Chester open the scoring
in the first minute through James Akintunde but are pegged
back the the second half by a home side that also hit
the bar on three occasions.
Saturday
12 August Chester
0 FC Halifax Town 0
Football Conference National
Attendance: 2,082 Half Time: 0-0
Booked: Mahon.
Chester: Mitchell, Halls, Rowe-Turner,
McCombe, Astles, Mahon (Chapell 79), James, Turnbull,
Dawson, Hannah, White (Akintunde 68). Subs not used: Lynch,
Davies, Joyce. FC Halifax Town: Johnson, Wilde, Brown,
Garner, Kosylo (MacDonald 56), Hotte, Denton, Oliver,
Dixon (Morgan 73), Duckworth (McManus 46), Charles. Subs
not used: Nicholson, Tomlinson. Referee: Peter Gibbons.
Chester’s second home
match of the season was against another of the newly promoted
teams FC Halifax Town, both teams had to be content with
a point following a lacklustre bore draw.
Manager Jon McCarthy made one change from Saturday’s
starting X1 with Ross Hannah coming in for James Akintunde
who dropped to the bench.
The Shaymen had the first of
the few opportunities in the game as Bohan Dixon, an
ex-trialist with Chester, shot wide from outside the
box, not troubling Conor Mitchell in the home goal.
At the other end, Hannah put through by Kingsley James
dragged an effort wide when through on goal.
Mitchell came out to claim a
Matty Kosylo effort and Ryan Astles was well placed
to clear a Denton header off the line at the back post.
Chester's last effort of the half as Harry White won
a free-kick just outside the area though Hannah curled
the effort over the bar. John McCombe ensured the sides
went in level after his last ditch tackle prevented
Nathan Hotte a run through on goal.
Chester started the second half
well as Hannah found Andy Halls whose shot went just
wide. On 60 minutes Halifax substitute MacDonald beat
Rowe-Turner and saw his cross evade Mitchell and bounce
back from the crossbar.
McCombe saw a flick header from
a free-kick drift just wide as both sides looked for
a late winner. Dion Charles went close two minutes form
time as his shot on goal was deflected over, and as
the game entered the final minute Akintunde linked up
well with Hannah before seeing his shot on target tipped
round the post by Sam Johnson in the Halifax goal.
Tuesday
8 August Chester 1 AFC Fylde 1
Football Conference National
Attendance: 2,223 Half Time: 1-1
Chester: Mitchell, Halls, Rowe-Turner,
Astles, McCombe, James, Turnbull, Dawson, Mahon (Chapell
82), White (Bell 72), Akintunde (Hannah 64). Subs not
used: Lynch, Davies. AFC Fylde: Taylor, Montrose, Francis-Angol,
Langley, Tunnicliffe, Bond, Finley, Rowe (Hardy 82), Muldoon,
Smith, Jones. Subs not used: Lynch, Grand, Blinkhorn,
Ezwele. Referee: Daniel Middleton.
Chester got their season
underway belatedly as they entertained newly promoted
AFC Fylde. Their paths had crossed previously as City
had risen through the leagues. Now, six years later, Fylde
had risen themselves and came to the Deva having won the
National League North convincingly last season. The visitors’
tangerine away kit perhaps belied the affection of chairman
David Heythornthwaite for neighbours Blackpool.
The Coasters attacked the Harry Mac End and moved the
ball around slickly from the back. The huge figure of
Lewis Montrose, a summer signing from Stockport where
he was twice player of the season, orchestrated play in
front of the back four. The first chance fell to the visitors
as a long throw was headed out towards the edge of the
area and Sam Finley volleyed it back on to the roof of
the net. Chester responded in a game played at a fast
pace and of high quality. Akintunde was looking lively
and flicked a shot wide of the post and also beat two
defenders with a swift turn and sent a dangerous ball
across the face of the goal. His striking partner Harry
White latched on to a through ball and, holding off a
defender’s challenge dragged a shot out from under
his feet which Taylor did well to parry.
Akintunde’s close control and movement were causing
problems for Fylde and Langley saw a yellow card for demolishing
the City forward from behind. The game continued to ebb
and flow with the Coasters probing down the flanks and
moving the ball around swiftly to create space. From one
such counter attack Muldoon sped down the left and rolled
the ball across for Smith whose shot just eluded the far
post with Rowe-Turner tying himself in knots on the line
attempting to clear it. The growing threat from Fylde’s
pace was creating nervousness on the home end and soon
the plaintive cries of the North Terrace posties of “Sort
it out!” and “Get is sorted!” were to
be heard.
But following another lighting quick break, Jones fed
the ball to Finley on the right and his controlled pass
was met by Muldoon to file the ball into the net from
just outside the six yard box. The timing of the goal
was a psychological blow just before the half-time break
but it was negated almost immediately as Kingsley James
carried the ball forward on the left, played a one-two
with White and then rolled it into the path of Dawson
who stroked home the equaliser.
Soon after the break Harry White dragged the ball back
to bemuse two defenders and then curled a shot narrowly
wide of the far upright. It would have been a beauty and
fitting reward for the forward who was a thorn in Fylde’s
defence all night. The Tangerines then dominated for a
spell and City struggled to get a toe on the ball.
Jon McCarthy freshened up the forward line with first
Ross Hannah – who received a rapturous welcome -
and then Nyal Bell replacing Akintunde and White respectively.
The withdrawn forwards both received standing ovations
from the impressed home faithful. Hannah tried his luck
from long distance when he saw Taylor off his line and
was clearly fired up for the occasion. At the other end
Conor Mitchell, signed on loan from Burnley just a couple
of hours before kick-off, having impressed in pre-season
friendlies, tipped a venomous shot from Finley at full
stretch round the post.
The game opened up into a grand stand finish as Chapell
came on to thread a clever pass through to Hannah who
rounded Taylor but found the angle too tight to steer
the ball into the net. Francis-Angol was cautioned for
pulling down Hannah when the Blues forward was racing
clear. From the resultant free kick, Bell went agonisingly
close to nudging the ball over the line. Chapell then
was given an opportunity to bear down on goal when Taylor
miskicked under pressure but he took one touch too many
and was closed down. Fylde too pressed for a winner but
found City’s defence resilient. It had been an absorbing
encounter with much to encourage the supporters of both
teams and a draw probably a fair result.
MITCHELL JOINS ON LOAN
LATE GOAL DENIES BLUES
ALDERSHOT
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