Match reports from September 2025

Saturday 27 September
Chester 5 Curzon Ashton 1
FA Cup Third Round Qualifying
Attendance: 1,740. Half-time 2-0
Booked: -.

Chester: Murray-Jones, Woodthorpe, Weeks, Leak, Bainbridge, Zanzala (F.Roberts 85), Murray (Shrimpton 88), Mottley-Henry, P.Jones (Woods 78), Carson, K.Roberts (Kelly-Evans 72). Subs not used: Barlow, J,Jones, Burgess.
Curzon Ashton: Hawkins, Sobowale (Amado 46), Poscha, Stobbs, Spencer, T.Weston, McLean (Curran 55), C.Weston (Rodwell-Grant 62), Holmes (Darby 62), Barton, Ezennolim (Stafford 71). Subs not used: Richards, Owen.
Referee: Melissa Burgin.

Though these sides met just over a month ago in the League this cup tie was a much different encounter. Right from the kick off both sides pressed forward in what soon became an end to end encounter. First Chester would attack and then Curzon would break away to try to score on the counter.

Twice the visitors had the ball in the net during the first half but on both occasions the linesman’s flag was raised will before the ball hit the onion bag. Chester’s goals on the other hand stood to give them a two-nil advantage by half time.

First, on twenty minutes, Mottley-Henry rose to meet Woodthorpe’s delicious cross. His header rebounded off the upright but Zanzala pounced to nod the bouncing ball over the line and delighted in first goal for the club. Ten minutes later Weeks and Zanzala linked up cleverly down the right releasing Pat Jones to hit a venomous cross into the six yard box. Mottley-Henry was poised to turn it in but was beaten to it by Stobbs as he recorded an unfortunate own-goal. Zanzala and Weeks both went close but City could not add to their score before the break.

The visitors replaced Sobowale at half time after being tormented by Jones on the right wing – a mirror image of the league game when Jones faced him on the opposite flank. The introduction of playmaker Curran after 55 minutes signalled that the Nash were still intent on salvaging something from the tie. But the Blues still found room to carry the play forward and their third goal arrived courtesy of a brilliant piece of play by Mottley-Henry. He’d already had a sighter-shot which Hawkins had palmed away but this time he dribbled in from the left and curled a beauty into the far corner.

The goal seemed decisive and Chester were now in confident mood. Mottley-Henry glanced a shot off the bar when it seemed easier to score but Pat Jones added a fourth after his first effort had been blocked. And then Connor Woods, barely a minute after he had come on as substitute, crashed home goal number five after Fin Roberts had hit the post. The Nash grabbed a consolation goal in the dying minutes to blot an otherwise perfect copybook for the Blues’ defence where Carson and Leak had forged an impressive combination.

But it was not enough to take the gloss off a great win with several outstanding individual performances. Calum McIntyre claimed this kind of win had been coming and will hope that his charges can maintain this form into the league as well as the next round of the FA Cup.

Colin Mansley

Saturday 20 Spetember
Darlington 1 Chester 1
National League North
Attendance: 1,178 (141 Chester). Half-time 0-0
Booked: Murray, Carson, Bainbridge.

Darlington: Jameson, Barrow, Platt, Lees, Hatfield, Maskell (Rutledge 81), Main, Scott, Lenon, Barton (Griffiths 71), McGowan. Subs not used: Hedley, Forbes, McGrath, Kirokiro.
Chester: Murray-Jones, Woodthorpe, Weeks, Leak, Peers, Bainbridge, Murray (Woods 65), Mottley-Henry (Shrimpton 65), P.Jones (F.Roberts 80), Carson, K.Roberts: Subs not used: Barlow, Kelly-Evans, J.Jones, Zanzala.
Referee: -.

Pat Jones finds the net again but a stoppage time goal gives Daro a share of the points.

• Table after Darlington draw

Saturday 13 Spetember
Stalybridge Celtic 1 Chester 2
FA Cup Second Round Qualifying
Attendance: 1,143. Half Time: 0-0
Booked: Bainbridge.

Stalybridge Celtic: Monks, Koral (Rokka 86), Brownhill, Butterworth (Wilkinson 82), Byrne, Tinning, Newell, Tongue, Jerome (Horan 64), Smales- Braithwaite. Subs not used: Harte, Egharevba, Tse.
Chester: Murray-Jones, K.Roberts, Leak, Rawlinson, Carson, Bainbridge, Murray (Shrimpton 76), Weeks, P.Jones (Mottley-Henry 64), F.Roberts (Zanzala 62), Peers. Subs not used: Barlow, Kelly-Evans, Woodthorpe, Woods.
Referee: -.

City made it through to the next round of the FA Cup thanks to a dramatically spectacular winner from Jack Bainbridge two minutes before full-time and, deep into stoppage time, an incredible reaction save by George Murray-Brown from his opposite number’s bullet header.

Both sides had begun the game cagily as they fathomed each other out. Chester had won the toss and kicked up the slope in the first half. After weathering a brief flurry of attack from the home side Chester and the game settled into a pattern of City possession while Celtic sat back and looked for the opportunity to break. Pat Jones and Fin Roberts were busy on either wing but often found Stalybridge defenders doubling up against them. Jones had several shots blocked, Roberts showed great skill and control picking his way through but opportunities were rare. Peers had the ball in the net as a loose ball broke to him but the linesman’s flag was raised as he did so. Bainbridge hit a rasping shot from the edge of the box which Monks leapt to palm over the bar.

Stalybridge were generally restricted to a long ball out of defence but when they had possession in and around Chester’s box they looked threatening. The referee waved away early claims for a penalty when Jerome went down under a challenge and danger-man Benni Smales-Braithwaite had a chance to shoot but blazed wide of the post.

Tom Peers broke the deadlock on the hour mark as he latched on to a through ball from Carson and lifted the ball over the advancing Monks. It seemed to take an age for the ball to come down but when it did the back of the net rippled and City were ahead. Zanzala and Mottley-Henry came on to replace wingers Jones and Roberts. Peers soon provided a good ball through to the former but his shot was well saved by monks.

The home side upped their work rate and made some substitutions of their own. One of them Ellis Horan went down looking for a penalty but again the referee ignored the appeal. A deft ball from Horan set Smales-Braithwaite across the edge of the box. He thumped in a reverse shoot across goal which cannoned off the far post and into the net. Seemingly out of nowhere the home side were level. They almost got their noses in front when a shot was hooked over the bar.

With a replay looming Mottley-Henry found room on the left and his ball into the box landed invitingly for Bainbridge. This time the City midfielder made no mistake as he curled a left-footed shot into the far corner of the net. He ran all the way along the home end in celebration before skidding on his knees to the corner flag where some home fans celebrated by showering him with their beer.

The tie was not over however as Celtic threw all they could at City for an equaliser. Kevin Roberts made a last ditch clearance from the six yard box and then in desperation Celtic keeper Monks came up for a late corner. His powerful header was tipped over at point blank range by Murray Jones for a match winning save.

Colin Mansley

Saturday 6 Spetember
Chester 1 Scarborough Athletic 1
National League North
Attendance: 2,430 Half Time: 0-1
Booked: Weeks, Peers, Leak, K.Roberts, Mottley-Henry.

Chester: Murray-Jones, Woodthorpe, Weeks, Leak, J.Jones (Mottley-Henry 51), Peers (F.Roberts 74), Bainbridge, Zanzala, Shrimpton (Murray 74), P.Jones, K.Roberts. Subs not used: Barlow, Kelly-Evans, Woods, Carson.
Scarborough Athletic: Whitley, Wleedji, Thornton, Allan, Purver (Wiles 37), Walker (Bennett 69), Green, Colville, Tear, Brown, Hull (Duckworth 38). Sub not used: Romero.
Referee: Robert Caussen.

They left it late but Dylan Mottley-Henry popped up for Chester with a headed equaliser in the fifth of seven added minutes to rescue a point from the game – the least that they deserved.

For much of the match, though, City trailed as in the tenth minute Rio Allen latched on to a long ball forward by Jake Hull - pipping the outrushing Murray-Jones, dribbling to the goal-line and lashing a shot into the roof of the net from an acute angle. To be fair to the Chester keeper it was a breezy afternoon and the ball may have deceptively held up in the wind as he rushed out. The goal came against the run of play as the Blues had begun brightly. Shrimpton fired an early shot on target while Weeks’ effort was more wayward.

Jones continued to be a threat down the left cutting in to shoot. Later his volleyed cross fell invitingly for Peers but the City forward could only shoot straight at Whitley. Scarborough – who could only name four substitutes – lost Purver and then Hull to injury before half-time the latter pulling up short after trying to keep up with the Joneses (Pat in this instance).

City lost momentum after the break and suffered an injury blow themselves when James Jones had to retire. Surprisingly he was replaced by Mottley-Henry who went to right back while Kevin Roberts filled a gap in central defence. Leak did well to block a shot from Colville after Roberts had slipped.

Murray came on as City found a second wind in the remaining quarter of the game. His effort was well saved by Whitley at the top corner. Mottley-Henry then met Weeks’ cross from the right perfectly but his header was straight at the Seadogs’ keeper. But as the game rolled into stoppage time Bainbridge swept the ball out right to Roberts whose clipped cross was met once again by Mottley-Henry’s leap. This time the forward glanced his header into the corner of the goal and parity was restored.

Colin Mansley

• Table after Scarborough draw

Tuesday 2 Spetember
AFC Fylde 2 Chester 2
National League North
Attendance: 1,199 Half Time: 1-1
Booked: Shrimpton, Leak.

AFC Fylde: Jones, McFayden (O’Kane 78), Mitchell (Brockbank 78), Taylor, Merrie (Wilson 78), Thomas, Mayor, Healy-Byrne, C.Whelan, T.Whelan (Coates 65), Ormerod. Subs not used: Boyes, Morris, Meadowcroft.
Chester: Murray-Jones, K.Roberts, Leak, J.Jones, Woodthorpe, Bainbridge, Shrimpton (Murray 69), Weeks, P.Jones (Mottley-Henry 77), Zanzala (Woods 69), Peers (F.Roberts 84). Subs not used: Barlow, Kelly-Evans, Carson, F.Roberts.
Referee: S.Simpson.

A well earned point for Chester as Pat Jones scores twice at Mill Farm.

• Table after Fylde draw

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