CHESTER’S joint boss Anthony Johnson has promised fans he will do all he can to prevent his side from drifting into mid-table mediocrity after an alarming loss of form.

The 4-1 loss at Kidderminster came on the back of failures against Curzon Ashton and Spennymoor and with Chester spiralling downward to tenth in the table and any hope of reaching the season-ending play offs is fast disappearing.

“If we had a group of players who thought the season was going to fizzle out and it was all about planning for next season then I would pack it in. I wouldn’t be here taking a wage out of the football club,” said Johnson. “I’ve got too many other things I could be doing.

“It might be that we don’t make the play-offs, but it won’t be for the want of trying from me and Bernard. We have to find a way to win at the moment, and I thought we picked a side to do that today but when individuals can’t take responsibility within certain parameters of what they’ve been asked to do you’ve always got a problem.”

Johnson sympathised with those fans who made the trip to Harriers and gave Chester a hostile reaction after the final whistle.

“The supporters waited at the end to have a moan and a boo and they are within their right,” he said. “They have spent over £100 per person I would imagine. I don’t want the happy clappers clapping the lads off and the lads thinking that it wasn’t that bad because it was an absolute disgrace.

“As managers we are employed to stop the rot and whatever means that be to get back on the horse. We’ve looked good this season and peoples’ expectations have changed throughout the season. But that is where we are at this moment in time. We have to find a way of staying in the top ten.”

Despite welcoming back goal scorer Akwasi Asante and fellow striker Anthony Dudley, Johnson admitted injuries were still hampering his team selection with George Green, Sean McAllister, Simon Grand, Brad Jackson and Ben McKenna, all currently sidelined.

“It was difficult to try and get the players to know how we wanted them to look. They hadn’t trained together because 30 per cent of them weren’t fit on Tuesday,” added Johnson, who will take his side to Nantwich in the Cheshire Senior Cup tonight (Tuesday), looking to grab a place in the semi finals.

In National League North action, leaders Chorley host Kevin Wilkin’s Brackley Town while former Chester boss Marcus Bignot takes his Guiseley side to AFC Telford.