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'Why not one more?' - Calum McIntyre banking on momentum to fuel Chester in promotion final
Play-off momentum is an old cliche in football, but heading into this Sunday's National League North Promotion Final, the adage couldn't be truer for Chester.
Calum McIntyre's side travel to Glanford Park to play Scunthorpe, in a game you can see live on DAZN , as one of the form teams in the division and having beaten favourites Kidderminster Harriers in the play-off semi-final to book their place in the Promotion Final this weekend.
Ahead of the game, McIntyre spoke exclusively to DAZN News , and believes the feeling around the club right now is at an all-time high and it's one he hopes can see him fire Chester back to the National League.
"Momentum's everything, isn't it?" he said. "I imagine if you were sitting here talking to a Premier League manager, I don't think what they would say would be that dissimilar.
"When you get some momentum and you go on a good run and confidence grows and you feel that around the individual, around the collective, the whole group, that helps you build the togetherness.
"Everyone from the outside can see it, can't they, Chester? Everyone can, and I think it's the envy of so many around the division when there is momentum and that connection between the players and the supporters - that's a lot easier to create when the results are good.
"We've then gone to Kidderminster Harriers, who were set to be champions on the last day of Southport, put a performance on that won the game convincingly. Why not one more?
"And with that belief and that feeling around the group, why not one more? And for me, it'd be the best way at this level of football to win a play-offs at somewhere like Scunthorpe United."
DAZNIn one of the tightest promotion races in recent memory across both the National League North and South, Chester finished in fourth place and only eventual champions Brackley Town can better their points haul in 2025.
Yet, one of the only sides to have taken points off them this year is Scunthorpe, beating the Seals 3-0 back in March. However, McIntyre believes his side are better equipped to turn that result around when it matters.
"We're delighted with the season we've had," he added with the confidence of a manager leading his side into a Promotion Final.
"We feel like we've had a really strong second half of the campaign. I think I've banged the drum on that a lot recently.
"Our points return, if you like, from New Year's Day onwards for the second half of the campaign was only topped by the eventual champions. We had a really good second half of the season.
"Let's have it right. Scunthorpe did finish above us. I think for us, it is another game, but we've played in this kind of game at Scunthorpe already earlier this year.
"We're the only team that have had that dress rehearsal of 9,000, a real football game, felt like an EFL game, felt like a play-off game. I've talked about that after the game now.
"We fell short that day. I wasn't happy with our level of performance. I don't think we showed the best version of ourselves, but I would say I feel like we're in a better place."
Chester FC
A Chester win would see them return to the National League, having been relegated in 2018 and for a club that was reformed in 2010 following the liquidation of Chester City, McIntyte knows what it means to the city.
He was raised in the City and therefore knows firsthand what promotion and a step back up the football ladder could do for the fan-owned club and its supporters.
Adding proudly, "I'm from the city. I'm really proud of where I grew up. I went to school in the city. I've played football in the city. I can tell you where to get the best lager and I can tell you where I get the best coffee in the city as well.
"I'm really proud of the club's history and where Chester City were within the football pyramid. The dream is to return to those levels.
"I understand what that means, even this morning, I was out, got a coffee and I bumped into three different sets of supporters and their excitement for the weekend and understanding what it means. I get that, you know, and I feel it every single day.
"We're 90 minutes away. It's going to be a tough 90 minutes. I'm under no illusions, but 90 minutes away from achieving that and what it means to the club and its people.
"That's something that if you get it, you really understand what's at stake on Sunday."
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