CHESTER head coach Jan Van Deventer has demanded a response from his side in Saturday’s home clash with South Leicester.

The title-chasing Hare Lane side slumped to a heavy 35-7 defeat at Hinckley last weekend and slipped to third in the National League Two North standings.

Van Deventer described his side’s error-strewn performance as a ‘bad day at the office’ and is now eyeing maximum points against struggling opposition.

He said: “Saturday is about giving the best possible account of ourselves to prove that the Hinckley game was a one-off.

“There’s a few interesting games in the schedule this weekend and we feel like five points is a must for us.

“We never underestimate any team in this division, but we feel this is a fixture we are more than capable of doing well in.

“South Leicester are near the bottom and a heavy defeat at Hull might have knocked their confidence a little bit.

“We want to exploit that after a good week’s training in which we’ve worked hard to iron out some of our problems and address the areas we were weak in at Hinckley.”

Despite their recent setback, Chester remain well in the hunt for title challenge and are just five points adrift of leaders Hull Ionians.

Van Deventer expects many more twists and turns in this season’s promotion race but says his side can ill-afford any more slip-ups.

“We have to dust ourselves down and reflect, because it fell well below the standards we’ve set for ourselves,” he added. “Teams around us will drop points between now and the end of the season and we really have to capitalise when that happens.

Influential Chester pair Alick Croft and Mike Craven should return from injury for the clash, while George Baxter, Josh Morris and Guy Ford are all expected to feature.

Hull face a top of the table clash at Huddersfield while fourth-placed Fylde host Stourbridge. Leicester Lions entertain Wharfedale, Peterborough Lions head to Otley, Hinckley go to Sedgley Park, and Macclesfield host Sheffield Tigers.