BRADFORD (Park Avenue) manager Mark Bower says the ‘celebrity status’ of Chester’s Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley can often detract from the excellent work they have done at non-league level.

Johnson and Morley, who bring their fifth-placed side to Horsfall tomorrow, are well-known as the former managers of Salford City, with their passionate antics on the touchline and in the dressing room caught on camera for BBC and Sky fly-on-the-wall documentaries.

But the pair did lead Salford to three promotions in four seasons, as well as an FA Cup second round appearance while they were still in the seventh tier of English football.

Discussing the duo, Bower said: “I like them both. It’s not my thing (TV exposure) but it’s not really theirs either. It’s just what happened down at Salford.

“I think it detracts from their success sometimes too.

“Chester now have got a real chance as the top two (York City and King’s Lynn Town) have faltered in the last few games.

“But I’ve had some good battles with Anthony and Bernard over the years and we had a great win against them at home last season.”

That will be tough to replicate tomorrow, with Avenue rock-bottom of the Vanarama National League North and 15 points off safety.

Bower admitted there is a real gulf between themselves and Chester too, saying: “Chester have played more than us in the last few weeks and they’ve got a hybrid structure there, which means they can train on daytimes and evenings.

“They’re naturally more prepared than us and they’ve got really good experience, which will stand them in good stead over the last part of the season, where you sort the men from the boys.

“They’ve got quality in both boxes, top level strikers who know where the goal is and a solid defensive triangle (goalkeeper and two centre backs).

“Their players and managers have been there and done it and had success in getting promotion before.

“But we have some lads who’ve been there and done it too, and we’re looking to them to do the right things at the right time tomorrow.”

Bower, who expects the game to be played on a “difficult, bobbly” pitch at Horsfall, called on his players to be ready from the off.

They have conceded within the first five minutes against Boston United, Hereford and Altrincham already in 2020 and Bower said: “We’ve got to focus and get used to the pace of the game.

“We need to concentrate, especially in that first 10 to 15 minutes, to give ourselves a platform going forward.

“It’s natural when you’ve not played for a while (Chester is set to be Avenue’s first game in a month) that it takes time to get going again and we’ve had to find that balance between giving the players a little breather and doing training work.

“We just want to be playing regularly again.”

Bower expects a clean bill of health for Chester except Jamie Lyons, who is absent with a concussion he picked up in an academy game.