Anthony Johnson says there is added pressure on Chester to deliver a victory in Saturday’s home clash with Curzon Ashton.

The Blues joint-manager was left frustrated by a lack of quality from his players as they laboured to a 1-1 draw at home to 10-man Guiseley last weekend.

Currently fifth in the table, Johnson insists his side must be ‘technically better’ in all areas tomorrow as they look to keep pace with their play-off rivals.

He said: “Obviously we were short up front again last weekend, with the likes of Akwasi Asante, Matty Hughes and George Green all out.

“We miss their quality when they’re not available to us, but I still felt we had the ability out there on the pitch to see off Guiseley - particularly when they went down to 10.

“But we lacked that bit of guile, that creative spark to break them down when we really should have punished them.

"The fact that we’ve failed to do that adds a little more pressure to the Curzon game now, because ultimately our home form will shape our final league position.

“We need to be technically better on Saturday to find that killer pass and be that little bit smarter in our build-up play.”

Chester made light work of Curzon in August’s reverse fixture, with goals from Simon Grand, Anthony Dudley and John Pritchard clinching a 3-0 victory at the Tameside Stadium.

But the managerial appointment of Mark Bradshaw in late November has heralded an upturn in form, with Ashton notching three successive league wins this month.

“They’re one of the best passing sides in the division and probably haven’t picked up as many points as they’ve deserved this season,” added Johnson.

“But with players like Olly Crankshaw on the wing, whose been loaned back to them from Wigan, they’re able to cause most teams problems. As a club I think they’ve been benefited from a new manager bounce and they certainly look more than capable of pushing themselves up the table based on current form.”

George Green returns from suspension to bolster Chester’s attacking options, while Scott Burton could return following his recovery from knee surgery.

Leaders Chorley, who are nine points clear of Chester, host Marcus Bignot's Guiseley while second-placed Bradford Park Avenue are at home to Blyth Spartans.

Other fixtures: AFC Telford v Kidderminster; Alfreton v Brackley; Altrincham v Southport; Ashton v FC United; Boston v Leamington; Darlington v Spennymoor; Hereford v Nuneaton; Stockport v York.