CHESTER ESCAPE FA DERBY SANCTION

CHESTER are to face no further action following a Football Association charge after their hearted derby with Wrexham on January 21 turned ugly.

The National League club ‘failed to control their players’ according to the English FA – with Welsh football’s governing body days later charging the Dragons with the same offence.

But Chester appealed and the charge was withdrawn last week to the joy of chief executive Mark Maguire. “We are absolutely delighted with this outcome, we fully respect the processes undertaken by the FA and firmly agree that this is the right decision,” he said in a statement.

“I’d like to commend our players and staff for their restraint and reiterate that as a community club we take very seriously our responsibilities in setting an appropriate example, equally we will always defend the club where we feel it is appropriate.

“We carefully put together statements from all of our players and staff and painstakingly studied the video evidence which demonstrated that none of our staff raised their arms or in any way provoked the situation, indeed individual players acted as peacemakers and, in the circumstances he faced, Kane Richards – whilst clearly extremely angry – did really well not to retaliate.”

There is no news yet on the outcome of Wrexham’s charge.