National League North
Attendance: 672 Half-time 0-1
Booked: Kelly, K.Roberts, F.Roberts.

Leamington: Brearey, Meredith, Quaynor, Glennon, Blyth, Walker Williams, Clarke (Farmer 60), Brogan, Berridge (Pais 60), Yahaya (Tattum 75). Subs not used: Streete, Burton, Humphries.
Chester: B.Jones, T.Davies, Murray (Weeks 70), Mottley-Henry, Kelly, Shrimpton, Leigh, Woods (Woodthorpe 90+2), P.Jones (F.Roberts 75), Croker, K.Roberts. Subs not used: B.Davies, Leak, I.Burgess.
Referee: Jacob Viera.

As someone who has made four visits to Leamington without ever seeing a Chester goal, my trip to the isolated ‘Your Co-op Community Stadium’ was a real red letter day. It actually took only three minutes for my personal hoo-doo to break when a deft pass from Iwan Murray found Pat Jones, who slotted the ball past Eddie Brearey.

The bobbly pitch was not an incentive for a game of attractive football, but Murray was a constant thorn in the side of the hosts. Soon after the goal he linked up with Lewis Leigh, but Brearey was able to deflect that attempt. Brearey was also called on to make a save from Connor Woods.

At the other end, there were slim pickings from Leamington, with their best chance of the first half coming from Will Glennon. His strike from distance shot over the bar, to leave Chester sitting in the lead as the rain started at the end of the first half.

The second half saw Brearey save a one-on-one from Connor Woods, but Chester were back on top soon after that. After Murray drew a foul, the ensuing free-kick landed well for Chester‘s man-of-the match, Tom Davies. He produced a top drawer strike which sailed into the top-left corner.

Leamington‘s goalkeeper (arguably their man-of-the-match) had to make more good saves to keep the Brakes in the match, but his side never looked like scoring, and they were lucky to be only 2-0 down when the referee blew for full-time.

National League North
Attendance: 1,874 (140 Buxton) Half-time 0-0
Booked: T.Davies, Woods, Weeks, Mottley-Henry.

Chester: B.Jones, Woodthorpe, Weeks, T.Davies, Peers (P.Jones 19), Bainbridge (Leigh 46), Murray (Woods 64), Mottley-Henry, Kelly, Shrimpton (White 75), Croker. Subs not used: B.Davies, Leek, I.Burgess.
Buxton: Young, Flint, Ward, Burton, Johnston (Douglas 57), Kirby, Brennan, Willoughby, Mee (McLean 90+3), Gilsenan (Coleman 57), Robinson. Subs not used: Truman, Hill, Bardell, Cooper.
Referee: Jake Allsopp.

A familiar scenario was playing out at the Deva: Chester struggled to find a way past a stubborn defence. Then with just four minutes left on the clock (Though the stadium clock is still out of sync and on Saturday the electronic scoreboard also stopped working) Jaiden White’s persistence down the right helped win a corner. Dylan Mottley-Henry still had the energy for one more magnificent leap and met the cross to head past Buxton’s keeper Young into the net.

It was enough to secure the three points as City kept a clean sheet due largely to a commanding debut appearance at centre-back by Tom Davies, signed the previous day from Salisbury FC. He was also involved in the game’s other major incident after only ninety seconds. Kurt Willoughby, returned to the Deva as Buxton’s new centre forward. He and Davies tangled awkwardly as they landed after an early challenge and the prone Willoughby kicked out at his opponent hitting his standing leg. All this occurred under the gaze of referee Jake Allsopp who flourished the red card and brought the unfortunate Willoughby’s appearance to a premature end.

Chester almost made the numerical advantage tell immediately as Mottley-Henry’s snatched shot beat the keeper but passed just the wrong side of the post. Shortly after this Peers came close to scoring but suffered injury as a Buxton defender made a goal-saving block tackle. Peers had to retire on eighteen minutes meaning both sides were without an obvious centre forward.

The visitors adjusted well and settled into a defensive shape which restricted City and refused to allow them to play the ball through the lines. They offered attacking threat too with the pacy Johnston seeing a lot of the ball down the right. Noticeably Tom Davies won virtually all of the aerial battles at the back and marshalled the line to good effect.

Lewis Leigh replaced Bainbridge after the break as City sought to inject more energy into their play. Further substitutions Woods, and White also added impetus as Buxton began to tire. Chester’s persevering play tried the patience of many in the crowd as they urged the players forward but in the end those who remained were rewarded by Mottley-Henry’s decisive salmon-esque leap for the winner. Pat Jones had a good effort to try to double the lead and City survived a latest of late flurries as Buxton countered deep into stoppage time. Kelly and Croker between them mopped up the danger.

National League North
Attendance: 1,374 (21 Alfreton) Half-time 2-1
Booked: Croker.

Chester: B.Jones, Woodthorpe, Weeks, Leak, Murray (Mottley-Henry 71), Kelly (Peers 71), Shrimpton, Leigh, Woods (White 81), P.Jones, Croker. Subs not used: B.Davies, Peers, Bainbridge, Mottley-Henry, I.Burgess, F.Roberts.
Alfreton Town: Burgoyne, Newall, Cummings, Hunt, Perritt, Wallace (Newell 59), McDonagh (McCann 63), Lund, Salmon (Dodoo 84), Ayres, Ligendza. Subs not used: Wright.
Referee: Robert Claussen.

Chester once again infuriated both manager and supporters by the fragility of their defending as they were held to a draw by struggling Alfreton.

Cal McIntye raised eyebrows with his team selection which had no recognised striker on the pitch but four (Peers, Fin Roberts, Dylan Mottley-Henry, White) on the bench. At times it seemed that Iwan Murray was in the closest proximity to a central attacking role but – given the height advantage of Alfreton’s two centre halves it was not an equal contest. Murray, along with Woods and Jones were busy around the box when Chester did get the ball forward but they struggled to create clear openings.

Getting the ball forward was also problematic in the early part of the game. Chester tried their patient build-up play form the back but were often stymied by Alfreton’s pressing in midfield and the visitors were able to overturn possession often. Ayres tested Bobby Jones with a shot from distance – the Chester ‘keeper was forced to tip it over for a corner. As the Reds forced more corners they exerted intense pressure on the City defence. Chester looked jittery and it came as no surprise when the visitors used their intimidating height advantage to take the lead after half an hour. A corner to the far post was headed back across, Jones parried the next header up in the air and Ayres won the aerial battle to nod in the rebound on the goal line.

The Blues replied by putting on possession base pressure themselves. Shrimpton finished a promising move by shooting from the edge of the area. Harry Burgoyne in the Alfreton goal was forced to concede a corner. Then came City’s equaliser. Croker headed down for Shrimpton to hook the bouncing ball into the net. City kept their attacking momentum and when Woods was tripped in the box he stepped up himself to send Burgoyne the wrong way and give Chester the lead at half time.

Within two minutes of the second half City had frittered away that goal advantage by conceding the most slovenly of goals. A long free kick forward from deep within Alfreton territory was flicked on once then again before Cummings had the ball at his feet and was allowed to pick his spot to shoot and score before any attendant Chester defenders could get a challenge in.

As Cal McIntyre stated in his post-match interview “You cannot consistently be having to score two or three goals to win a home game”. Chester had made it so difficult for themselves to win this game. They certainly tried and easily had the lion’s share of possession and inventiveness around the Alfreton box. The closest thing to a winner was Leak heading Shrimpton’s cross against the cross bar with fifteen minutes to go. Forwards Peers and Mottley-Henry were introduced to the action and Jaiden White also emerged for his home debut but all to no avail as the game petered out for a draw. Whilst Alfreton momentarily threatened to snatch another goal from a long throw or a corner – they seemed content with their point on the road. Chester, on the other hand. Were frustrated at home and failed to build decisively on the three points they snatched from the jaws of defeat at Bedford.

National League North
Attendance: 1,132 (215 Chester) Half-time 1-0
Booked: Kelly, Leigh, Shrimpton, Woods.

Bedford Town: Luthra, Castiglione, Taylor, Gyamfi, Marsh, Doherty, Sandiford, Cole, J.Brown (Moncur 62), Maja (Blackman 71), Phillips (Siziba 84). Subs not used: Mensah, Patmore, Payne, Ebanks.
Chester: B.Jones, Kelly-Evans (Mottley-Henry 80), Leak, Peers (Weeks 54), Murray (White 73), Kelly, Shrimpton, Leigh, P.Jones, Croker, F.Roberts (Woods 73). Subs not used: B.Davies, Woodthorpe, I.Burgess.
Referee: Harry Warner.

Chester’s first visit to Bedford Town’s New Eyrie ground was memorable for all sorts of reasons – principally two late goals from Phil Croker and Fin Shrimpton that earned the Blues a much-needed three points.

The 215 travelling Chester fans had to enter the ground via a tight, old-fashioned, turnstile which the steward proudly told us was a relic from Millwall’s original Den and only in use because this was a rare segregated game.

The Chester support was no doubt boosted by the draw of a new ground and the day's attendance of 1,132 was Bedford’s highest attendance of the season so far. It was the travelling supporters who were rewarded for their journeys with an exciting eight-minute finale, and those two amazing goals.

It was Chester who had the game’s first opportunity with a blocked shot from Croker, followed by a Pat Jones strike going wide. The Blues continued to press, with a Tom Peers volley going over the bar.

The game changed after that positive opening spell, after a corner to Bedford. The home side had a free header from the corner, which was nodded to Josh Catiglione who had no problem heading into the net, past Bobby Jones, on the 31st minute.

Both sides had further chances in the rest of the first half, with the closest opportunity coming from Fin Roberts whose curling shot was cleared behind for a corner.

The second half saw Chester continue to press for an equaliser in front of their travelling army gathered behind the goal, with Peers beating his marker but failing to find the target.

Pat Jones continued to be a real dangerman, but a couple of fizzing crosses couldn’t find the boot of a team-mate. And it was Fin Shrimpton who was the goal provider on the 87th minute when his high ball into the area was headed home by Croker.