City slipped to their first defeat of the season in front of a bumper Bank Holiday crowd of 3,600.
With a day less recovery time than the visitors – who had played on Friday – Chester made a couple of enforced changes. Foley came in to the defence in place of Burroughs, injured in the hard fought draw at Hereford. Woods was also out through injury so Jefferson Abreu came in for him down the left flank. Murphy started instead of Ward.

The Shrimpers began on the attack as they found room on either wing to whip in a couple of dangerous crosses but the Blues were able to clear. The game developed into a cagey pattern of possession football with each cancelling the other out as they tried to progress through the middle third of the pitch. Collis threatened briefly as the visitors turned over possession and sprung a ball over the top but Murphy made a superb recovering tackle to thwart the threat.

Morecambe brought a physical element to their play and veteran forward Joe Garner was booked for clattering into Declan Weeks. Chester found it difficult to dwell on the ball as a well-drilled and experienced opposition refused to give them an inch. City’s best chances of attack sprung from getting the ball forward quickly.

Woodthorpe found room for a speculative shot well wide as City, despite great efforts in their approach play failed to really test the keeper. Just before half time Morecambe threatened with a free kick on the left which put Chester’s defence into confusion. Collis ended up putting a good chance wide.

As the second half got under way the Shrimpers pushed forward and when Chester gave the ball away Murphy was booked for pulling Garner back outside the area. From the set piece Morecambe took the lead. Williams curled a cross in towards the far post which went all the way in - perhaps with the faintest of flicks from Paul Lewis.

City had not been at their best but mounted pressure in search on an equaliser. Abreu nearly got on the end of Reed’s cross from the right. Dan Ward and Billy Waters came on to inject the energy of fresh legs into Chester’s forward play. A deft pass into the box by Ward found Hazel but the number nine hurried his shot and was wide of the target. The best chance, however fell to Waters. Hazel knocked down Weeks’ cross and Waters half-volleyed it fiercely but narrowly over the bar. Campbell put in a tantalizing ball from the left to the far post and then Moore picked up the loose ball as Morecambe failed to clear. His shot was parried across goal by Shrimpers’ keeper Boney; Campbell homed in on the rebound but a last-ditch blocking tackle by Hogan preserved the visitors’ goal.

City were left to rue these chances and the one lapse that had cost them defensively. Chester had not done enough to win the game perhaps but neither should they have lost as they paid the price for a tough couple of challenges in three days.

Chester came away from Edgar Street with a share of the points, though they may feel they deserved all three after dominating at times.

It was the Bulls with the early chances. Keziah Martin saw a deflected shot loop onto the roof of the net before striker Cawley Cox saw an effort go just wide.

Chester’s opening effort saw Dan Ward shoot high and wide from the edge of the box.

Hereford opened the scoring midway through the first half. Aaron Skinner stormed along the line before crossing for Billy Phillips to score in the top corner, his second goal in as many home games.

Chester came more into the game as the second half progressed. Connor Woods saw a cross-shot go just wide before Billy Waters drew Chester level, converting from close range following a Tom Peers mishit effort.

Theo Richardson pulled off a fine save to deny Dan Reed just before halftime. Five minutes after the interval, he was called into action again, smartly saving a Nathan Woodthorpe effort, and then a Peers shot.

Chester had the ball in the net after a scramble in the box, only for the referee to rule it out.

Kofi Moore was the latest player to be denied by Richardson, who saved his goal-bound effort. The last action saw Jacob Hazel curl a 25-yarder just over.



Pictures © Rick Matthews

• League table after Hereford draw

A stoppage time goal from Dan Ward maintains Chester’s winning start to the season.

Chester maintained their winning start to the season with this 1-0 victory at Blackwell Meadows, the home of Darlington. The Blues gave a first league start to midfielder Connor Murphy.

Tom Peers was in early action picking up on a Jacob Hazel lay-off only to drag his shot wide after just two minutes.

Connor Woods saw an effort blocked on the edge of the area following a great run down the right by Sam Reed.

Dylan Stephenson went close for the hosts shooting narrowly wide from 25 yards.

A late challenge by Peers saw him receive a yellow card on the stroke of half time.

Twelve minutes after the break Chester opened the scoring, Ma’kel Campbell played a sublime one-two with Hazel before side footing home from 25 yards past ex-Blue Bobby Jones in the Quakers goal, his third goal in as many matches.

Nathan Woodthorpe smashed one over as the yellows looked to double their lead.

City won their first home league game of the season against the same opponents as their last one (Last season) – King’s Lynn. Both squads were much changed from that occasion in April. The visitors had begun with a home draw but were unable to prevent Chester making it two wins out of two.

As Blues’ boss Phil Parkinson had predicted, both sides played out from the back and tried to impose their passing rhythm on the game. City were unchanged from the side that won at Chorley. The Linnets had experienced Kwame Thomas up front with the tricky winger Jesse Nwabu, last week’s goal-scorer, on the left and Michael Clunan, formerly of Scunthorpe, captaining and pulling the strings in midfield.

It was Clunan’s opposite number, Declan Weeks who picked out a superlative pass to Peers on the right. A first touch of equal quality set up City’s number 7 to thrash the ball past the Linnets’ keeper to open his account for the season and Chester’s for the afternoon. Confidence coursed through the Blues as they moved the ball about calmly and then injected pace in the final third. Cambell, Woods and Peers all seemed on their game as Chester dominated possession.

Defensively the pairing of Griffin and Burroughs were unflappable in the centre whilst full backs Woothorpe and Reed not only snuffed out the threats from either wing but also found space to surge forward and get the Blues attacking. Woodthorpe found himself through on goal as Chester sprung a rapid counter attack – but at the end of a lung-busting run the left back could not muster a shot with enough power to beat Hollingshead as he rushed out.

King’s Lynn threatened occasionally without really testing Hewitson in the Chester goal. They seemed capable of scoring while the lead was only 1-0 though and City did well to double their tally as half time approached. Connor Woods ended a fine move by shooting towards the far corner. Hollingshead pushed the ball at full stretch but Peers picked up and protected the loose ball before laying it off to Campbell. His first time shot cannoned off the bar and into the back of the net to send City two goals to the good by the half time interval.

The visitors upped their work rate after the break as they sought a way back into the game but for all their possession they were unable to alter the scoreline. Even when new personnel were introduced City held their own. When the Blues made changes themselves they began to push the visitors back and looked to add a third and finish the game off. They all but managed this as the ball pinged around in the Linnets’ penalty area a couple of times. Billy Waters just failed to make the most of a good opportunity on the end of a rapid breakaway. Hazel came on and shot powerfully at goal drawing a good save out of Hollingshead. Reed capped a fluid move down the right with a deliciously inviting cross which flicked off a defender’s head for a corner. Dan Ward, who became increasingly influential as the game wore on, was denied by Hollingshead a the near post and then – following a one-two with hazel from the corner spot – hit his shot into the side netting. In the final minutes Abreu and Moore were introduced to either wing and both proved menacing to the visitors’ defence.

A third goal would have been the icing on the cake but City fans were at least able to bask in the glory of Chester topping the table for a couple of days before they travel to Darlington on Tuesday.

Around 800 Chester fans made their way to Victory Park on Saturday and they were rewarded with an opening day three points.

With the season onky four minutes old a moment of hesitancy from Declan Weeks saw the midfielder concede a penalty. Up stepped Anjola Popoola but he put his spot kick wide.

The Blues opened the scoring on 26 minutes as Ma'kel Campbell received the ball on the edge of the box and fired a shot first time past Stowell.

Chester should have doubled their lead as Tom Peers was sent through one-on-one five minutes before the break but fired wide.

The Magpies drew level on the hour mark as a sublime finish from Elliot Taylor out on the right gave Luke Hewitson no chance in the Blues goal.

Both sides created chances as the game wore on but it was to be Billy Waters who would secure all three points in the dying minutes tapping home Wards left wing cross to the delight of those travelling fanvs behind the goal.