James Chester: Former Wales and Premier League defender keen to enjoy life in fourth tier
- Published
Chester (right) battling against ex-Watford captain Troy Deeney in a League Two match between Barrow and Forest Green Rovers
It was a chance text message that saw James Chester end up at Barrow. But he is absolutely loving life in League Two at the back end of his career.
Chester has played in a European Championship with Wales. He scored in an FA Cup final for Hull City.
And his path into professional football came through the ranks at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
But even now, nothing beats the thrill of playing football, which this Saturday will mean a home game for Chester against Crawley Town at the SO Legal Stadium.
'Enjoyed being with the lads'
The 34-year-old was at a loose end in the summer when his contract at Derby County had expired.
His spell in League One with the Rams had only lasted a season, but it had been ruined by a calf injury limiting him to just seven appearances and left him wondering what would happen next.
The modern obsession with data in terms of player recruitment was not in his favour and Chester was faced with being left out in the cold until he reached out to Barrow manager Pete Wild.
"I was going to Derby to keep fit during pre-season but after two or three weeks, I was conscious not to overstay my welcome," Chester told BBC Sport.
"My wife's friend's husband is manager of a non-league team called Avro and he knows Pete through the circuit.
"He told me to send Pete a text as we knew they trained in the Manchester area and I asked if I could come along.
"I started training and I really enjoyed being in and around the lads. I was then offered a contract and I'm really pleased I've done it."
Chester (left), alongside Gareth Bale, played in all six of Wales' matches as they reached the last four at Euro 2016 in France
'More enjoyment than pressure'
Chester has played in all bar one of Barrow's League Two fixtures since his debut and he has helped the Bluebirds climb up to sixth in the table on the back of a seven-match unbeaten run.
With a young family at home, the motivation now for the former Wales international is to get to perform in front of his children.
That sense of enjoyment that only football can bring was mentioned in a recent match with Forest Green Rovers when Chester was marking another former Premier League veteran in ex-Watford striker Troy Deeney.
And it is what is keeping Chester motivated to keep performing.
"The feelings are slightly different now and I spoke to Troy about this for a bit," said the defender, capped 35 times by Wales.
"We probably have similar feelings about it as we're at the stage of our careers where the pressure is off.
"That is not to say that results and performances are not important, but it's more about enjoyment rather than the pressure of what we had earlier on.
"It's still exciting - that's certainly how it felt winning at Bradford City last Saturday. That was a really good feeling playing in front of a big crowd and that is always the same, whether it's a European Championship semi-final, FA Cup final or League Two.
"But it's a case of trying to enjoy my football for what it is, rather than thinking about trying to further my career."
James Chester (centre) celebrates scoring for Hull City in 2014 FA Cup final with Tom Huddlestone (left) and Alex Bruce
'Standard of football improved dramatically'
For someone who played in the Premier League with Hull and West Brom, and then in the Championship with Aston Villa and Stoke City, dropping down into the fourth tier could have been a culture shock.
There had been loan spells in the early part of his career at Peterborough United and Carlisle United in the third tier, but nothing this low.
However, Chester has been impressed by what he has discovered in the past two months.
"I really must admit that I have been pleasantly surprised with the football and the way most of the teams are trying to play," he added.
"I wasn't worried that it would be a dogfight, but I remember early on when I was out on loan and even in the Championship with Hull, it could be a bit like that.
"But the standard of football has changed dramatically throughout my career.
"Now my motivation is to play football, get as many league appearances as I can, so my kids can remember seeing me play."
James Chester has played in 10 of the 11 League Two games since joining Barrow in September
'Make us tough to play against'
In the most famous moments of Chester's career, he has been used to succeeding with an underdog team.
Hull got promoted to the Premier League in 2013 and reached the FA Cup final a year later - losing 3-2 to Arsenal - against the odds.
Nobody expected Wales to reach the semi-finals of the European Championship in 2016.
And in a division with teams like Stockport County, Hollywood-owned Wrexham, and well-supported clubs like Bradford and Notts County, Barrow are definitely one of the underdogs.
"So far in the games I've played, there is not a great deal of difference between us and the automatic promotion contenders," he said.
"With the added financial backing of those bigger clubs, that may prove an advantage later in the season, but we're really pleased as a group with how we're doing.
"The challenge for us is to make Barrow a tough team for others to play against and I think we're doing that.
"So going away and upsetting one of the big teams like we did at Bradford is a really good feeling.
"That was like one of the games I've been involved in for the majority of my career."
Get closer to the action with BBC Sport's new dedicated League One and League Two live text commentary service, starting on Saturday, 18 November.
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