CHESTER Football Club director Bill Smith has called for more fans to come through the gates at the Exacta Stadium.
Mr Smith, who runs Bill Smith Motors on Tarvin Road, said he was “pretty hacked off” attendances were down on last season, despite the Blues topping the Blue Square Conference North.
Mr Smith, whose responsibilities as director include marketing, was disappointed just 820 people watched Chester beat League One side Tranmere 1-0 in the Cheshire Senior Cup on Monday night.
Mr Smith said: “The game against Tranmere was a cracker and was a tribute to manager Neil Young that we not only matched a team four divisions ahead of us in the league and in point of fact fighting for promotion.
“The player of the game was captain George Horan, who dominated the defence and topped a brilliant display by scoring the winning goal in the 12th minute of extra-time.
“The fact we only had 800 spectators is disgusting. The board kept admission down to £7, it was a nice night, there was no game on Saturday and high class opposition should have made for a bumper crowd.”
Since being reformed in 2010, the Blues have won back-to-back promotions and are currently 19 points clear of nearest challengers Guiseley AFC.
Mr Smith said: “We are having a fantastic year, and it is really disappointing crowds have not increased.
“The fact is we need a minimum attendance of 3,000 to keep us afloat financially in the Conference.
“So come on Chester fans; we have some hard and attractive games shortly.
“We had 5,000 at Northwich game in 2012 so let’s make sure we support the Blues and bring your mates too.”
The club’s next home games are the Cheshire Senior Cup semi-final against Witton Albion on Wednesday, March 13 and the league match with Gloucester City on Saturday, March 16.