CALUM MCINTYRE really rates Buxton, who are heading to the Leap76 Stadium tonight.

Victory for Chester will see them climb back into the National League North play-off positions but Blues’ boss McIntyre knows it will be a tough challenge for his side.

He told Chester FC TV: “Buxton should be in the top-three in the league.

“If you look at their result at Scunthorpe, they’ve gone there and won 3-0 early in the season.

“They will relish coming here.”

Chester will go into the match with their 19th-placed opponents with confidence following Saturday’s 3-0 outcome at home to Gloucester City.

Iwan Murray and George Glendon were amongst the scorers, as was Tom Peers on his return from injury.

On the return of Peers, McIntyre said: “It’s a big one. Talked about centre forwards for weeks and weeks and weeks, we’ve done that to death.

“You can see the impact he made and he doesn’t need me to tell everyone else how good he was.”

McIntyre is keen not to rush the striker back to regular action, though, and he added: “I don’t think he’ll play on Tuesday.

“I think we’re in that position where we’re only going to give him 20 minutes in each game.”

Chester have confirmed that defender Nathan Woodthorpe and forward Zack Clarke have both returned to the club at the end of their respective loan spells.

Woodthorpe made 31 appearances at Marine, scoring on one occasion, and consistently impressed for Neil Young’s side as they reached the FA Cup first round and currently sit just two points outside the Northern Premier Division play-off spots.

Clarke returns from Caernarfon Town having scored eight goals so far this season and, alongside his spell at the back end of last season at Flint Town United, he has 14 goals in his last 30 games in the Welsh top tier.

Tonight’s other fixtures: Chorley v Gloucester; Peterborough Sports v Farsley Celtic; Scarborough v Boston; Spennymoor v Alfreton.