A cold but sunny afternoon was the setting for today's
top of the league clash with Barnet.The game started
at a slow pace with neither team willing to push forwards
with conviction. Chester had a free kick in the 7th
minute which was cleared from the goal area by Danny
Maddix. A minute later Brady and Stamp won Chester
the first corner of the game which again was cleared away
from the goal area without any goal scoring chances
arising.
Chester had another brace of corners in the 12th
minute. At the second McIntyre played it to the far
post where it was headed into the area by Carl Ruffer and
scrambled away by Gore in the Barnet Goal.
In the 14th they had yet another corner which Ben
Davies played to the far post. Carl Ruffer was
there again with a header but this time it was into the
side netting.
In the 26th minute Chester won another corner which
was taken by Ben Davies and played high across goal. Carl
Ruffer was making a long run to get on the end of it but
it was knocked behind for another corner just before he
could reach it. This subsequent corner was played
short and cleared easily by Barnet.
There was danger for Chester a few minutes before the
break when Barnet were awarded a free kick in a dangerous
position after Sean Carey had brought down Simon King.
The eventual free kick was blocked without danger.
Just as the game looked to be ending in half time
deadlock Alex Smith scored his first goal since his
return to the Deva and what a screamer of a goal it was.
he received the ball from Ben Davies in midfield and
launched a ferocious 30 yard volley at the Barnet goal
giving Shane Gore absolutely no chance.
Into the second half and on 48 minutes Ben Davies
played great ball through to Daryl Clare on the edge of
the area but he was dispossessed before he could shoot.
They had another good chance two minutes later when Brady
and Davies created an opening down the right. The cross
to the far post found Darryn Stamp who headed the ball
downwards but his intentions had been misread by everyone
and allowed Barnet to clear.
Chester kept the pressure up and McIntyre won another
corner for the blues with a good run down the left.
It was taken by Ben Davies but cleared by Hendon but
another corner was the result. Ben Davies took this
one and played it to Darryn Stamp but his header was
straight at the keeper.
In the 72nd minute Ruffer played a brilliant through
ball to Clare who was running into acres of space.
He played a cross into Darryn Stamp but Stamp couldn't
turn and get a shot in.
In a game in which Barnet shots on goal were in scarce
supply, substitute Lee Roach came close to an equaliser
in the 76th minute with a long shot that went just past
the left hand post. The blues were comfortably in
control of the game though and slowing it down at every
opportunity.
Chester had the chance to make the game certain in the
82nd minute from a Ben Davies free kick. He played
it across goal towards Darryn Stamp but he just couldn't
get on the end of it on time.
Chester were killing the game off as a spectacle to
maintain their lead so the game fizzled out as a
spectacle. Importantly though the blues came away
with 3 points and the news that Aldershot were losing to
Scarborough to cement the blues firmly at the top of the
Nationwide Conference.
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