Chorley looking to upset the odds once again - Magpies face York City this evening

Chorley will have to upset the odds once more this season if they are to bounce back into the National League at the first time of asking.
Chorley defeated Gateshead on Saturday in the FA Cup
(Photo: Stefan Willoughby)Chorley defeated Gateshead on Saturday in the FA Cup
(Photo: Stefan Willoughby)
Chorley defeated Gateshead on Saturday in the FA Cup (Photo: Stefan Willoughby)

That is the view of Magpies boss Jamie Vermiglio as his men prepare to open their National League North campaign this evening at York City.

The last time Chorley competed at this level, they topped the table for virtually the entire 2018-19 campaign before eventually sealing promotion via the play-offs.

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It was certainly a memorable year for the club especially as they were battling against bigger clubs with more resources.

Once again Chorley head into the new campaign with one of the smaller budgets in the division, but Vermiglio believes that should not stop them from being competitive.

It will certainly be a youthful looking Chorley team which takes to the field this evening, but already they have shown their pedigree by beating Gateshead in the

FA Cup on Saturday.

“Make no bones about it – our budget will be in the bottom five, as it often is,” said Vermiglio.

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“You look at the teams we are going up against in terms of investment in players – some of the deals which are on the table are really strong at this level of football.

“Clubs are investing off the pitch – York have invested in a new ground.

“So we know it’s going to be really tough by myself, my players and staff, we want to try our best and see if we can win promotion.

“We feel like we can defeat the odds again and be up there this season.

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“We want to be up and around the play-offs. If we do that then it will have been an extremely successful season for the club.

“We just want to compete and that’s what I have been telling the players and they have been telling me that they feel they can compete at the top end of the division.

“We have a history of being in the top 10 – and better – over the past 10 years.

“That is something which we have been really proud about as a club.

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“We have been involved in three or four promotions over the last 10 years, countless play-off campaigns.

“We’ve had that one relegation from last season which has been a real blemish on our record, but we are determined to be up there again challenging.”

Vermiglio was thrilled with his team’s display on Saturday which saw them move to the third round of qualifying in the competition.

Two early goals set them on their way and Vermiglio said: “We were excellent from start to finish.

“It was a game that demanded grit, determination and honest hard work and we showed all those qualities.”