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Whitchurch
Alport (A) | Rochdale
(H) | Morecambe
(H) | Stalybridge
Celtic (A) | Runcorn
Linnets (A) | Atherton
Collieries (H) | Hyde United (A)
Saturday
30 July Hyde United
2 Chester 2
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 214 Half Time: 1-1
Hyde United: Bellagambi, Ditchfield (Uche
74), Swaby-Neavin (Brownhill 78), Spooner, Fagbola, Roscoe,
Dawson (Carne 88), Brown (Trialist A 74), Lazenbury (Tongue
74), Redshaw, Pratt. Sub not used: Chew.
Chester: Stanway (Tyrer 46), Morgan (Weeks 76),
Williams, Trialist A, Coulton, Trialist B, Lynch (Murray
46), Earl (Willoughby 88), Thomas (Roberts 46), Hall,
Dudley (Daly 69). Sub not used: Burke.
Goals from Lewis Earl and
a penalty from Kole Hall see the Blues draw their final
pre-season friendly at Hyde United.
Picture
© Rick Matthews
Match
photographs
Tuesday
26 July Chester 1
Atherton Collieries 0
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 508 Half Time: 1-0
Chester:
Stanway (Tyrer 46), Williams, Burke,
Kenyon, Heywood, Lynch, Weeks, Murray (Daly 87), Dudley
(Hall 56), Stephenson (Marsh-Hughes 69), Willoughby. Subs
not used: Horsfield, Forde, Nelson.
Atherton Collieries: Trialist, Trialist
(Rooney 52), Trialist, Roberts (Kershaw 52), Lafferty,
Defreitas-Hansen, Bakkor, Lenehan (Roberts 75), Daniels
(Cusani 54), Smith, Trialist. Subs not used: Trialist,
Trialist.
The
third and final home game of pre-season saw Chester host
Atherton Collieries from the league below. The Colls,
who hosted Zack Clarke on loan last season, fielded a
number of trialists whilst City put together a blend of
youth and experience with several absences from the squad.
With a back four of Williams, Burke, Kenyon and Heywood,
Chester moved the ball around well as they sought to play
a patient game. Lynch, Weeks and Murray made up the midfield
whilst Dudley, Stephenson and Willoughby formed a three-pronged
attack. Blues dominated possession but occasionally got
themselves in to trouble notably when Weeks hit a wayward
pass back to an off-guard Stanway which went narrowly
wide for a corner.
The Black & Whites playing in all green this evening
applied pressure but Blues blocked their efforts and broke
away with Murray, only for the move to be prematurely
curtailed by Defreitas-Hansen flattening the City midfielder.
Blues forced a number of corners themselves and also worked
openings for Stephenson and Murray. Atherton’s back
door was unlocked on twenty-one minutes when Willoughby’s
perfectly timed run was found by Lynch’s searching
pass. The City forward came out of the setting sun to
beat a couple of defenders to the ball and tuck it clinically
past the keeper. Willoughby, buoyed by his third goal
in as many games, looked sharp throughout and Stephenson’s
strength on the ball was apparent too. A lunging tackle
on the latter which, mercifully, failed to connect earned
Defreitas-Hansen a yellow card, quite a rarity in friendly
matches.
City tried to build on their lead after the break but
could not apply the finishing touch despite efforts from
Weeks, Dudley and Willoughby. The Colls defended tenaciously
and with the lead continuing to be slender they began
to threaten an equaliser. Burke rescued a couple of defensive
situations by his strength and anticipation of danger.
Marsh-Hughes injected a bit of energy and urgency in City’s
forward play – closing down defenders and twice
carving out half-chances to get through on goal. Despite
the changes and squad permutations – including Trialist
D replacing Trialist B for the visitors – the scoreline
remained the same.
Results, of course, are immaterial in pre-season, but
confidence at least will be boosted by a third win in
a week for the Blues. The next time City play at home
will be in the rough and tumble of the National League
North against Brackley and following a visit to Alfreton
on the opening day of the season. Then Chester fans will
get a true measure of the campaign to come.
Colin Mansley
Picture
© Rick Matthews
Match
photographs
Saturday
23 July Runcorn Linnets
0 Chester 1 Pre-season
friendly
Attendance: - Half Time: 0-1
Runcorn Linnets: Taberner,
Brown, Short, Doyle, O’Mahony, Heathcote, Rodney,
Welsh, Rainford, Sango-Fofana, Crilly. Subs: Mossley,
Trialist, Gumbs, Olarewaju, Hellawell, Trialist.
Chester: Tyrer,
Morgan, Burke, Williams, Heywood, Kenyon, Weeks, Murray
(Marsh-Hughes 75), Dudley, Hall (Lynch 58), Willoughby.
Subs not used: Stanway, Stephenson, Horsfield, Daly.
Kurt Willoughby was on the scoresheet again notching the
only goal of the game from the penalty spot on 20 minutes,
as Chester overcame Runcorn Linnets in their latest pre-season
friendly.
Tuesday
19 July Stalybridge
Celtic 2 Chester 3
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: - Half Time: 2-1
Chester:
Stanway,
Forde (Morgan 46), Burke (Williams 46), Heywood, Trialist,
Horsfield, Daly (Earl 46), Lynch (Murray 46), Turner (Willoughby
46), Clarke (Hall 46), Marsh-Hughes (Dudley 46). Subs
not used: Smith, Griffiths.
Kurt Willoughby scored a last minute winner as Chester
came from two goals down to win their latest pre-season
friendly at a hot Bower Fold.
Earlier the home side had taken the lead through Raul
Correia on 11 minutes and doubled their advantage on 37
minutes through Ethan Padden. Reece Daly pulled a goal
back for the Blues just before half time, before Matty
Williams equalised on 56 minutes.
Picture © Rick Matthews
Match
photographs
Saturday
16 July Chester 1
Morecambe 1 Pre-season
friendly
Attendance: 779 Half Time: 0-1
Chester: Tyrer (Stanway 46), Morgan,
Burke, Williams, Heywood, Kenyon (Horsfield 62), Earl
(Lynch 46), Weeks, Murray (Dudley 46), Stephenson (Marsh-Hughes
71), Willoughby (Hall 46). Subs not used: Clarke, Turner,
Daly.
Morecambe:
Smith, Cooney, Gibson (Melbourne 46), Fane (Taylor 46),
O’Connor (Rawson 6’), McLaughlin (Delaney
61), Connolly (Gnahoua 61), McLoughlin (Love 61), Obika
(Stockton 61), Hunter (Watts 46), McDonald. Sub not used:
Ripley.
Referee: Peter Gibbons.
Pre-season
continued in the burgeoning heatwave with this workout
against League One opposition. The Shrimps had defied
received wisdom and avoided relegation last term in their
first season at this level. Aberdonian Derek Adams, who
took them to promotion, is now in his second spell with
them as manager after an interlude at Bradford City.
Chester meanwhile were seeking to remain solid in a match
where Calum McIntyre expected them to be out of possession
for large periods. After an initial flurry when Matty
Williams headed Murray’s corner narrowly wide and
Murray himself just failed to convert an opportunity carved
out by Willoughby, it was indeed the visitors who dominated.
At the other end Obika beat the offside trap and tried
to round Tyrer but Burke retrieved the situation. Frenchman
Ousmane Fané caught the eye as he policed the midfield
with authority. Weeks brought him down just outside the
area and Ash Hunter curled the free kick against Tyrer’s
left hand post. Hunter was not to be denied for much longer
however after he finished off an attack down the right
when the ball fell to him in the penalty area and he turned
cleverly to shoot past Tyrer.
The Blues made four changes at the break whilst the Shrimps
made three including the withdrawals of both Fané
and Hunter. Chester were now on the front foot and began
to create opportunities. Stephenson and Lynch struck up
well and saw a lot of the ball down the right. Weeks began
to revel in more midfield freedom. He had a sighter effort
from outside the box and then converted a chance for City’s
equaliser sidestepping a couple of challenges before smashing
the ball past Shrimps’ skipper Smith.
Horsfield went close, shortly after, to giving Chester
the lead but his angled shot flew over the bar. Morecambe
responded by making five more changes and the match settled
into a competitive but fairly uneventful work-out with
frequent drinks breaks in the unrelenting heat. Marsh
Hughes was amongst further subs for the Blues and curved
one delightful run behind the Shrimps’ defence to
open up another attacking possibility. Dudley went closest
of all to scoring when his tight one-two ended with his
shot straight at Smith.
The Blues will be pleased with the creditable draw and
useful outings for several of the new signings as they
acclimatise themselves to the Deva. Skipper Glendon however
continued to absent with injury and there were still no
sign of Adam Thomas and Liam Edwards who are yet to feature
in pre-season.
Morgan and Stephenson led the way to the Harry Mac after
the game to sign autographs and pose for selfies with
a posse of youthful admirers.
Colin Mansley
Picture
© Rick Matthews
Match
photographs
Saturday
9 July Chester 0
Rochdale 1 Pre-season
friendly
Attendance: 780 Half Time: 0-0
Chester: Tyrer (Stanway 74), Morgan,
Williams, Burke, Heywood (Trialist A 46), Earl (Daly 85),
Weeks (Trialist B 62), Lynch (Horsfield 46), Murray (Clarke
88), Dudley (Hall 46), Stephenson (Marsh-Hughes 78). Subs
not used: Turner.
Rochdale (First
half): O’Donnell, Watts, Ebanks-Landell,
McNulty, Odoh, Kelly, Diagouraga, White, Trialist A, Trialist
B, Charman.
Rochdale (Second
half): Trialist C, Graham, Taylor, John, Trialist
D, Keohane, Trialist E, Brierley, Ball, Rodney, Trialist
F.
A good performance from Chester who are beaten by a second
half Devante Rodney goal.
Picture © Rick Matthews
Match
photographs
Tuesday
5 July Whitchurch
Alport 0 Chester 2
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 495 Half Time: 0-1
Whitchurch Alport: Rawlins, Campbell,
Yeardley, Griffiths, Simms, Nielsen, Hughes, Ellis, Allcock,
J.Evans, K.Evans. Subs: Urvantev, Annikey, Flory, Jukes,
Rowlands, Carpenter, Madeley.
Chester (First half): Stanway, Roberts,
Burke, Williams, Trialist A, Trialist B, Lynch, Weeks,
Turner, Murray, Hall.
Chester (Second
half): Stanway, Morgan, Edwards, Earl, Heywood,
Horsfield, Trialist C, Glendon (Daly 71), Marsh-Hughes,
Trialist D, Clarke.
Goals either side of half-time
from Sam Turner and Zack Clarke gave Chester a 2-0 victory
at Whitchurch Alport in their opening pre-season match.
Captain George Glendon limped off with an injury in the
second half.
Picture
© Rick Matthews
Match
photographs
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