Change? - Wrexham fixture

By Chris Thompson
November 11 2005

Chester City may be the makers or the breakers of Christmas 2005, after the Football League announced their preference to switch the league game with Wrexham to Christmas Eve.

Originally scheduled for the evening of December 28th, a working day, the police and safety advisors have proposed the game be bought forward, thus making the much anticipated clash a noon kick off.

Although the game is likely to draw a full capacity crowd for the first time since Chester won promotion against Scarborough in 2003, it is likely to dismay a number of fans who are due back at work on that day.

And whilst counting down the days towards the money-spinning clash, a frustrated Stephen Vaughan found himself the innocent party as the Football League and Safety Advisors continued their dispute.

"We, as a club would never put public safety at risk, which seems to be the concern of the local police," he said.

"However, every club has high profile games during their season, the cities of Manchester and Liverpool being the best examples. The Chester v Wrexham fixture has been played for nearly one hundred years, and I don't think there has ever been this amount of confusion over a kick-off time."

Vaughan continued: "A proposal for the game to be played on Christmas Eve has been suggested, as well as the noon kick-off on the 28th.

"All I want is a sensible and mature conclusion to this apparent impasse, and of course I don't want public safety or Chester City Football Club to be disadvantaged."

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