CONFUSION still surrounds Saturday’s opening league match of the season at the New Rec where Grays Athletic will face Chester City.

There were doubts as to whether the match would be played due to Chester’s lack of affiliation with the FA following huge financial problems and the takeover of the club.

But the match will go ahead after the north-west side were deducted 25 points. They had already been due to be docked 10 points for going into administration.

Still up in the air is any idea on who will be in charge of the home side if they are in action.

It is widely rumoured that Craig Edwards, who took over the managerial hot-seat in the summer for a second spell, has departed with assistant Steve Browne.

Certainly he was nowhere to be seen on Tuesday night when Grays lost at Bromley in their last pre-season game.

Grays’ press spokesman Kevin Lamb said that he could make no comment on the managerial situation at the current time.

On the managerial front, ex-Weymouth boss Alan Lewer was in the Grays dugout in midweek along with Gary Phillips, last season’s boss who is still on the coaching staff.

With John Moncur having taken over as chairman in place of Mike Woodward, who is still majority shareholder, more ex-West Ham names are being linked with the club.

These include former Northern Ireland international Steve Lomas and Julian Dicks.

Former Canvey Island player and Wivenhoe Town manager Dicks was recently featured in the Echo where he said he wanted a return to football management.

Grays signed no less than 10 new players on Wednesday with the list headed by experienced non-league striker Lee McEvilly. Adriano Rigoglioso, Fred Murray, Ronnie Bull, Sam Cutler, Preston Edwards, Ken Davis, Cameron Mawer, Billy Lumley and Billy Crowther complete the newcomers’ line-up.