Chester boss Anthony Johnson believes any success this season will be down to the strength in depth of the current squad.

The in-form Blues head to Telford United on Saturday and could feasibly go top of National League North this weekend if results elsewhere are favourable.

Injuries and suspensions have forced Johnson and joint-manager Bernard Morley into personnel changes in recent weeks, but the club’s upward trajectory has continued unabated.

And the duo believe every member of the Chester squad will have a key role to play this season.

“Bernard and I have made it clear that if we’re going to be successful we’ll need 16 or 17 players all making big contributions over the course of this season”, said Johnson.

“The players who’ve come in when they’ve got their opportunity so far have excelled.

“We’ve seen it already with James Jones and Jamie Morgan coming into the side last week.

“But it’s not just in defence - it’s all over the pitch. Scott Burton’s been outstanding in midfield since the injuries we’ve had to Gary Roberts and Gary Stopforth

“Then there’s the partnership between Akwasi Asante and Matty Hughes up top. Those two weren’t starting games at the beginning of the season, but we’ve rotated and all of a sudden they look superb together.

“Even the lads who aren’t starting at the moment, know why they’re not playing and appreciate how hard it is to break into a winning team

“For us as managers these selection options are the most brilliant headache to have. We didn’t have those options last year when injuries took hold but hopefully, with the additions we’ve made, we can be more competitive now.”

The Blues will chase their seventh league win of the season at New Bucks Head, facing a Telford side who’ve found form after a sluggish start.

Gavin Cowan’s men have taken seven points from their last nine, most recently coming from a goal down to earn a creditable 1-1 draw at Brackley Town.

“They’ve kept the bulk of the team they had there last year and that continuity will only help them this season”, added Johnson.

“They’re a very strong and direct side and are usually quite compact in terms of their set-up.

“We’ve had a lot of success in wide areas this season, with our full-backs over-lapping to get us those overloads that allow us to hurt teams.

“But we’re not naive enough to think we can just turn up there and impose our style of play on them for 90 minutes.

“We’ve got a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses and we’ll go there with a plan.

“We know Telford will make it tough for us though and we’ll have to make sure our defensive shape and workrate are high again for this one.”

Kev Roberts is expected to be out for another week with injury, with Morgan will likely deputise at right back again for the visitors.

A knee injury will keep central midfielder Stopforth out for the next month, with Lloyd Marsh-Hughes the only other absentee for the otherwise full-strength Blues.