CHESTER ROMANS return to American football action this weekend, looking for revenge against a Nottingham team who snatched victory when the two sides met earlier in the month.

Nottingham Caesars were able to sneak to a 7-6 win over the Romans on April 14, despite Chester scoring the only touchdown of the first game of the BAFANL NFC 1 South division.

But with any possible opening-day nerves now out of the way, Chester Romans Head Coach, Levi Edwards, hopes to show the rest of the league what his side are capable of.

Following the defeat, he said: “We try to keep everything very business-like, keeping the guys moving, focused, and on a tight schedule to stop us from getting lost in the moment.

“Nobody knew what to expect (from the first game), but it was a matter of the guys getting their nerves out of the way.

“It’s a little unconventional seeing them again straight away, but it’s going to be good and we’re looking forward to going at those guys again.

“We’re hoping to set things right by showing that we have a lot of potential still to fulfil.”

Chester Romans enjoyed an emphatic season last year, winning seven of their eight games in the NFC 2 Central Division – and drawing the other – on their way to securing promotion to the NFC 1 South.

But Edwards is keen to dismiss talk of a first American football defeat since 2017 having an impact on their ambitions this time out. He added: “Last year, we didn’t really struggle too much.

“So, this result at the beginning of the season is something we can rally around and move forward with. It’s nice to have it over and done with, so we can get rid of those nerves and roll on for the rest of the season.”

The Romans are currently playing at their highest domestic American football level since 2015 – a year where they finished seventh in an eight-team league.

That season, Nottingham Caesars recorded two crucial wins (28-25 and 22-12) over Chester Romans, which ultimately contributed to the Romans’ relegation, but Edwards is keen to prove that his side now have what it takes to compete at the highest levels of the British American Football Leagues.

The Head Coach said: “We’ll make minor adjustments here and there and, looking back, we need to be more effective in our plays.

“But the philosophy we have is that everything stays the same week in, week out – the way we practice and do everything is very similar.

“There’s obviously positives and negatives to take from (the defeat), with a positive being that what we’ve been doing is working, and that we belong at this level.

Elsewhere in the NFC 1 South Division, the early pacesetters Shropshire Revolution and Sandwell Steelers face-off in a clash where something has to give after both teams won their opening two games.