Hereford were quick to respond though with Ryan Green and Steve Guinan linking up well but it was Ben Smith who gave himself half a chance playing the ball forward and running on to it but he had put just too much power into it and the ball went behind for a goal kick.

David Brown came close with a powerful downward header for Hereford in the 11th minute after being fed the ball by Tamika Mkandawire.  Chester responded immediately though with a Kevin McIntyre corner at the other end but it was cleared in the air by the Hereford defence.

In the thirteenth minute Jamie Heard linked up with Daryl Clare down the right hand side but Daryl was being well marked and could not get a clear shot through to goal.

The game entered a quiet period after the bright start as both teams played a cautious game testing out each others strengths and weaknesses.  Jamie heard was linking up well between midfield and Clare and Stamp up front down the right hand side giving Chester good attacking options down both flanks with Michael Twiss on the left.

Chester won another corner in the 27th minute which McIntyre placed to the far goal post where it was parried away by Matt Baker in the Hereford goal and eventually cleared.

Hereford were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position in the 34th minute. Danny Williams played it short into Steve Guinan who turned quickly on the ball with the goal looming only yards away but fortunately about 3 Chester defenders ran on to him to block the shot. A clever set piece though.

Chester won their fifth corner in the 39th minute.  Again it was on the left hand side but this time it was Ben Davies who took it right footed and inswinging across the goal.  No-one could get their head to it though and it curled out of play for a goal kick.

Arguably the best chance of the game so far came Chester's way right on the 45th minute when Darryn Stamp fed the ball inside looking for Ben Davies but he couldn't quite get to it first.

Into the second half then with both teams shooting towards their own supporters. Ian McCaldon kept Chester in the game three times in as many minutes 5 minutes into the half. Firstly he had to rescue the ball from the feet of David Brown after a cross in from Michael Rose in the 50th.  Then a minute later he was well placed to block Guinan's shot after he had broken through from a midfield position. He completed a quick hat trick of saves 2 minutes later pushing a Danny Williams free kick behind for a corner.

In the 59th after a Chester corner had gone out for a throw in it was Kevin McIntyre who ran with the ball into the edge of the box and forced a great blocking save from Matt Baker. He parried the ball away into space but Chester couldn't get to it first and it was hoofed quickly away by the Bulls defence.

The game was really coming to life now and in the 62nd Paul Carden and Daryl Clare made a breakaway run down the right hand side. As the Hereford defence quickly reorganised it was Ben Davies who had the final shot but it was deflected for a corner.

Ian Foster replaced Daryl Clare a few minutes later. Clare had gone down earlier in the game holding his knee so safety first is the mostly likely reason for the change.

There was another corner from Ben Davies in the 70th minute which sailed over the goal area but the referee blew for a Chester infringement in the area before it could be played back in or cleared.

Kevin Rapley replaced Michael Twiss in the 77th minute to give the blues a fresh pair of legs up front. However it was Hereford doing most of the pushing forwards for the next five minutes.

Into the final ten minutes though and it was Chester who were doing all the attacking. This culminated in a  golden chance to steal the three points when Ben Davies was brought down in the box in the 87th minute whilst making another dangerous run through the middle.  After several minutes delay Ian Foster came forwards to take it but as he blasted it towards the bottom right hand corner the goalkeeper guessed correctly and blocked it for the save of the match.

Chester's misery at the penalty miss was compounded in the third minute of extra time when Jamie Heard was dismissed for a second yellow card.

So it finished 0-0 with both teams cancelling each other out for large stretches but also creating good attacking forays at times. The corner statistics reflect this - Chester 10-9 Hereford. The opposition defences were able to deal with most of these attacks but this was still one of the more entertaining 0-0 draws that you are likely to see.

Deva TXT man of the match award goes to Ben Davies for covering every blade of grass on the pitch and really going for it throughout the game.  Good afternoon from a sun drenched Deva Stadium.