Hello everyone

I hope it is not too late to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Well – not a very happy year so far for Chester City and its supporters. At the time of writing it has been a very dismal start to 2008 with that sinking feeling down League 2. Although we were delighted with the form of the team in the first half of the season, in truth, I am sure we all felt that the team was was punching above its weight knowing the limited resources the Club has. The matches I saw over the Christmas period were very disappointing (except the Bury match) and sadly a more negative attitude and atmosphere appears to be creeping in again. I expect most of you have kept up to date with the Stephen Vaughan’s resignation as Chairman before Christmas and the headline news about his forthcoming Crown Court appearance (for matters outside of his football duties). It must be very unsettling for everyone connected with the Club and there must be an adverse effect on the players and the management. Compounded in all this was the sudden departure of the very likeable Malcolm Thomson sadly lured back to his spiritual home at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. I am sure the sluggish performances on the pitch since his departure are no coincidence as Malcolm was a very ‘hands-on’ assistant manager with a lot of spirit and banter.

Still there have been some positives in the New Year not least the ‘blooding’ of a number of younger players in the first team which has not only been refreshing but also gives supporters hope for the future and a good indication that the Youth System is alive and well at CCFC. How good it is to see Chris Holroyd get a few FULL matches under his belt and and Kevin Roberts gives the impression that he has been playing for the first team for years! Disappointingly I was unable to get to the FA Youth Cup match against Spurs at White Hart Lane on 8 January but the Exiles that did make it were full of praise for our young team and thought that they were cruelly robbed by the penalty in the last minute. Well done to the Chester City fans who made it to the match that evening.

We were very sorry that we had to pull the plug on the ‘Meet the Manager’ planned prior to the Brentford match on 29 December. Unfortunately overnight stays have been stopped so we could not arrange the usual evening meeting with Bobby Williamson at the hotel as we have done in the previous two seasons. The alternative offered was to meet Bobby when the team stopped for lunch but unfortunately that was scheduled for a stop in the Midlands and not very close to Brentford so it had to be abandoned too! We will try again for the Barnet match on 15 March and keep you posted on the arrangements.

Nevertheless a good time was had by all who made it to the match at Brentford – well apart from the match itself (very disappointing and gutless) and the exorbitant entrance fee (shame on Brentford)! The pre and post-match get together's in the Griffin were really enjoyable and it was great to catch up with some ‘old’ friends. It seems ages since we had a good Exiles get together but let’s hope we get a few more in before the end of the season.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Radio Merseyside’s Alan Jackson just before Christmas about being an exiled Chester City supporter for his weekly local football programme. I don’t know if I will get another opportunity after he told me his beer had gone flat after I talked so much!!!

Meanwhile – are there any darts players living or working in the London area who may fancy turning out for the Chester City team? Rick Goby is doing a fantastic job organizing our matches but he needs more players to add to his darts pool as some players are unable to get to every fixture due to work commitments and travel. If you can throw a dart (you don’t have to be the world champion!) and would like the odd game or two without the commitment of a regular appearance– please get in contact with Rick (rgoby@parker.com) The evenings are most enjoyable and a good chance to catch up on Chester City gossip and shenanigans and there are the usual dart match refreshments available on the night. The forthcoming fixtures are shown below.

We will also be planning some socials soon so watch this space.

Before concluding these notes, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome SAC Gemma Whitley to the Chester City Exiles who was serving with the RAF in Basra last year and is our first Honorary Chester City Exiled Member serving in our armed forces.

In the meantime, let’s hope some of the injured players are on the way to recovery and we get back to winning ways.

Look forward to meeting you at future matches. C’mon You Blues!

Pauline Meakins
Chair, Chester City Exiles
January 2007

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