Match reports from October 2024

Saturday 19 October
Chester 0 Scunthorpe United 0
National League North
Attendance: 3,277 Half Time: 0-0
Booked: Woodthorpe.

Chester: Harrison, Roberts, Burke, Rawlinson, Woodthorpe, Bainbridge, Glendon, Weeks, Caton, Peers, Mottley-Henry (Willoughby 66) Subs not used: Hunter, Pollock, Murray, Turner.
Scunthorpe United: Fitzsimons, Nicholson, Kouogun, Evans, Clunan, Beestin, Whitehall, Roberts, Scales, Denton, Barrows. Subs not used: Kelly, Boyce, Fishburn, Brogan, Shrimpton.
Referee: JonathanMaskrey.

There was a great atmosphere at the Deva as the League leaders and Chester emerged from the tunnel. It was good to see the stadium populated on all four sides again with flags flying through a blue smokescreen at the Harry Mac End.

As a game, however neither side managed to light the blue touch paper to ignite anything more spectacular. Peers worked an early opening for Caton but his half volley flashed wide of the far post. Scunthorpe then dominated proceedings for a while, pressing forward and moving the ball about from midfield to either wing without creating a sight at goal. City next dominated possession looking to release home debutant Mottley-Henry on the right. Iron struggled to contain him and Scales was booked for bringing him down. Woodthorpe’s cross from the left was met by Peers but his shot was defected wide. The Chester left back was unfortunate to be cautioned early on when he slipped on the wet surface and inadvertently brought down Barrows.

The Iron got more than a glimmer of goal when Fitzsimons’ quick kick sent danger man Calum Roberts through on goal. Harrison rushed out and managed to block the striker’s first attempt to get it past him and then recovered to deny Whitehall at the far post. Just before the break Peers was set up gloriously by Caton. Peers miscued but then saw the linesman’s flag raised in any case.

The new scoreboard was useful in keeping time at least and even counted down the fifteen minute half-time interval. Right on the dot both teams emerged to kick off the second half where the game followed a similar pattern. Both teams nullified each other to a large extent but Chester created the better half-chances. An overlapping run by Woodthorpe saw his cross whizz across the six yard box but evaded the three City plyers in the area. Weeks dug out space to clip a shot towards the top corner but Fitzsimons palmed it away. Burke found the room to meet a corner with his head but the keeper grabbed it under the bar.

It seemed that if either side were going to score it would be from a counter attack. When a long ball found Whitehall through on goal Burke recovered superbly to thwart him. Calum Roberts went on a slippery run with the ball and won a free kick on the edge of the area in a dangerous spot. Thankfully he fired it well over.

The game could easily have gone either way but a stalemate was probably the right result. Scunthorpe remain top Chester slipped to seventh but there are few points between the leading sides at the moment. There is some long way to go yet but the title beckons for a team that can put a winning run together.

Colin Mansley

Saturday 12 October
Scarborough Athletic 3 Chester 1
FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying
Attendance: 1,803 (327 Chester) Half Time: 2-0
Booked: Pollock, Roberts, Bainbridge, Glendon.

Scarborough Athletic: Whitley, Weledji, Maloney, Thornton, Gooda, Purver, Wiles (Glynn 80), Tear (Green 84), Brown, Maltby, Bennett (Mulhern 84). Subs not used: Chamberlain, Duckworth, Wilson.
Chester: Harrison, Hunter, Pollock (Murray 71), Burke, Roberts, Bainbridge, Weeks, Glendon, Willoughby (Mottley-Henry 66), Caton, Peers. Subs not used: Mason, Hancox, Rosenblatt, Turner.
Referee: Joe Moss.

Chester’s run in the FA Cup comes to an end as they are well beaten at Scarborough Athletic.

Saturday 5 October
Chester 0 Farsley Celtic 0
National League North
Attendance: 2,459 Half Time: 0-0
Booked: Bainbridge, Turner, Woodthorpe.
Sent-off: Woodthorpe.

Chester: Harrison, Hunter (Roberts 61) Rawlinson, Burke, Woodthorpe, Bainbridge, Weeks, Glendon, Murray (Caton 61), Willoughby, Turner (Peers 61) Subs not used: Pollock, Hancox.
Farsley Celtic: Wooster, Asseno, Branson, Watson (Fielding 80), Atkinson, Stephenson, Allan, Campton-Sturridge (Youmbi 64), Greenfield, Sloane, Hyde (Fox 94). Subs not used: Misambo, Mampala.
Referee: Richard Holmes.

Chester were frustrated by a Farsley Celtic side that have played all their games away from home this season following probems with their pitch back at the Citadel. The Celts nevertheless occupied a respectable mid table position as they came to the Deva.

Caton and Peers were on the bench following the midweek exertions against Stockton, so Turner and Willoughby with Murray on the left provided the Blues attacking options to begin with. Turner made some good opportunities down the right at the start but couldn’t deliver a telling cross. Woodthorpe also disappointed with an overlapping cross from the left. Bainbridge rose to glance a header wide.

The visitors were largely content to sit in with five at the back and three across midfield as City found it increasingly difficult to break them down. The Celts made a couple of breaks out of defence but didn’t trouble Harrison on either occasion.

After the break frustrations mounted as Celtic dug in even further and barely crossed the halfway line. City, perhaps leg weary after playing for so long with ten men on Tuesday night seemed slightly off the boil. Calum McIntyre pepped things up by making a triple substitution – Roberts, Peers and Caton came on and City began to move the ball about more quickly in attacking areas.

Weeks was tugged back by Greenfield and given a free kick. Willoughby lined it up and his exquisite effort crashed down off the crossbar and bounced away to safety. That was the closest the new scoreboard – donated courtesy of Pauline Meakins, her family and the Away Travel Supporters came to being christened. As it was, the digital clock provided a welcome track on proceedings.

As the clock clicked through the seven minutes of stoppage time, mostly accrued by the Farsley ‘keeper’s time wasting, Woodthorpe went down in the penalty area. It did not seem a penalty but the referee issued a second yellow for simulation that saw the unlucky left back leave early. Still though, Farsley stayed in their own half as City continued to press for a winner even with ten men. Glendon wriggled through in the dying seconds to take a pot at goal but his effort was smothered and so the game fizzled out to a disappointing draw.

City must now travel to Scarborough in the Cup next weekend without Rawlinson and Woodthorpe who will have one match suspensions. Back in the League – the point gained saw them slip to third in the table, though the leaders Scunthorpe were also held at home by Oxford City so the three point gap to the top remains the same.

Colin Mansley

Tuesday 1 October
Chester 1 Stockton Town 0
FA Cup Third Round Qualifying Replay
Attendance: 1,397 Half Time: 0-0
Booked: Hancox, Bainbridge.
Sent-off: Rawlinson.

Chester: Harrison, Hunter, Rawlinson, Burke, Woodthorpe, Bainbridge, Weeks, Glendon, Willoughby (Hancox 85), Caton (Turner 67), Peers (Roberts 22). Subs not used: Brown, Murray, Rosenblatt.
Stockton Town: Harker, King, Baggs, Painter, Nicholson, Coulthard, Roberts (Beddow 72), Leech (Purewal 82), Fowler (Spears 88), Butterworth, Gallagher. Subs not used: Johnson, Burtles.
Referee: Jonathan Chadwick.

Connell Rawlinson, the last minute saviour for Chester whose equaliser forced this replay, became the fall-guy after only two minutes of the re-match. He under-hit a back pass and then compounded the mistake by tugging the shirt of Mikey Roberts as he sought to take advantage. The referee took a dim view and – somewhat harshly – produced a straight red card for the City centre back.

The Blues had to readjust quickly and Bainbridge moved back to cover in defence. Stockton tried to press home their advantage as they moved the ball crisply forward and back and forth to either wing. A couple of drilled crosses flashed across City’s box but they came to nothing. Eventually Tom Peers was withdrawn to allow Kevin Roberts to take over at centre back and release Bainbridge back to his midfield role. This gave a more solid shape to Chester as they continued to repel Stockton’s forward momentum.

Chester did manage to get forward themselves in fits and bursts. Caton cut in from the left and fired in a shot just under the bar which Harker tipped over. Willoughby hit a direct free kick towards the top corner which Harker juggled to safety. Declan Weeks sent his half-volley narrowly over the bar after being found by a pass from Glendon. But Stockton also posed a threat and Mikey Roberts’ overhead kick was blocked – inadvertently - by a defender in blue.

After the break the visitors came forward and Roberts fired another cross into the box. Woodthorpe somehow scooped it over the bar. As the crowd grew quiet, absorbed in the contest, Calum McIntyre turned to the Harry Mac End and called out “We need you!” The home fans found their voice as the Blues attacked the South Stand end. Willoughby had a golden chance when he whipped the ball past a defender and bore down on goal but his finish hit the base of the post and bounced clear to safety. Not long later though, City were ahead when Weeks swung over a corner from the left and Burke met it at the far post. His header somehow squeezed in between Harker and the post.

Having got their noses in front City held out for the final twenty minutes and defended exceptionally well especially from Stockton’s set pieces. Caton and then Willoughby were replaced having run themselves into the ground but the whole side worked so hard for this victory after the early setback. The reward: – a tricky tie at Scarborough to be played a week on Saturday. All involved will need to put their feet up for a while after tonight before Farsley Celtic visit the Deva on Saturday.

Colin Mansley

Webmaster

Back | Top