News from Deva Stadium January 2020

Bradley Jackson has signed a new 18-month contract at Chester with the club having an option of another year on top of that. The 23-year-old winger, who joined from Ashton United in December 2018, has been in great form this season and has attracted interest from several league clubs over recent weeks.

Picture © Rick Matthews

GLENDON SIGNS ON
Midfielder George Glendon has signed a deal at Chester which takes him up to the end of next season. The 24-year-old was released by Carlisle United last summer and joined the Blues in August. Since then he’s gone on to make 22+3 appearances, scoring 1 goal.

HOME DRAW FOR YOUTH TEAM
Chester have been drawn at home to Rugby Town in the fifth round of the National League Alliance League Cup. Rugby Town beat Kettering Town 2-0 at home in the fourth round. The game will take place on Wednesday 12 February.

30 January 2020
BLUES LACKING CONSISTENCY
Following their fine display against the Quakers on Saturday, the Blues were brought back down to earth last night was a 2-0 defeat at Gateshead. The Blues contested the first half well at the International Stadium, but two goals after the break from Jordan Preston and Ruairi Keating sealed another defeat in the north east.

Picture © Rick Matthews

Joint manager Anthony Johnston said: “There was plenty of endeavour but plenty of endeavour away at Gateshead on a Tuesday night isn’t going to win you the league. First hour we did OK and we looked really compact and had a good shape about us, organised, and we played some good stuff. The second half they looked fresher, fitter, stronger than us, better than us.”

“We didn’t really trouble their 18-yard box until the last 10 minutes when we had nothing to lose, but we can’t keep relying on your number nine having a good game or Grandy and Danny getting on the end of things, other players need to step up and make things happen on night's like this.”

“Everyone is right when you talk about the lack of consistency. If we can’t score at that end then take a 0-0 draw and keep a clean sheet. But it was sloppy goals as well and the second goal epitomised the night for me, it was really sloppy.”

“Let’s not take anything away from them as they were better than us. They moved the ball better than us, they had more desire from forward runners to get beyond their striker. We didn’t make them work for it.”

Defeat for Chester leaves them in third place, eight points behind Saturday’s opponents at Bootham Crescent, York City.

• Table after Gateshead defeat

27 January 2020
HOME WIN FOR BLUES
Chester beat fellow promotion contenders Darlington 3-0 a home on Saturday in front of a crowd of over 2,000. A fantastic opening strike from Bradley Jackson was followed with further goals after the break from Akwasi Asante and Danny Livesey brought home the three points that keep the Blues in third place, eight points behind York City.

Joint manager Bernard Morley said: “I still think we could be better in possession as a better side on the day might have caused us a little bit of damage. For a side that could have gone level on points with us today it was really important we got the job done and a fourth clean sheet since the New Year is another great achievement at this level of football.”

“I felt we huffed and puffed a bit in the first half and we needed to be better in possession, it was like a hot potato at times and it was end to end. We go out in the second half and got two early goals and really settled into the second half and our game management was a lot better.”

Picture © Rick Matthews

24 January 2020
ONE OUT, ONE IN

Craig Mahon has joined fellow National League North side Altrincham in a deal that has seen Alty’s 25-year-old winger John Johnston join the Blues. Johnston has previously played for managers Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley at Salford City. He has signed an 18 month contract.

Mahon had recently been on loan at Ashton United, and was a great servant to the club making 175+64 appearances and scoring 18 goals since joining from Vauxhall Motors in the summer of 2013.

Picture © Rick Matthews

ELIOTT OUT ON LOAN
Forward Danny Elliott has joined fellow National League North side Alfreton Town on a one month loan. The 24-year-old has scored 8 goals in 9+12 appearances this season. Five of the goals have come in the Cheshire Senior Cup.

19 January 2020
LEAMINGTON STALEMATE
Chester drew 0-0 at Leamington on Saturday. It was a scrappy game of few chances with Brakes goalkeeper Jake Weaver making a great low save to deny a close range effort from Anthony Dudley in the second half.

15 January 2020
YOUTH TEAM MARCH ON
Congratulations to the Youth Team who won 9-1 away at Rugby Borough today to reach the quarter-final of the National League Alliance League Cup.

WARING UPDATE
It appears that the cheekbone injury suffered by George Waring a Guiseley is worse that first thought and the striker could now be sidelined for up to eight weeks.

13 January 2020
BLUES DUMPED OUT OF TROPHY
Chester were beaten 3-0 at Royston Town in the second round of the FA Trophy on Saturday. The Crows scored three headed goals through Matt Bateman twice, and Josh Castiglione after the break against a Blues side that offered nothing during the second period. The first half saw Chester spurn two great chances to open the scoring as Anthony Dudley saw an effort from six yards saved and James Jones saw a near post header from a corner go just wide. Other than that Chester, who were missing Akwasi Asante and George Waring up front, created nothing of note on an extremely disappointing afternoon.

8 January 2020
SENIOR CUP PROGRESS
A goal by Danny Elliott was enough to see Chester progress to the Quarter Final’s of the Cheshire Senior Cup with a 1-0 home win over Stockport Town in front of a crowd of 321. The Blues will be at home to either Crewe Alexandra or Tranmere Rovers in the quarter final.

Chester: Griffiths, Morgan, Taylor, Burton, Hayes, Macready, Crilly (Goodwin 71), Glendon, Elliott, Ngwatala (Noble 78), Murray (Hampson 82). Subs not used: Burke, Rubin.

6 January 2020
BLOW FOR WARING

Forward George Waring has sustained a double fracture of the cheekbone during Saturday’s win at Guiseley. Chester-born Waring will miss Saturday’s FA Trophy match at Royston Town but hopes to resume playing, while wearing a protective mask, soon after.

Picture © Rick Matthews

BATTLING BLUES COMPLETE A GUISELEY DOUBLE
A goal by defender James Jones was enough to bring Chester a hard earned three points to complete the double over Guiseley on Saturday. The Blues named an unchanged side from the one that comprehensively beat Southport on Wednesday, and scored the only goal of the game on 11 minutes as Jones headed in at the far post from a Matty Waters corner.

4 January 2020
MEMORIAL SERVICE
Chester supporters and former players turned out in their numbers to attend a memorial service held to honour former player Gary Talbot who died shortly before Christmas. The Chester FC squad formed a guard of honour at the service which was held at St Mary’s Church, Eccleston yesterday.

3 January 2020
MANAGER’S SIGN NEW CONTRACTS
Joint manager’s Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley have extended their contracts at Chester. The duo have signed new two and a half year deals that will take them to the end of the 2021/22 season.

A statement from CFU vice chairman Andrew Morris said: “The Board of City Fans United are delighted to secure the contract extension of Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson until May 2022.”

“Successful football Clubs are built through sustained and continued improvement on and off the pitch and the work that these managers have done over the last 18 months to develop a footballing infrastructure, which aligned to our Club values, has been remarkable given where the Club were when they joined.”

“The board look forward to working with the managers for the duration of the contract and have the upmost confidence that the club will continue to progress under their stewardship.”

2 January 2020
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Chester started the New Year in emphatic style completing the double over Southport. The Blues put Saturday’s disappointing home defeat to Curzon Ashton behind them as they romped to a 4-0 victory over the Sandgrounders.

Defender Simon Grand opened the scoring on 37 minutes to give the Blues a deserved lead at the interval. Two more goals from Akwasi Asante and one from Anthony Dudley after the break equaled Chester’s biggest league win of the season.

Joint manager Bernard Morley said: “Today was about winning and not what personnel were playing, what formation, what plan we were going to use, it was just about winning at all costs and that is what we told the lads.”

“I thought there was a bit of anxiety in the first half but we got them in at half time 1-0 up with a clean sheet and told them that we needed to apply ourselves better than what we did against Curzon in the second half which they obviously did and came away with a magnificent result.”

“I don’t think Southport have sat behind the ball, I think they’ve come and had a go and that is the reason the game was end to end and the quality shone through in the end.”

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