Chronicle Article 21 January 2000

Ask any real Chester fan just how he or she will feel if we finish in bottom spot this season and the answer will probably be "devastated" or "totally gutted" or something similar. Every supporter knows what we have to do to avoid the drop. We have to win three games while Shrewsbury or Orient or Carlisle are losing three. And there are nineteen games to do it in. And when we beat Shrewsbury and Carlisle at the Deva then we only have to win two more than them, and so on. That's optimism.

The other side of the coin is pessimism. There were a good number of prophets of doom at the Deva last week, despite Rotherham being a top of the table side and a fair bet for automatic promotion. The spaces on the North Terrace indicated that there were a lot more pessimists who hadn't even bothered to come.

Of course all fans have a right to vote with their feet, but with only nine home games left, is now the right time to give up on a team they have probably watched year in, year out and helped save last season? Mr Atkins, who has been here only two weeks, has said that we need more players and that we need battlers. These are proving difficult to come by, for one reason or another. Joe Royle's "dogs of war" side were not for the purists of Goodison, but they did their job collectively.

Not only do we need similar fighters on the pitch, but also we need them in the stands and on the terrace. Fans who get fully behind the team rather than argue between themselves as happened last Saturday. Frustration is understandable but it needs to be channelled in the right direction wherever possible. What happens next is what counts now, not what has gone before.

As well as optimists and pessimists there are the realists. Supporters who recognise the current difficulties but still keep the faith. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of Cestrians are simply indifferent. Now is the time to make an effort if you want Chester City Football Club to survive in the Nationwide League. Not against Man City or the last game of the season, where you can buy a programme to prove you were there. Attending home matches can and does make a difference, financially and vocally, starting with the home game against Torquay next week.

The ISA was formed eighteen long months ago, to provide a constructive voice for supporters of Chester City. Circumstances led to other specific objectives, some of which have been achieved and some not. However, now is not the time to look back to what might have been. The next months are crucial and results on the pitch will be the deciding factor. We need to do all we can to help. Ideas are not (and should not be) restricted to the committee, but it can try to put them into action. Please contact a committee member if you have any suggestions of support, or write to the address below.

The AGM is on 31st January at the Royal Mail Club and Ian Atkins will try to attend as guest speaker. This will be confirmed nearer the date.

Les Smith ISA chairman

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