Chester 1-1 AFC Telford United - Report

The Bucks were also helped by the dismissal of Chester’s Simon Grand early in the second half, but Paul Carden felt his team lacked the composure to take full advantage. Credit should be given to the hosts also; they and their fans seemed to respond to their perceived injustice, sometimes playing as well without Grand as they had with him.

In a game where the opening goal was scored by a professional boxer, and where Bucks manager Paul Carden felt his side “didn’t lay a glove” on hosts Chester, the boxing metaphors have all but written themselves for this game.

The game was a rematch from Boxing Day’s 3-1 win for the Seals at the New Buck’s Head, and home fans probably entered this game confident that another win would be duly delivered under new manager Steve Watson, the former Newcastle and Everton defender.

Any such optimism wouldn’t have looked misplaced in the early stages. The Seals were the more positive outfit from kick-off, landing a few jabs as they sought to soften up Carden’s bottom of the table side. They forced a number of early corner kicks, with George Glendon and Declan Weeks orchestrating and left-back Josh Askew eager to overlap and deliver crosses.

The Bucks weren’t being pummelled, but were landing few punches of their own as they laboured in their attempts to get into Chester’s half of the pitch. By the time the game reached the half-way point of the first half, the Seals were being more deliberate in their combinations; Weeks set Glendon up from a short corner to test Russ Griffiths from a tight angle, the former Chester keeper blocking his effort at the near post.

Glendon, the Chester captain, is a class act at this level; he was involved again when he ghosted past Brad Bood on the right and found Weeks with a low cross that his midfield partner worked onto his left foot, only to see defender Ross White hurl himself into the path of his shot to stop it reaching Griffiths.

It wasn’t just bodies being hurled in the direction of the Bucks goal; Griffiths endured a barrage of verbal insults and a small array of projectiles being aimed at him from the fans behind his goal, but after 36 minutes his resistance was broken.

Darren Stephenson made some inroads down the left-hand side and when he found Anthony Dudley in support, the striker’s cross was headed past Griffiths from 8-10 yards out by midfielder Paddy Lacey.

He may be Lacey by name, but Lacey is less about frills than packing a punch; he was absent from the Seals line-up for the teams’ first clash, having extended his professional boxing record to three wins from three bouts in taking a points victory over Vasif Mamedov two weeks earlier. He also runs a flooring firm, and he appeared to have floored the Bucks, sending his cushioned header inside Griffiths’ left post, an effort that appeared to change direction in flight.

Lacey almost had another opportunity barely a few minutes later; with the Bucks perhaps still reeling and looking for the safety of half-time, he saw an effort blocked from just inside the penalty area as Weeks’ footwork had the Bucks spellbound and unwilling to risk a challenge inside the penalty area.

The Bucks did get to their ‘corner’, and early in the second half their cause was aided by Grand’s dismissal. The Seals’ hugely experienced defender, a multiple title winner at this division, not least with the Bucks in 2014, had already been given a first-half yellow card for hauling down Bucks’ midfielder Dom McHale.

Grand was played into trouble somewhat, Jason Oswell picking off a pass, and when Grand clambered all over Oswell to haul him to the floor, 20 yards from goal, he must have known what was coming. Referee Jonathan Maskrey produced a second yellow, then a red card, and Grand had to go.

He would have barely reached the dressing room before he’d have known his dismissal wasn’t the only punishment for his team. From the resulting free-kick, Brendon Daniels scored for a second game in succession, striking a sweet, left-footed free-kick around the defensive wall and past Louis Gray’s despairing dive to his right.

The Bucks were up off the canvas and back in the contest. Chester exchanged Dudley for another veteran defender in Danny Livesey as they sought to shore up at the back. Livesey has most recently been the Seals caretaker-manager, and his presence helped steady the hosts. The home fans also became fully engaged, roaring on their team every time they chased down the ball or won possession; although Grand’s dismissal was completely the correct call, there was an indignity about them, a feeling they’d been hard done by, and it fuelled their efforts.

Although the Bucks possessed the numerical advantage, their league position and lack of form or genuine self-belief meant that lacked the composure to really make it count. A side more comfortable in possession would have made the ball do the work, making Chester run in pursuit, and for all the Bucks efforts, they couldn’t open up their opponent to land a decisive punch.

McHale saw a low cross for Oswell turned away for a corner, whilst Daniels had another free-kick opportunity from an almost identical position saved by Gray as he this time sent the ball over the wall and to Gray’s left.

Griffiths had to be on his toes to turn a shot from Glendon around his right post for a corner, and he also saved from Askew and saw Glendon fire another effort over his crossbar as the Seals tried to counter-punch.

The Bucks introduced new signing Andre Wright for the final ten minutes, and he won a corner which he then got on the end of from Oswell’s downward header, finding himself unable to turn and shoot.

As the officials signalled an additional six minutes of play, the Bucks thought their moment had arrived; from a corner taken by substitute Carl Baker, Jason Oswell directed a header at goal which Carden later confirmed had been assessed as being handled by a Seals player en route to goal.

A penalty was awarded, albeit no red card, and the Bucks searched for a hero amongst theit ranks; assistant manager Baker took the responsibility, but the eye of the tiger deserted him. His spot-kick, struck hard and centrally, was aimed into the roof of the net but struck the crossbar, rebounding into play before being hacked to safety.

There was still time for one more Chester attack, as defender Matty Williams strode forward, went through a challenge and saw a shot blocked before a follow-up effort from a comrade rebounded to safety also, amidst some claims it had struck an arm.

It hadn’t, and both sides had to be content with a point. It’s hard to know who might feel more satisfied with a share of the spoils, but the Bucks will have to hope they don’t come to regret Baker’s spurned opportunity.

Referee: Jonathan Maskrey.

Assistants: Karl Buckley, Neil Evans.

Attendance: 2,116.

Telford (5-3-2): Griffiths, White, Shotton, Lilly, Bood, Walker (c), Goodridge, McHale (Baker 78), Daniels (Wright 84), Oswell, Williams.

Subs not used: Abbey, Bennett, Bange.

Scorer: Daniels (50).

Chester FC: Gray, Roberts, Grand, Weeks, Glendon (c), Dudley (Livesey 51), Stephenson, Horsfield, Lacey (Clarke 59), Williams, Askew.

Subs not used: Smith, Burke, Waring.

Scorers: Lacey (36).

Dismissed: Grand (2 bookings).