Chester fans will be hoping the arrival of Mark Wright will help the club avoid relegation in the remaining 12 matches of the season. A disastrous run of 11 defeats in 12 games led to the departure of Keith Curle and Wright returns to the club on a short-term contract just 18 months after he left the Deva Stadium in acrimonious circumstances. Givemefootball's Mark Shail caught up with sidelined goalkeeper Chris Mackenzie to get his thoughts on Wright's appointment, as well as an update on his progress following an operation to repair a broken thumb.
Q:WHAT'S THE LATEST ON YOUR INJURY?
A:I've been out for ten weeks now and if everything goes to plan I'm hoping to be back training in about two or three weeks time. It's been an incredibly frustrating time for me because the lads have been on a difficult run and you just feel helpless watching from the sidelines.
Q:HOW DID YOU SUSTAIN THE INJURY?
A:I was just trying to block a shot and the ball hit the bottom of my thumb and I knew straight away that I'd done something quite serious. I've had a steel pin inserted into the thumb itself but the surgeon has assured me that everything will be okay.
Q:WHAT WAS THE FEEDBACK FROM LAST WEEK'S 2-0 DEFEAT AT LEYTON ORIENT?
A:Obviously the lads were disappointed. We created a lot of goalscoring opportunities but just weren't able to take them and got punished for it. That's been our story of late and it's difficult when you're on a bad run because players are lacking a bit of confidence. But we've got a new manager now and we have to try to be positive and make sure we get enough points to make us safe.
Q:IS SURVIVAL THE MAIN AIM THIS SEASON?
A:Given our current position it has to be. We started off the season really well and even as recently as December we were close to the top six but since then we've plummeted and we have start picking up some results quickly. You can set yourself targets in terms of points needed but right now we have to take each game as it comes and battle our way out of trouble.
Q:WHAT'S HAS BEEN THE PLAYERS' REACTION TO THE RETURN OF MARK WRIGHT?
A:It's been very positive. There's only a handful of players left from when he was here last time round so for most people he's a new face with new ideas. It may take a couple of weeks for him to get fully acquainted with the squad but he may just bring a new feel to the whole place. He actually signed me when he was here before but I didn't get much of a chance to work with him because he left the club just a few weeks later.
Q:WHICH TEAMS HAVE IMPRESSED YOU IN LEAGUE TWO THIS SEASON?
A:I've been impressed with Leyton Orient every time I have seen them – and I'd be surprised if the don't go up this season. Northampton are another strong side, who are well organised and have some very experienced players, while Wycombe have played some really good football this season. They are the three teams that stand out for me.
Q:WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS WEEKEND'S TRIP TO GRIMSBY?
A:It's going to be a very difficult game because they are riding high in the table and we're desperate for the points. Having said that, they haven’t been at their very best over the last few weeks and we might just surprise a few people.
