After a two week gap, the Stan returned to league action. The previous three league matches had seen three wins and three clean sheets for the Stan but the overall performance today, just like the weather, was miserable. There were four changes from the Ashington cup game 11 days ago.

The first five minutes were pretty even but in the 6th minute the visitors, second in the league, demonstrated to the Stan that they would bedifficult opponents when a ball into the Stan box from the left was headed past Backhouse by Scott Heslop to make it 1-0. The Stan then tried to respond immediately and, a minute after a Stan player was shoved in the Chester box, a ball was put through to Rowntree who raced into the box only for the away keeper to get to the ball first.

A Chester attack was then cleared by Backhouse. In 12 minutes Backhouse ran out and blocked the ball with his feet. In 18 minutes Burns missed a through ball. Chester then headed wide from a corner and a minute later had another attackcleared with good defending by Wear.

In 24 minutes a Chester player again headed wide from a corner resulting from a counter attack. Two minutes later and Stoddart passed to Wright who, with his back to goal on the edge of the box, turned and shot just wide. This was the Stan’s first real effort. A minute later and another Chester attack was blocked, cleared then caught by Backhouse. The Stan counter attack saw a shot straight at the keeper. Chester then had a corner with the resulting shot being miss-hit allowing Backhouseto catch it.

The visitors doubled their lead in 32 minutes when a ball from a corner was headed away by Wear but it was put back into the box by Chester and a short pass by another Chester player to Heslop caught out Backhouse and the ball was tapped into the net. Three minutes later and Chester shot wide. After another minute, Wright out-ran a defender but his shot was put out by the Chester keeper for a corner. From the corner, Wear headed over.

The Stan then had 4 attacks but Wright was finding the high balls to him difficult to deal with. In the 43rd minute, in a good position, a Chester player hit the ball against Backhouse for a corner. A Rowntree attack was then blocked and when the ball went back in it was intercepted by a defender. The Stan finished the half with another four attacks including a shot that went high from Wright.

As with the first half, the second half saw the Stan suffer from frailties in the centre of midfield. Wright started the second half desperate for a goal and in the 48th minute, he was twisting and turning in the box but with no one to pass to. Two minutes later and he beat the offside trap but was then brought down with no foul given. Chester then shot over in 52 minutes and two minutes later shot wide. There were then a couple of attacks at either end with Rowntree in a good position to score with both Stan opportunities.

In 60 minutes, a good ball from Telford saw Rowntree blocked by the Chester keeper. In 63 minutes, after a Chester attack, a high ball back in from Hepplewhite out on the left went straight towards Backhouse on his line who thought he would catch it but the ball went into the right hand corner of the net to make it 3-0.

Wright and Rowntree both then had efforts blocked. There were then efforts at either end and in 75 minutes a Dixon ball into the box was blocked by the visiting keeper. Wright then had a shot saved by the keeper with another effort blocked.

In 80 minutes a Yates header was caught by the Chester keeper. 3 minutes later and Backhouse caught a high ball into the Stan box. A minute later though and a ball into the box saw Chester’s Ben Johnson get to it before two Stan defenders to make it 4-0. In the last few minutes, the Stan stepped up a gear with a shot wide by Imray and a good shot by Burns blocked by the Chester keeper. A counterattack saw a Chester player chip the ball over the Stan defence and Backhouse but, just as the ball was about to take a final bounce into the net, Telford slid in to clear but ended in the net himself.

Luckily for the wet fans, the match ended soon after and is best not talked about round the fire in the forthcoming long winter nights.

Stan Team: Backhouse; Stoddart; Axon; Wear(Ray); Scott, P; Imray; Telford; Johnson, L(Dixon); Wright; Rowntree (Yates); Burns.

Unused Subs: Carrasquillo.

Yellow Cards: Axon, Scott, Wright.

Attendance: 205

Kevin Mochrie