Match reports from Pre-season 2026/27

Tuesday 28 July
Nantwich Town 0 Chester 3
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 593 Half Time: 0-2
Booked: -.

Chester first half: Hewitson, Reed, Kenny, Griffin, Woodthorpe, Weeks, Murphy, Campbell, Moore, Waters, Peers.
Chester second half: Hewitson (Brown 60), Burgess, Kenny (Deakin 60), Trialist A, Trialist B, Murphy (Burroughs 60), Ward, Trialist C, Trialist D, Moore (Trialist E 60), Waters (Woods 60).

City turned out in their cool-grey third kit to face Phil Parkinson’s former club Nantwich Town, playing in various shades of green.

Chester began on the front foot with Peers and Reed combining well down the right to win a first minute corner. Weeks’ delivery was caught at the far post by the tall trialist keeper for Nantwich. Unfortunately for him he came back to earth off balance and contrived to drop the ball into the back of the net. The goal was greeted in embarrassed silence.

With Weeks and Connor Murphy imperious in midfield, City imposed a stranglehold on possession. With willing runners on either side in Moore and Peers, City’s midfield had plenty of opportunity to move the ball crisply as Chester swarmed all over the hosts. Moore and Campbell went close with angled shots just off target.

When the Dabbers threatened with a long ball through to the attack, Kenny and Griffin mopped up with impressive energy and vigilance. Nantwich did have the ball in the net after fifteen minutes as their centre back nodded a free kick from the edge of the box past Hewitson. He was swiftly given offside however and play continued. Every bounce of the ball marked by a spray of jet black rubber crumb made for a surreal watching experience.

Every decision unfavourable to Nantwich was greeted with hoots of derision from a posse of hard core home faithful on the halfway line but the referee was unmoved and in current fashion let the game flow. The cat calls continued when the first half was paused for a hydration break – it could hardly have been because of pressure for commercial advertising.

Tom Peers added a second goal when he controlled a cross from the right on the edge of the area and thumped the ball into the corner of the net.

Some changes were made by City at the break with Dan Ward exchanging the captain’s armband with Declan Weeks and Connor Woods, George Burroughs and Harry Deakin given game time. Later on 65 minutes Brown and a mini-alphabet of trialists from A to E made the transformation in personnel complete. Unlike against Stoke, last week, City were able to maintain a good rhythm despite all the changes in personnel. They added a third when Ward made a perfectly timed run through the Dabbers’ defence to score past the keeper.

It proved a not unpleasant way to spend a balmly summer’s evening for the travelling supporters who look forward to a final friendly on Saturday against Nantwich’s near neighbours Crewe.

Colin Mansley

Picture © Rick Matthews

Friday 24 July
Hyde United 0 Chester 1
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: n/a Half Time: 0-1
Booked: -.

Chester: Hewitson (Brown 67), Burroughs (Trialist C 67), Woodthorpe (Trialist B 46), Burgess (Deakin 67), Griffin (Waters 46), Weeks (Kennedy 67), Ward (Trialist A 46), Campbell (Kenny 65), Hazel (Peers 46), Reed (Moore 46), Woods (Murphy 46).

Just a few hours after signing for the club, midfielder Ma’kel Campbell headed home his first goal for the Chester to give the Bluesa 1-0 victory at Hyde Unted. Campbell had been playing pre-season under the Trialist A guise.

Tuesday 22 July
Chester 0 Stoke City 1
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 1,377 Half Time: 0-0
Booked: -.

Chester first 60 minutes: Hewitson, Woodthorpe, Griffin, Hazel, Trialist A, Ward, Burgess (Weeks 46), Deakin (Kenny 46), Murphy (Burroughs 46), Woods, Reed. Subs not used: Brown, Kennedy, Waters, Woods, Trialist B, Trialist C, Trialist D.
Chester 60-90 minutes: Brown, Burroughs, Weeks, Kenny, Kennedy, Waters, Reed, Trialist A, Trialist B, Trialist C, Trialist D.

Over 1300 mostly home supporters turned up at the Deva Community Stadium to watch a new look Chester go through their paces in a friendly but competitive game against Stoke u-21s.

The home side contained a mixture of new signings, retained players and academy hopefuls as they developed a patient passing game. Trialist A had the fiercest shot on target before the break but his left foot effort was easily parried by the Stoke keeper. Woodthorpe, having developed a taste for goal recently, powered through to strike a shot towards the corner but again the visiting keeper was equal to it albeit at full stretch. Front man Hazel couldn’t quite get above a teasing cross from the right and his header was misdirected. Woods, operating on the left and Reed on the right saw plenty of the ball as the Blues probed for an opener.

Blues came close to opening the scoring three times in quick succession just before the hour mark. Woods hit the foot of the post with his header, then Woodthorpe and Weeks saw rebounded shots blocked in front of goal. Shortly afterwards wholesale changes were made to the team as manager Phil Parkinson rotated his squad. Chester lost momentum as a result and Stoke took the lead when a half cleared cross fell to Chibueze and he was able to direct his shot to the far corner of the goal.

Buoyed by the goal Stoke dominated for a while but Chester settled again and finished the game on the front foot but unable to find the equalising goal. No-one was worrying about the result as they went home, pleased to have seen and identified some of the Blues new players and entertained by a decent game.

Colin Mansley

Saturday 18 July
Warrington Town 0 Chester 2
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: n/a Half Time: 0-0
Booked: -.

Chester first 60 minutes: Hewitson, Burroughs, Kenny, Trialist A, Trialist B (Reed 46), Trialist C, Weeks, Kennedy (Trialist E 46), Waters, Woods, Trialist D (Woodthorpe 46).
Chester 60-90 minutes: Brown, Deakin, Burgess, Griffin, Woodthorpe, Ward, Murphy, Trialist E, Hazel, Reed, Moore.

Chester fielded several trialist’s as second half goals from Sam Reed and Nathan Woodthorpe give Chester victory at Cantilever Park.

Tuesday 14 July
Fleetwood Town 2 Chester 0
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: Match played behind closed dors. Half Time: 1-0
Booked: -.

Fleetwood First Half: Lynch, Cirino, Mullarkey, Toole, Costello, Roberts, Neal, Trialist A, Helm, Davies, Coughlan
Fleetwood Second Half: Trialist B, Potter, Mullarkey (Slater 60'), Bennett, Costello (McCann 60'), Trialist C, Costelloe, Trialist A, Trialist D (Oladite 75'), Davies (Evans 60'), Thomas (Lane 75')
Chester First Half: Hewitson, Deakin, Griffin, Trialist A, Woodthorpe, Weeks, Murphy, Trialist B, Waters, Peers, Woods.
Chester Second Half: Brown, Burgess, Burroughs, Kenny, Reed, Ward, Trialist C, Kennedy, Trialist D, Abreu, Hazel.

Goals either side of half-time by Trialist A and Ched Evans gave Fleetwood victory in Chester’s latest pre-season work out.

Saturday 11 July
Vauxhall Motors 0 Chester 2
Pre-season friendly
Attendance: 700+ Half Time: 0-1
Booked: -.

Vauxhall Motors: Atkinson, Trialist A, Akpan, Hughes, Rooney, Cooper, Dufton-Kelly, Heath, Ellison, Coppack, Turner. Subs: Trialist B, Trialist C, Trialist D, Kamara, Trialist E, Oultram, Gomez.
Chester First Half: Hewitson, Deakin, Griffin, Trialist A, Woodthorpe, Weeks, Murphy, Peers, McHale, Moore, Waters.
Chester Second Half: Brown, Burgess, Foley, Kenny, Reed, Ward, Kennedy, Trialist B, Trialist C, Abreu, Hazel.

Chester got their pre-season off to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Vauxhall Motors thanks to goals from Tom Peers and Jacob Hazel.

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