Chester had to battle back twice on Saturday before finally seeing off Harrogate Railway Athletic 3-2. Chris Simm was twice on the score sheet in a matter of minutes in the second half to bring Chester the three points after The Rail had seen Wayne Harrett sent-off for a second yellow card. Harrett had opened the scoring for the visitors in the 13th minute with a spectacular 25-yard volley before captain george Horan bundled home the equaliser following a free-kick 15 minutes later. The visitors regained the lead five minutes into the second period before Simm saved Chester’s blushes with goals on 66 and 72 minutes. The Blues remain seven points clear of Skelmersdale at the top of the division and are next in action on Wednesday night when play-off hopefuls Curzon Ashton are in town, kick-off 19:45hrs. For those who can’t get to the game there is of course full live internet commentary, sponsored by The Exiles, on the Blues Live website. • League table | More pictures Picture © Evening Leader

BLUES BACK TO WINNING WAYS

Woodley were reduced to ten men after Harry Bockarie picked up a second yellow card before Wilde wrapped up the points twenty minutes from time heading home George Horan’s pass.

Manager Neil Young said: “Teams like the ones we played here, who aren’t going to win the league, get in the play-offs or go down, will come here to a fantastic stadium and have a real go. But I think you could see our hunger out there. We scored three goals, pressed the game high up the pitch and overall the lads did very well.”

Very sad to report that one of Chester’s great defenders of the 1970/80s Trevor Storton had died aged 61 following a battle with cancer. Storton, who was the club’s record signing at the time, made 396 appearances for Chester between 1974-1984, and scored in arguably the clubs greatest ever victory when they beat league champions Leeds United 3-0 in the 1974/75 League Cup run to the semi-final’s. • Full Obituary

The club have unveiled their new away kit for next season which will be all yellow. The away goalkeepers shirt will be dark purple in colour. The home kit will remain the same as this season. Picture © Evening Leader

Chester suffered only their first away league defeat of the season on Saturday after they were beaten 2-1 at Lancaster City and saw their lead at the top of the table cut to six points.

Chester welcomed back Michael Wilde, Iain Howard and Ashley Williams from injury but they were behind in the opening ten minutes as Billy McKenna reacted quickest to head home from a rebound after Adam Judge had saved his initial effort. Michael Taylor, recalled to the side, drew Chester level just after the break in a period of the game, either side of the interval, that Chester dominated. Parity was short lived though as a mistake by Judge three minutes later gifted Danny Hattersley the winner after the shot-stopped had failed to deal with a back pass.

After the match Blues boss Neil Young said: “It is a little bit worrying that we’ve not been very good in our last three games. But we’ve got to stick together and work together to get it right because we’re at the most critical stage of the season now.

“I don’t know if the players are starting to feel a bit of pressure. We’ve tried to keep it off them the best that we can, but for some reason we’re not playing at the level that we have been playing. We’re having a little dip in form and it’s up to myself and my management team to make sure we turn things around.

Chester gained a point from the home draw with Witton Albion on Saturday despite a below-par performance from Neil Young’s team. The Blues were without Michael Wilde, Ashley Williams and Iain Howard but manager Young refused to use that as an excuse for the disappointing effort, indeed the Blues could well have come away from the game with nothing had the visitors taken one of two chances in the six yard box during the latter stages of the game. Young said: “Our performance was not very good. Witton came here to shut up shop and hit us on the break and, if we’re honest, they should have won the game. “I think their goalkeeper only had one save. We had half chances, but I don’t think we worked hard enough as a team to create opportunities. “We had three key players missing, but we’ve got a squad and we should have been strong enough to win. It just wasn’t a good day at the office.” • League table | More pictures Picture © Evening Leader

Of more concern to the manager will be an injury to Ashley Williams which saw the midfielder substituted after 28 minutes and striker Michael Wilde feeling the effects of a deal leg and having to be replaced just after the hour mark.

The Blues opened the scoring through Steven Beck on 25 minutes only to concede an equaliser within three minutes as Rhodri Giggs’ free-kick slipped under the diving Adam Judge. Chris Simm restored the lead before the interval coolly finishing a one-on-one chance for his sixth goal in nine appearances for Chester.

After a spell there on loan striker Rob Hopley (pictured) has joined Colwyn Bay after the north Wales club tabled an improved offer for his services. He will remembered as the scorer of the clubs first-ever league goal at Warrington Town in the 1-1 draw in August. Hopley went on to make 13+4 appearances for Chester scoring four goals in the process. The club have also announced that Roger Sharrock has had his contract terminated by mutual consent. Sharrock has struggled to recover fitness from a back injury sustained earlier in the season and made just 2+2 appearances for the Blues. The midfielder is to be invited back train with Chester in the pre-season and given the chance to earn a pay-as-you-play contract. Picture © Evening Leader

Chester recorded a crucial victory at promotion rivals on Saturday as captain George Horan, lucky perhaps to still be on the pitch, headed the winning goal at Stormy Corner to give the Blues a massive twelve point lead at the top of the Evo-Stik First Division North. The Blues are now unbeaten in 13 league matches.

Ten minutes before his goal, Horan had been shown a yellow card following a foul on the edge of the area on Ryan Wade – many referees would have given a red and possibly a penalty but the Chester defender escaped on this occasion as cover work by Greg Stones meant the skipper wasn’t the last defender as Wade bore down on goal.

In what was always going to be a tense tight encounter chances were at a premium. Horan had already seen a header cleared off the line and Skem ‘keeper Tom Brocklehurst saved superbly to deny Chris Simm on the stroke of half-time. Earlier in the half the woodwork came to Chester’s rescue as Matty McGinn’s shot beat Adam Judge but not the post.

The winning goal came 16 minutes from time as Horan rose to send a bullet header past Brocklehurst after meeting Stones’ right wing corner to send the vast majority of the 1,171 crowd (a record for the stadium) wild.

A delighted manager Neil Young said: “To come away from home to your nearest rivals, who are also a very good side, and get the three points is fantastic. All credit to the lads. Since the turn of the year they have been superb. Not just in terms of the results they have been getting, but also their work-rate and application.”

“To go to Chorley and then Skelmersdale and win both 1-0 – I’ve got to give all the praise to the players. They’re as hungry as we are and as what the fans are, and they are really digging in. I couldn’t be more pleased with their effort and attitude.”

Chester are back in action on Wednesday night when they entertain Salford City, kick-off 19:45hrs. The game will be covered by the BBC as part of a feature to appear on Saturday’s Football Focus. The Bluesd Legend at the game will be record scorer Stuart Rimmer. Those who can’t get to the match can hear live commentary, sponsoresd by the Exiles, via the Blues live link.

Chester travel to second placed Skelmersdale United tomorrow for what promises to be their toughest test so far this season. Skem, like Chester are bang in form, and have scored more league goals than the Blues this season. Manager Tommy Lawton was yesterday announced as the Evo-Stik division’s Manager of the Month following their commendable six wins and a draw from eight games in February.

The two sides last met on 20 November when Chester ran out 4-0 winners against a lively Skem side who were reduced to ten men following a red card for Steven Akrigg early in the match. Goals for the Blues that day came from Michael Wilde, Tom Field, Stuart Jones and James McCarthy.

Ian Howard will miss Saturday's game as he continues to recover from a nasty ankle injury picked up at Chorley. Both Carl Ruffer and Ashley Williams are expected to hace recovered from knocks picked up in the midweek win at Clitheroe.

Young said: “I am expecting probably our most difficult game of the season and the most important. Skelm are I think along with ourselves the form side of the division and have some excellent young players and a manager who has great knowledge and experience of these situations.”

“My message to our supporters would be that if you can get there and we can turn out again in our vast numbers that will give the players a massive lift again and could be one of the deciding factors in the final result in what I believe as I have said is our biggest and most difficult game of the season so far.”

“It’s a big game and I think it could be the defining moment in the season if we win it. I’m not saying we’ll have won the league by any stretch of the imagination, but it would put us in a very good position.”

The Blues remain nine points clear at the top of the league following last night’s comprehensive 5-0 away win at Clitheroe. Manager Neil Young sent out an attacking line-up and it paid dividends with the Blues scoring three times in the opening half before adding two more after the break. Martin Gritton (pictured) scored on his full debut and had a hand in three of the other goals as Chester repeated the scoreline of the home encounter with their Lancashire opponents three weeks ago.

Steven Beck, Carl Ruffer, Chris Simm and Ashley Williams scored the other goals that cemented their advantage over second placed Skelmersdale United who they travel to on Saturday. Skem won 3-0 at Trafford last night.

A delighted manager Neil Young said: “I thought we played very well. I wanted us to be big and strong and physical as they’ve got a lot of good young lads. We let them in twice in the first half and Adam Judge had to make two fantastic saves, but I thought for the first 50-55 minutes were really at it. I am very pleased with the three points.”

Young’s counterpart at Clitheroe Peter Smith was also generous in his comments about Chester. He told the Clitheroe Advertiser: “We took a bit of a drubbing against Chester. They just have a different class of players and that’s why they are top of the league. You just can’t compete against them. Our lads worked hard and gave everything they had, but at the end of the day Chester had that extra bit of quality; they are going places.”

“Chester are going all the way back to the top. They will be playing in the football league again within time. They’ve got quality players and proven goalscorers. It’s testament to the quality within the division, it’s a competitive league.”

• League table