city centre.

Don’t forget by the way, when standing on the away terrace you are actually in Wales.

The Red Prince’s Addendum

The Red Prince, being currently native to the city, has added the following:-

Further to Geordie’s excellent guide I have one or two other place’s of interest I would like to add. Firstly, if you are coming up through town there are two places to avoid (unless you are wfc_2uk, if you catch my drift) and they are Bar 69, which is just off the A51 entering Chester City Centre, and the other is the very misleading Liverpool Arms on Northgate Street, next to the walls.

Places I can recommend, however, are; The Old Queen’s Head opposite Weatherspoons on Foregate Street, although this may be a little too ‘young’ for the older generation.

If you fancy a bit of quaintness (and some German lager no one has ever heard of), then try the Old Boot Inn on Eastgate Street in the city centre, set back in the Row’s just above Hallmark, it must have the lowest ceiling of any pub in Chester, and dates back several hundred years. It is a haunt for home fans, but usually of the flat cap variety, and I have not heard of trouble there.

Next up, and the closest pub you can get to the ground, is Telford’s Warehouse, just off Raymond Street. Set in a converted warehouse, built by Thomas Telford funnily enough, on the site of the old Shropshire Canal basin, it overhangs the canal and boasts live music on a Friday night, and a good (if a little expensive) selection of food and beverages, however, be warned that the students are back and it may get a little crowded.

If anyone is planning on stopping on after the match, the are only three real nightclubs in Chester namely; RB’s, on the corner of Eastgate and Northgate Street, Brannigans, on the corner of St. John’s Street and Foregate Street, and Revolution, on Foregate Street, just past Weatherspoon’s, none of which I would enthusiastically recommend, for those with exotic tastes, there is the Platinum Lounge, set on the Row’s on Bridge Street.