The minus touch
Written by: Phil Viles
4 February 2010
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Spare a thought for poor old Chester City. While for most clubs this stage of the season is either a push for promotion are a fight for survival, the emphasis is on racking up the points for a final assault at either end of the table.
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But in Football Conference bottom side Chester’s case their motivation for their home game against Ebbsfleet this weekend is not to ease themselves closer to the 40 point mark which so many managers believe is the safety zone, but to get to the magical zero points mark.
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Confused? Well allow me to explain. Chester have had a torrid season. Before a ball had been kicked their season was plunged into turmoil and they were effectively demoted to the Blue Square Premier before they’d began to plan for the season ahead when a deduction of 25 points – 10 for going into administration, and 15 more for having a CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement) rejected – was slapped upon them.
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Luton Town received a similar penalty last season and, although they put up a good fight in League Two, they were eventually relegated to the Conference, so Chester’s plight, further hindered by the sale of their best players, looked doomed from the off.
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And with just 5 wins and 7 draws in 27 matches, they’re still in the red as far as points are concerned; the demoralising minus sign looming over their points tally like the Grim Reaper.
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But, although dim, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Because victory over another one of the Conference’s struggling sides Ebbsfleet will banish the minus sign from their points tally, and their -3 will turn into a big fat 0.
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For any other team, being on zero points in February would be an indignity, but for Chester and their fans, it’s at least the start of a new dawn, and they can start to look forward to getting points on the board, even if hope of league survival is almost futile.
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