Ben Davies may have been downing the bubbly, but there is no way he is going to become a 'Champagne Charlie' now that he is back in the Football League. The former Walsall and Kidderminster Harriers midfielder has been uncorking the Moet recently, as he has helped Chester to Conference glory and a return to the Third Division - which they left four years ago. Davies can be classed as something of a lucky talisman as he was at Walsall when they won promotion to Division One under Ray Graydon and was with the Harriers when they clinched the Conference title in 2000. Now the 22-year-old has been the driving force at the hub of the Chester engine room all season and racked up nearly 40 games, as Mark Wright's men held off a late Hereford charge in a hectic battle for the title. Chester finally lifted the Conference crown with one game to spare after beating Scarborough 1-0 and prevented a final day shoot out at Edgar Street against Hereford. A crowd of almost 6,000 packed into the Deva Stadium to see Davies and his teammates seal the title and, as he admitted to givemefootball's Ian Clarkson, it was a memorable evening.
Q:I TAKE IT THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BEEN GREAT IN THE CITY SINCE PROMOTION?
A:It was a sell-out at the final game and it was followed by a big night out in Chester afterwards. I am not a big drinker, but the fans were out in force in town and I have to confess to having a few glasses of champagne. We didn't buy a drink all night, but I am looking forward to next season already.
Q:DID LOSING TO DONCASTER LAST YEAR ON PENALTIES IN THE PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL MAKE YOU MORE DETERMINED THIS YEAR?
A:Losing to Doncaster in the manner we did last year made us all the more determined to go one better this year. We played them four times and didn't lose once against them so we felt we were the better team. However, we had to prove a point this year and a lot of the credit must go to the manager and his assistant, Steve Bleasdale. They work ever so hard and I don't think they ever left the ground before 6.30 at night.
Q:DOES THIS GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE FOR NEXT SEASON AS DONCASTER WON THE THIRD DIVISION TITLE?
A:This was a league club in all but name really and our chairman, Stephen Vaughan, came into the dressing room before the Scarborough game and said never mind the Conference title, he wants us to carry it on into the Football League next season. He is going to make a few additions to the squad and strengthen it next year as he wants us to follow Doncaster's template.
Q:IT HAS BEEN A SATISFYING SEASON FOR YOU ON A PERSONAL LEVEL TOO HASN'T IT?
A:I was really proud to make my debut for the Welsh semi-professional team last year. I qualified because of my dad's Welsh roots and for Chester I have managed to notch around five or six goals. If I hadn't picked up a couple of niggling injuries along the way I could have reached double figures. It has been a real team effort though and we have won a lot of games 1-0. We have got three strong centre halves and the gaffer believes in keeping things tight.
Q:YOU CAN SCORE A FEW AS WELL THOUGH CAN'T YOU?
A:Definitely. Probably the biggest bonus was getting Daryl Clare fit again in October. He still managed to score 29 goals at an average of more than one a match. Darryn Stamp and he formed a good partnership and Michael Twiss, who has since gone to Morecambe, also chipped in with some fantastic goals.
Q:IT IS NICE TO BE BACK IN THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE AGAIN?
A:It is great to say you are a Football League player again even though I have enjoyed playing in the Conference. There isn't much of a difference between the top ten teams of the Conference and the Football League but there are no easy games in the Third Division. There are still one or two teams at non-league level who you know you can beat even if you aren't quite at your best whereas that isn't the case now.
