Steve Burr saw his Chester FC side draw 3-3 on Saturday against play-off hopefuls Nuneaton Town at the Swansway Chester Stadium.
The Blues took the lead co
Steve Burr saw his Chester FC side draw 3-3 on Saturday against play-off hopefuls Nuneaton Town at the Swansway Chester Stadium.
The Blues took the lead courtesy of John Rooney. Nuneaton quickly responded to put the scores at 1-1 through a Louis Moult goal. Chester then took the lead immediately through a Matty Taylor strike, however the Boro came back again thanks to Andy Brown.
Ross Killock put the Blues ahead again but as the match played out, Nuneaton came back into it and ensured they left with a point following another Brown strike.
The Blues were down to 10 men just minutes from kick off following a late tackle from Jason Jarrett on Adam Walker which saw the referee immediately reach for the red card.
Chester responded quickly and despite being a man down, they took the lead thanks to Rooney. The Liverpudlian was found in acres of space just inside the 18-yard box following a superb cross from Lewis Turner, which left Rooney to turn and smash his effort in off the post.
Nuneaton then had a chance down the other end when Brown struck an effort from just outside the Chester area but Aaron Chapman saved well.
The Boro then drew level courtesy of a goal from Moult. The Warwickshire based team broke down the right hand flank with Wes York looping a good ball into the box to find his teammate at the back post to head home.
Chester weren’t disheartened by this however and were on the front foot once more. Craig Mahon sent a floating ball into the box which caught everyone by surprise as it hit the post, with Matty Taylor quickest to the rebound to send home his shot.
Nuneaton then found themselves defending deep inside their own area just before the break. The Boro began to push on and drew level again with a goal reminiscent of the first. The visitors sent a good ball into the box with Brown the highest to rise to it and beat Chapman at the far post.
A question of favour
The second half started just as the first finished with both teams breaking on the counter attack. Brown got into the Blues box and whilst attempting to win the ball, collided with Chapman to leave the on-loan Chesterfield keeper down injured.
The 6ft 8’ keeper got to his feet and play resumed. However Nuneaton continued to attack and after a series of three corners, the Blues were involved in a goalmouth scramble but fortunately managed to clear the ball up field.
Chester then took the lead again thanks to clever play from Rooney which found Ross Killock waiting in the Boro area. The midfielder crossed delightfully into the box to find the on-loan Leeds United youngster who turned well and hit the ball on the half volley.
At this point the game looked in Chester favour, however, Nuneaton continued to press. James Armson intercepted the ball and shot an ambitious shot from 25-yards but sliced his effort out of the ground.
After a relentless attack from the visitors, the Blues cracked under pressure and gave away a corner which proved costly. As the ball came in, Brown latched onto it and scored from close range to put Nuneaton level.
After the game the Chester manager said:
“It wasn’t just a capable performance but a performance with some good football, and to play with 10 men for 80 minutes just shows you how I feel we have come on.”
Kettle’s Man of the Match: John Rooney
When the Blues went down to 10 men, all players started to put in a lot more effort. The midfielder however controlled the game from the middle of the park and assisted in the build up to two of the goals and helped out tirelessly in defence.
Teams:
Chester FC: Chapman 6, L Turner 7, Killock 7, Linwood 6, Bond 5, Jarrett 4, Bridge 6 (N Turner 5), Rooney 8, Mahon 7, Seddon (c) 6, Taylor 7
Subs not used: Danby, Menagh, Lindfield, Daniels
Nuneaton Town: Belshaw 6, Gordon 5 (Hibbert 5), Streete 6, Cowan 5, Dean (c) 5, Walker 5, Sleath 6, Armson 5, Moult 6, Brown 5, York 6
Subs not used: Delfouneso, Trainer, C Taylor, Adams
Referee: Ben Toner
Assistants: Justin Hayes and Richard Wild
Fourth Official: Matthew Pope
Attendance: 2,214
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Image: Ian Cooper
