This was by far the most entertaining game we have played so far this season. The game was very open from the start until the finish and only in the last 5 minutes did Sacriston end up making the game safe. Both defensives I think it is safe to say were not at their best but it made for a very entertaining match with both sides looking very good going forward.
Sacriston got off to a terrible start and found themselves 2-0 down after 19 minutes. Chester scored after 4 minutes following Sacriston’s dismal slow attempts to clear the ball then one through ball took out the whole defence where the back tracking Ian Race was forced into a challenge on the Chester forward just inside the box. The referee from a good 35 yards away adjudged Race to have fouled the forward when he looked to have got the ball and a penalty was awarded from which Chester duly converted from with a clinical right footed strike into the bottom left hand corner past Marc Hall in the Segga goal who was deputising for the MISSING John Lee.
It took Sacriston a while to wake up but half way through the first half we started playing properly. We got back into the game on 29 minutes when Andrew Solan’s fine run and cross down the right hand side met the head off Anthony Ward at the back post and he headed in powerfully to make it 2-1.
Then 6 minutes later Segga were level when an excellent flick on by Harrison from Hall’s goal kick fell into the path of Jack Brennan who played the perfect through ball into the path of Greg Coates who took one touch before firing a well guided shot into the bottom left hand corner of the net to make it 2-2. Segga were on a roll by now and poured forward looking for the lead and the chance for that came on 43 minutes when Graeme Embleton was needlessly barged into inside the box and a penalty was awarded. John Harrison converted the penalty with ease dispatching the ball into the bottom right hand corner.
The game had a slight resemblance to a basketball game with both teams going forward in turn so at half time in an effort to stop that Rob Draper was employed in a much more defensive role in central midfield which worked a treat and he had a blinding second half snuffing out most of Chester’s attacks before they got close to our box.
On 53 minutes though Chester should have levelled when a ball across our box found the number 10 eight yards from goal but he blazed his chance way over the bar.
Sacriston then should have gone 4-2 ahead on 55 minutes when Graeme Embleton’s corner was met by a thumping Danny O’Brien header which crashed against the cross bar but Grant Boyd retrieved the ball and give it to Greg Coates who played a gorgeous reverse path into the path of Harrison who found himself one on one with the Chester keeper and Harrison kept his cool beautifully slotting the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net to make it 4-2 to Sacriston.
Grant Boyd 2 minutes later then went on a rampaging run before unleashing a left footed shot from 25 yards out which the Chester keeper did well to reach in tipping it on to the cross bar and over for a corner kick.
Jacob Horner replaced Greg Coates on 63 minutes who had been excellent which allowed Ward to partner Harrison up front.
Chester went close to scoring when an optimistic long range shot rattled the post on 69 minutes a sign of the danger still in the Britannia side.
Jack Brennan again outstanding all match should have made the game safe when he found himself in space at the back post but his header went wide when well placed.
Then on 72 minutes Chester were right back in the game when their number 3 finished well with a sliding effort which flew into the roof of the net following a poor attempt from Sacriston to clear the danger following a corner.
Andrew Collinson came on for Horner with 11 minutes to go.
Then on 83 minutes Anthony Ward capped a fine comeback performance and made the game safe when his audacious shot from 30 yards out went into the top corner at the near post totally wrong footing the Chester keeper who had already gone too far to the other side anticipating a cross.
This settled Sacriston right down and we even added one more goal with 2 minutes to play when Collinson was in the right place at the right time to convert a chance from a rebounded shot to make it 6-3.
It was a manic game packed with incident but I was very pleased with the way we came back from 2-0 down to go and win the game and the appetite of the players to go and score goals was very encouraging. The Chester team had very good forward players and a tricky winger which kept our defence occupied the whole game and they played the game the right way but thankfully our own forward power and the excellence of Draper in midfield proved the difference. We now have 4 points from 3 games and have another important league game at Pelaw Grange Dogs on Thursday night where no doubt our squad will be tested to the limit again.
