Liverpool send goalkeeper Andy Firth on loan to Chester till the end of the season

Liverpool academy goalkeeper Andy Firth has joined Chester FC on loan till the end of the season. The 21-year-old has been with the Reds since he was part of the Under-11 side and will now be looking to make a name for himself by embarking on a fresh challenge with the national league side.

Firth is a regular member of the Reds' under-23 squad, working closely under the tutelage of Mark Morris. He will come into the squad to replace Alex Lynch, who has been released by the club following 45 appearances under the watchful eye of manager Marcus Bignot.

Firth was only on the bench as Chester suffered a humbling 3-0 loss to Maidenhead, with their chances of staying in the division hanging by a thread. The club are going through a dire period financially and unless there is an influx of money into the club at the earliest, there is a chance that they could go out of business.

The Blues remain four points from safety but their position is made more precarious by the fact that they have now played two more games than fifth-from-bottom Barrow AFC after their defeat to Maidenhead.

Supporters have started to make themselves useful in the situation, with donations being handed out to the club to get out of their position. However, further reductions to the playing staff are going to be needed before the end of the season which is going to make their situation more precarious.

"It doesn't get any easier but I hope now the supporters are understanding from a management point of view of the situation we find ourselves in. We've brought a goalkeeper in today despite there being no budget for another goalkeeper," Bignot told the club's official website.

"I am literally going to have to beg, steel and borrow. It's a difficult task but I'm up for it. I've been at a football club before that nearly went out of business at Solihull Moors and look at what we built there. I see similarities in terms of the circumstances of what's needed here."