Optimism high as Linnets take flight
Breaking the Chester high offside trap, Potter bore down on Shenton’s goal and fired into the top corner from an acute angle. Trialist No.11 fluffed his lines on 26 minutes when losing his footing with the goal gaping after a pull-back from the impressive Potter.
Danny O’Brien left the fray around the half hour mark, replaced by Kasie Jones.
Chester retook the lead on the 40-minute mark and once again it was Pritchard who netted from the penalty spot, as he had done in the team’s midweek win at Ramsbottom.
Chester’s centre-forward trialist was .barged into the penalty Oarea by Paul Shanley, giving the referee little option but to point to the spot. Pritchard confidently tucked the spot- ● kick into the bottom corner, sending Dylan Forth the wrong way.
As half-time approached, Jimmy Moore fell awkwardly on the hard pitch. The referee took the opportunity to blow his whistle while Jimmy received treatment.
Chester made an encouraging start to the second period, with Hughes’s early effort charged down by the Linnets’ usual holding midfield player Kieran Nolan, on at centre-half in the place of Moore.
Johnson and Morley’s men went 3-1 up after 53 minutes through their on-trial striker. Brown did superbly well to loft a tremendous ball into the trialist’s path and the former Football League striker did the rest, nodding past the goal- keeper and knocking the ball into an empty net.
Linnets replied almost instantly to reduce the deficit. Scott Burton’s error in midfield allowed trialist No.11 to race through on goal and calmly slot past Shenton from 12 yards. It was an eventful afternoon for number 11, who looked quite familiar to the home fans.
Chester’s trialist frontman went close on the hour mark, rattling the upright after Pritchard had swung in a delightful cross. Just two minutes later and Chester were giftw wrapped a fourth goal. Runcorn’s fifth trialist, who had only been on for a matter of minutes, comically sliced an attempted clearance into his own net, almost Van Basten-like. Matty Holmes, in goal for the second half, was left bewildered as the unintended effort flew in from an acute angle.
Chester’s defence was again exposed by some more great play from Linnets who pulled another goal back on 78 minutes, Shanley converting a leftwing cross from just six yards out. Only three minutes later, Chester restored their two-goal advantage, Mooney’s leftfooted ball being converted at the back post by the Football League trialist for his second of the day.
The verdict from most Linnets fans at the end of the game was that they had gifted three or four goals to Chester but also that, after scoring three well-worked goals of their own, the hosts can hold their heads high.
All in all a good day in the sun. Now bring on the rain.