What a finish!

Well, well. What a cracking finish to the game on Tuesday night that was.

Nothing is better than a last minute or injury time goal for your side, well okay maybe a winner but certainly the pulses were racing when Gary Roberts had that dig at goal in the 93rd minute at the Deva and set everyone bouncing around like madmen. That's what football does to you sometimes, and when it happens its shear ecstasy.

Okay so we didn't win the game but we remain unbeaten in our opening 2 games in the national league north, and deservedly so.

An away trip to Boston followed by a home match against Altrincham wasn't exactly the start we'd have wanted but that's what we were given, and even though we haven't come away with wins from either of those games, I feel that they were 2 very tricky games and to come away with positive results from both can only serve us well.

Talking to fans in the Blues Bar after the game, we all felt we deserved something from the game and had built a platform from which to build from. It's going to be a long year, and nobody ever wins anything after two games do they??

As soon as that goal hit the back of the net at around 9.30pm on Tuesday, pre season was forgotten in an instant, and it felt like this was the moment we would push forward.

A defeat would have been hard to take, but We avoided that and instead saw everyone go home reasonably happy that we'd rescued a point and now attentions turned to Saturday's home game against Farsley Celtic, and hopefully we can bag 3 points against a team who have gained 4 points thanks to impressive results against Darlington and York respectively.

If we win Saturday we go onto 5 points from 3 games, that's a great start if it happens and with 2 winnable games in the following week who knows where we'll be at the end of it.

Off the pitch, it was great to see the club shop buzzing with activity pre match, and this probably explained why at 7.38pm in the safety room I was looking disappointed at a turnstile counter showing 1500 fans inside the Deva. I would've been gutted had we not achieved over 2000 fans at the first home game. My fears were soon put beside when I heard we had climbed over 2100 which was music to my ears.

Also pleasing to note was the fact that 8 schools had taken up the season pass that was recently issued. You may think 8 is a low number but you know We weren't expecting any schools to take advantage of the season pass until they are all back in September so this was great to hear. With that last minute goal hopefully the recipients will be back again for more exciting action at the Deva.

I think that was the loudest I've heard the fans inside the ground since about 5 years ago and just shows what belief can bring you.

Elsewhere inside the ground on Tuesday, I was on boardroom duty so had to look after the Altrincham directors, who were a really nice bunch of people to be fair, and I look forward to the return visit at Moss Lane.

It was also great to see our volunteers in action again, the likes of Paul Bodman hosting the Legends Lounge. Paul does a cracking job up there on matchdays and I know all the sponsors really appreciate what he does up there. It's not easy but Paul Just does a brilliant job in getting everyone excited about the game.

And so, we got the point from the match. Let's hope we can go on to claim all 3 points from Saturday's game.

I'm more than gutted that I'm working on Saturday so won't get to see any of it, but will be pacing up and down the Big Yellow reception between 3 and 5pm just wondering how things are going, and celebrating every CFC goal on the day with several fist pumps!!

I'll leave it there for now, and Come on City!!

Good point!

So, we're off and running on another season in the National League North, and this time a tricky trip to Boston United, and a creditable 1-1 draw to get us off the mark in terms of points.

There was an enormous amount of attention on our pre season build up, with the 4-1 loss at FC United being the main focus, but when did pre season ever determine how well you would do in a season? Answer, never.

As most would testify, it's all about getting the lads fit, working on formations and generally getting to know each other. The trip to Newquay will hopefully have benefitted the squad and management team too, especially given its the first time we as a reformed club have had a chance to do this in the summer.

We now turn our attentions to Tuesday night's match against Altrincham of course, who did a job on us twice last season. I still remember us getting torn to pieces at their place last season in the drubbing and hopefully this week we'll be a lot more competitive than that. It will be difficult of course but let's hope we can grab those 3 points and give ourselves a cracking start to this campaign.

Promotion is of course the aim this season, whether it be automatic or via the play offs. A top 7 seven finish this season would of course be an improvement on last season's finish, anything less would really be a failure, but to achieve that we need everyone, and I mean everyone behind the club this season, and sticking with it when things don't go our way.

As a fan owned club we are prone to more criticism than most, but we also celebrate our successes more than most too, given the amount of challenges we overcome every single year.

I did an interview for a journalism student last week, not in the most glamorous of surroundings, sat in my nearly clapped out Citroen Saxo, with the windows up trying to block out any background noise, with the temperature about 25 degrees in the car, and all this on my lunch at work. So scene set, a really good question was put my way, do I think fan owned status can continue to work? Well in response to this I did say that whilst there are many challenges to our football club and the day to day running and general survival of it, you only need to look at the likes of Bolton and Bury to see what can happen very quickly and leave a club in the very balance, and all this under private ownership.

We'll never be perfect as a fan owned club, but what we do have is the destiny of it in our own hands. 10 years ago we nearly lost football in Chester for good, due to crazy mismanagement of the club we followed, the club that we sang our hearts out for for years on end, the club we would proudly don the Blue and White of, even if it was to the derision of those around us who support the likes of Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City (well maybe not so much in those days!!), and Everton. You almost felt embarrassed to support your local team, especially when they'd just been beaten 5-0 at home on opening day against Northhampton at Sealand Road, remember that? Yes it was the biggest anti climax to the first day of a season I can ever recall!!

But, we kept on supporting it, dreaming of better days, and they would come. That first 3 seasons after reforming were just brilliant, goal after goal, win after win, title after title, need I go on? Well yes, I will.

We had it good then, and significant challenges followed, we plateaued, and ran before we could walk really. We eventually dropped to the National League North and find ourselves trying to get back, and we will.

If I thought we couldn't then I would be on the board today. We have ambitions of getting back to the Football League. Of course it won't be easy, you only have to look at the money in our league now to know that. It's going to require a hell of a lot of graft, luck and effort to get there, but I firmly believe we can, and will do it.

Our management team are desperate to bring the success back for the fans, and the players know how important this club is to the fans. But we need to be together as one.

So let's all pull in the same direction this season, we have had a decent first game, getting a hard earned point on the board, so let's build on that. Even we don't win tomorrow night then you know what, we try harder next time, and continue to believe, but hopefully we can take the 3 points on offer and move on to Saturday.

Off the pitch we're trying to improve the matchday experience for all, and the Fan Engagement Working Group will be doing all we can to try and get people enjoying the matchday occasion once again. Keep your eyes out for some great theme days again this season.

As a board member, I know we're accountable to the members for guiding our football club forward, and treating it with the respect it deserves, so please give it the same respect and support it when things aren't going to plan and enjoy it when we get the success we all crave.

I hope those reading this understand where I'm coming from.

Getting back to Tuesday night, and the Altrincham match. I normally have my two young sons Alfie and Harry with me, but not tomorrow night. No, after a quick change after work and probably necking a Rustlers from the shop, it will be off down to the Deva for about 6pm as I'm on boardroom duty and looking after the Altrincham directors. I'm sure I'll have some banter with them.

I decided to resurrect this blog again for the umpteenth time, not sure how long I'll keep going this time, but if you enjoyed reading it then please let me know, it may just give me the inspiration to keep doing it!

Anyway, time now to say those immortal words... "Come On City!!"

Banksy