Match reports from Pre-season 2025/26

Saturday 2 August
Chester 0 Carlisle United 2
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 1,140 Half Time: 0-0
Booked: -.

Chester: Benjamin, Kelly-Evans, Woodthorpe, Weeks (Trialist C 63), Leak, Jones (Roberts 73), Peers (Trialist B 58), Bainbridge, Zanzala, Mottley-Henry, Shrimpton (S.Burgess 73). Subs not used: Trialist (GK), Murphy, Rawlinson.
Carlisle United: Breeze, Davies (Williams 68), Harper (Murray 68), Thomas, Hayden (Mugabi 46), Lunney, Luamba (Ajiboye 68), Whelan (Robson 58), Embleton (Scott 78), Ellis (Trialist 58), Armstrong (Kelly 58). Sub not used: Lewis.
Referee: John Mulligan.

City completed their pre-season preparation matches against Carlisle United. The visitors were last season’s favourites for promotion yet ended up being relegated. Mark Hughes was drafted in to what proved to be a crisis campaign in February but could not prevent the Cumbrians from dropping down into the National League. They continue to be well backed by their American owners though and are looking to make a swift return to the EFL as they did when they last came down twenty years ago.

Chester, playing in all black, strove to keep the full-time visitors in blue at bay. Carlisle were quick to close down and gave little room for manoeuvre in midfield and tried to strike forward as their forwards ran the channels to latch on to passes launched into the corners. A muscular forward three of Peers, Zanzala and Mottley-Henry worked hard to make inroads against a niggardly defence. The closest City came to scoring was when Mottley-Henry beat his man down the left and set Zanzala free in the penalty area. As he cut inside to fashion a clearer opportunity, however his shot was blocked. Earlier Weeks saw a spectacular effort from the halfway line comfortably caught by Breeze in the Cumbrians’ goal.

At the other end Carlisle threatened when Davies got through on the right but his effort was easily held by Benjamin. After Weeks and Peers were withdrawn and Carlisle made three substitutions, the visitors took the lead when Shrimpton slid in to bring Linney down in the penalty area. Benjamin got a hand to the resultant penalty but couldn’t prevent Embleton’s shot from finding the net. Five minutes later Linney, a close season signing from Altrincham, cut in along the by-line and his fierce cross was turned into his own net by the unfortunate Tom Leak.

Zanzala again went closest to replying for Chester but his shot from an angle, following a dashing run down the left went narrowly wide.

Without Woods, new loan signing Fin Roberts and the still injured Murray it is difficult to draw many conclusions about how Chester will look once the season starts in earnest next Saturday. Calum McIntyre was pleased with how Chester competed and coped tactically for the first hour or so, whilst admitting the last pre-season friendly is often not a great spectacle. A crowd of over 1100, swelled by more than 300 from Carlisle, will all be looking forward to the start of the season proper.

Colin Mansley

Saturday 26 July
Glentoran 1 Chester 1
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: TBA Half Time: 0-1
Booked: -.

Glentoran: Mills, Cooney (Connolly), Jane, Larmour, Amos, Russell, Thomson, Singleton, Palmer, Jenkins, Hoban. Subs: Trialist (GK), Farley, Burton, Pattisson, Ferris, Johnson, Weatherup, O'Neil, Smyth, Evidence, Douglas.
Chester: Benjamin, Kelly-Evans, Jones (K.Roberts 46), Leak, Woodthorpe, Bainbridge, S.Burgess (Weeks 46), Shrimpton, Mottley-Henry (Peers 46), Zanzala (Rosenblatt 77), Woods. Sub not used: Davies.
Referee: TBA.

A first goal for Offrande Zanzala who gives Chester a first half lead at Glentoran. The home side strike back through Josep Thomspn five minutes after the break as Chester conclude their successful three day trainnig break in Belfast with a draw at Glentoran.

Tuesday 22 July
Colwyn Bay 0 Chester 1
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: TBA Half Time: 0-0
Booked: -.

Colwyn Bay: Trialist A, Aron Williams (Peake 57), Forde (Atkins 70), Sirrell (Kargbo 57), Roberts, Owen, Cummings, Nash (Hill 70), Edwards (Hart 70), Robels (Sirrell 70), Arron Williams (Davies 70). Subs not used: McCoona, Hoban, Attewell, Rowlands.
Chester: Benjamin (Davies75), K.Roberts, Rawlinson, Trialist A, Trialist B, Mottley-Henry, Trialist C (Zanzala 63), Trialist D, Trialist E (S.Burgess 75), Rosenblatt (Murphy 63), Trialist F. Subs not used: Trialist G, Deakin.
Referee: TBA.

A second pre-season goal for Oskar Rosenblatt as a Chester team, containing many trialists, win at Colwyn Bay.

Saturday 19 July
Chester 0 Salford City 3
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 965 Half Time: 0-2
Booked: -.

Chester: Benjamin, Kelly-Evans (K.Roberts 61), Rawlinson (Trialist B 46), Leak, Woodthorpe, Bainbridge (Rosenblatt 75), Trialist A (S.Burgess 46), Shrimpton, Peers, Zanzala (Mottley-Henry 61), Woods. Subs not used: Davies, Murphy.
Salford City: Craven, Ashley, Woodburn, Grant, Bird, Edwards, Mnoga, Cesay, Oluwo, Garbutt, Longelo. Subs: Ayina, Berkoe, Stockton, Austerfield, Malcolm, Wilson, Henderson, Butt, Lara, Bairstow.
Referee: Darren Rogers.

A bright and breezy afternoon saw Chester entertain Salford and provided an opportunity for supporters to identify some of the new signings as well as check on familiar favourites. Of the former, goalkeeper Lewys Benjamin made his debut between the posts and Dion Kelly-Evans came in at right back; Fin Shrimpton displayed plenty of energy and finesse in attacking midfield whilst “Ozzy” Zanzala impressed with his strength on the ball. Absent however was centre back James Jones, newly arrived from Altrincham. Club captain Declan Weeks was also not available today and Jack Bainbridge led the team out.

After an opening twenty minutes in which Chester looked competitive and even put the visitors under pressure for spells – Connor Woods volleyed Shrimpton’s cross straight at the Ammies’ keeper – Salford took the lead from a direct free-kick. A Trialist was caught in possession and Bird flew towards goal. Kelly-Evans dispossessed him on the edge of the box but was adjudged to have committed a foul. Ben Woodburn – converted from a promising forward with Liverpool to a Salford midfielder – found the bottom corner with the kick alarmingly easily.

A handful of minutes later the Blues trailed by two goals following some sloppiness in possession. Bird was able to find the same bottom corner as he fired in the Ammies’ second from the edge of the area.

The game settled into the Pre-season friendly it always was with Chester competing well but Salford visibly sharper. As the second half unfolded with flurries of substitutes the chief threat to the visitors came from Connor Woods as he forayed down the left. He was given plenty of attention from Salford as he did so and won a string of free-kicks – on one occasion unceremoniously brought down by Grant.

A third goal arrived for the visitors when Jack Leach put Austerfield’s looping cross into his own net at the far post. It proved to be the end of the meaningful action. Calum McIntyre stated that the pre-season programme entailed getting individuals match fit rather than team performance – though he was disappointed with the result he hinted that next Saturday’s visit to Belfast would be more about team cohesion.

Blues supporters were able to admire the newly re-laid pitch; the new season’s shirts – seemingly allied with blue shorts - and the newly refurbished kiosks serving blue and white striped doughnuts and the bar decorated with memorabilia from fifty years ago as well as more recent photos.

Colin Mansley

Tuesday 15 July
Runcorn Linnets 1 Chester 2
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: TBA Half Time: 1-1
Booked: -.

Runcorn Linnets: Passant, Ferguson (Crane 84), Rain (Dwyer 84), Doyle (Trialist A 84), Rooney, Foulds, Wall (Lee 84), Mcloughlin, Bakkor (Brooke 62), Miller (Stephens 80), Arsan (Trialist B 84).
Chester (first half): Brown, Trialist A, Jones, Leak, Kelly-Evans, Bainbridge, Trialist B, Trialist C, Trialist D, Mottley-Henry, Rosenblatt.
Chester (second half): Brown, K.Roberts, Briscoe (Murphy 53), Rawlinson, Woodthorpe, Shrimpton, Weeks, S.Burgess, Peers, Zanzala, Woods.
Referee: TBA

Goals from Oskar Rosenblatt and Connor Woods bring victory at Runcorn Linnets.

Saturday 12 July
Bury 3 Chester 1
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 1,678 (274 Chester) Half Time: 1-0
Booked: -.

Bury: Allen, Trialist A, Duxbury, Walker, Chambers, Spooner, Robinson, Fogerty, Pedro, Evans, Stephanie. Subs: Trialist B, Saunders, Gomes, Lloyd, Carroll, Glyn, James, Trialist C.
Chester (first half): Brown, Kelly-Evans, Jones, Briscoe, K.Roberts, Bainbridge, S.Burgess, Murphy, Zanzala, Woods, Trialist A.
Chester (second half): Brown, Deakin, Leak, Rawlinson, Woodthorpe, Trialist B, Weeks, Shrimpton, Mottley-Henry, Peers, Rosenblatt.
Referee: TBA

Chester open their pre-season with a 3-1 defeat at a sweltering Gigg Lane.

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