“I know as a manager that when things aren’t going well then it can be a very lonely place. I always analyse myself and I’m struggling to think what more I could have done or what I could have done better against Halifax.

“We switched off from a free kick and that just about summed us up. I think the days of players taking more responsibility are over. Now it’s always the manager’s fault. Some individuals will have to look at themselves because some of them are making basic errors and they are costing us.

Manager Neil Young told the Chester Leader:“I told the lads after the match that they have to be braver, they’ve got to want to commit from wide areas, but when you’re down there near the foot of the table it’s sometimes all about protecting a point. But our lads have got to go and get on those runs, put balls in from wide areas, and turn the full backs.”

“I feel we’re defending well and I can’t fault their effort, commitment, and guile. But the hardest bit in football is trying to be a little bit more creative and braver then hopefully someone will get on the end of a chance.”

Chester made changes after the break bringing on Gareth Seddon and McDonald for Ben Mills and Alex Titchener but it was the home side who scored on the hour mark through the unmarked Elliott Frear to grab the lead. Lewis Turner blasted a great opportunity over the bar before from the time the game was over as Clovis Kamdjo headed home a third for the Whites five minutes from time.

Both sides were reduced to ten men in the closing stages, Salisbury’s Angus MacDonald was dismissed for a tussle with Seddon who was yellow carded and Chester’s MCdonald was sent-off for lashing out at James Clarke.

“I just had a feeling at half time that three or four of the players didn’t have the desire to go out and win us the game. They were waiting for somebody else to do it. It was a missed opportunity, but our performance wasn’t good enough.”

There was a dramatic end to the game with Gareth Seddon seeing a header that looked to have crossed the line four minutes from time being ruled out for offside, while the Darts thought they’d snatched the winner in stoppage time only for Danny Harris effort to also be ruled out with an offside flag.

On the plus side, the Blues recorded a second clean sheet since the signing of experienced centre half Danny Higginbotham. Young told the Chester leader: “We have kept two cleansheets now which is a positive, but we need someone at the other end of the pitch to score goals and as people know those players cost money.”

Chester doubled their advantage on 17 minutes as Nathan Turner beat Evans on the left before cutting the ball back for brother Lewis to poke the ball home from ten yards.

Wrexham applied some pressure for the rest of the half but it was 30 minutes before their first real effort as Bradley Reid saw a shot following a corner blocked by Linwood, to appeals for a handball from the home fans.

The home side forced 14 corners during the 90 minutes but the Chester defence, boosted by the experienced Higginbotham, held firm. Seven minutes from time Ashley Williams was given a straight red card for raising his hands to Reid.

After the match Linwood dedicated his goal to midfielder Danny Harrison’s dad who unexpectanlty passed away 48 hours before the match. Linwood told the Chester Leader: “I’d like to dedicate my goal and the win to Danny Harrison’s dad. For Danny to play today showed great character considering what he and his family are going through at present. For him to put on a jersey and play for 90 minutes is outstanding and I know his dad would have been very proud.”

Harrison went on to tell the Leader: “It wasn’t easy to play against Wrexham after my dad had died earlier in the week but it’s just something I’ve done all my life. People were all saying it’s what my dad would have wanted.”

“I think sometimes when you’re out on the pitch, the emotion is taken out of you, particularly things in you’re private life. It was a relief when the final whistle went. I’m glad I got through it. I’m obviously over the moon that we managed to get all three points.”