National League North
Attendance: 1,063 Half Time: 3-0
Booked: Woodthorpe, Hancox.

Curzon Ashton: Jones, Poscha, Matthews, Buckley-Ricketts (Tetlow 90), Sinclair (Sobowale 68), Spencer, Mols (Mahon 57), Hayhurst, Afuye (Lacey 64), Richards, Barton. Sub not used: Bingley.
Chester: Harrison, Hunter, Rawlinson, Burke, Woodthorpe, Bainbridge, Glendon (Murray 62), Weeks (Hancox 46), Turner (Mottley-Henry 46, ((Roberts 85)), Caton, Peers Sub not used: Pollock.
Referee: Darius Bradley.

It was a day to forget for Chester who were well beaten at Curzon Ashton. It took the home side just two minutes to open the scoring with Devon Matthews heading home Mike Afuye’s corner into the top corner of the net giving Elyh Harrison no chance in the Blues goal. The Nash were causing problems down the Chester flanks with Afuye and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts a constant menace.

The home side doubled their lead on 20 minutes when Harrison’s misplaced clearance went straight to Afuye who made no mistake.

Eight minutes later it got worse as Tom Peers left a leg out to trip Stefan Mols in the box and referee Darius Bradley pointed to the spot. Mols stepped up and sent Harrison the wrong way with his penalty kick

Chester created nothing until the final moments of the half when leading scorer Charlie Caton saw an effort from the edge of the box go just wide. Dylan Mottley-Henry and Mitch Hancox were introduced for the second half at the expense of Declan Weeks and Dan Turner and Chester showed a bit more urgency. However it wasn’t to last long as the home side added a fourth goal just after the hour mark.

A through ball from Isaac Sinclair split the Blues defence leaving Buckley-Ricketts through on goal and he beat Harrison to make it 4-0. A great save from Harrison prevented James Spencer adding a fifth following a mistake from Connell Rawlinson.

Picture © Rick Matthews

Chester slipped to a damaging home defeat against a Buxton side who had, until this evening, not managed even a point on the road this season.

Kieran Burton on loan here last season, was made captain for the day as he led the Bucks on to the pitch. They had to be summoned by the referee’s whistle to attend the kick off as they engaged in an intense little warm up in the corner of the pitch as soon as they emerged. It was a sign of their intent as they came out of the traps early determined to improve on their away form and caught City flat footed with their pressing intensity and running off the ball.

The Bucks took a deserved lead on fourteen minutes as the Blues failed to deal with a short corner. Ethan Fitzhugh rode out two challenges to cut inside and fire a shot past Elyh Harrison. Minutes later they nearly made it two as Andreucci put his shot narrowly wide. Chester were sloppy and lacklustre by comparison. Woodthorpe and Roberts on either wing were often closed down with no out ball and forced to launch it hopefully forward, Caton and Mottley-Henry were willing runners but could not be found often and when they did manage to cross there was no one to take advantage. Willoughby and Caton had shots blocked in quick succession as Buxton defended their penalty area keenly.

After the break City came out with greater purpose and energy. Mottley-Henry and Caton switched wings and caused problems. Glendon’s looping header was tipped on to the bar by the Buxton ‘keeper. Caton cut in from the right and threatened twice with left and right footed efforts. The Bucks had begun to tire after their high intensity first half and reverted to five across the back as they held on grimly to what they had. Grant in goal was booked by the referee for time-wasting a little too obviously.

Burke fired narrowly over from a corner. Peers came on to replace Mottley-Henry and Willoughby went out to the left. With fifteen minutes to go Willoughby crossed and Peers was flattened as he went for the ball. The referee awarded a penalty and booked Burton for the challenge, As Burton protested Buxton players took it in turns to scuff up the penalty spot leading to shuffles and shenanigans all round. Sault and Fitzhugh were both cautioned for their part in it. After a much delayed kick Willoughby hit it cleanly but smashed it against the post.

Try as they might City couldn’t find a way through the wall of white shirts in front of them. Weeks found Willoughby to shoot from the left but his effort was saved and the Blues’ striker seemed to injure himself in the process. Then deep into the seven minutes of added time Glendon hit a final effort over after Peers’ lay off.

City had been without Bainbridge and Rawlinson through injury but Calum McIntyre, the Chester manager said there were no excuses for the poor first half performance which had ultimately cost them the game. The loss was hard to take with the prospect of two difficult matches against Curzon Ashton and Hereford next in the offing.

Colin Mansley

Picture © Rick Matthews

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: Jonathan Maskrey.

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 whiz across the six yard box but evaded the three City players 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.

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 eleven match unbeaten run came to an end as they were knocked out of the FA Cup at Scarborough in front of over 300 travelling supporters.

The Blues were without the suspended defensive duo of Connell Rawlinson and Nathan Woodthorpe and gave a debut, on the bench, for recent signing winger Dylan Mottley-Henry.

Boro started brightly with full backs Kieran Weledji and Alex Brown causing the Chester defence all sorts of problems with goalkeeper Elyh Harrison saving an early effort from Alex Wiles. At the other end Kurt Willoughby blazed an effort wide in a rare Chester counter.

The Seadogs took the lead ten minutes before half time. Bailey Gooda saw an effort come back from the crossbar before a long clearance was headed on by Richie Bennett to Weledji whose cross was converted from close range by Dom Tear.

Three minutes later the home side had doubled their lead as Ben Pollock fouled Bennett in the box, the experienced striker duly dispatched the resulting spot-kick.

Chester started the second half strongly. Charlie Caton saw an effort go just wide and Willoughby forced a fine save from Whitley in the home goal. Whitley was called into the action again to save from Jack Bainbridge before Scarborough wrapped up the tie with a third goal on 65 minutes with Tear adding his second of the day.

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.

Picture © Rick Matthews

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.

Picture © Rick Matthews