Match report from the afternoon away defeat versus Chester City
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Chester City picked up their first win in seven matches as they secured a comfortable victory against Barnet.
A goal in each half was enough to secure the points in a tame encounter between two sides that could both probably consider their league status safe for another season.
Chester took the lead deep in first-half stoppage time when a corner floated in by Sean Hessey was won in the air by Dave Artell. He nodded the ball goalwards, and Phil Bolland pounced to head in from close range.
Up until that point, it had been an error-strewn match with neither side able to string together more than a few passes.
The tone had been set in the third minute when James Vaughan, son of the Chester chairman, almost got off to the worse possible start on his Football League debut, when he miskicked an attempted clearance, and had to be rescued by a flying save from his keeper John Danby.
Paul Linwood was wasteful with a headed opportunity that went well over the bar on 16 minutes, and Artell spurned an equally good chance with a similar header five minutes later.
The home side sprung the offside trap on 23 minutes to send youngster Paul Rutherford in on goal, but he was denied by keeper Ross Flitney, who spread himself well to block the shot.
Vaughan also stung the hands of the visiting keeper with an effort from the edge of the box just before the break.
It took until stoppage time in the first period for Barnet to have their first real effort on goal when Oliver Allen struck the base of the post with a low drive, just moments before Chester scored their opener.
The second period saw the home side have the upper hand, and it came as no surprise when the advantage was doubled on 58 minutes.
Chris Holroyd received the ball in the penalty area, made a sharp turn, before teeing up Jamie Hand, who drove a low shot from the edge of the box past Flitney to secure the win. |
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