Image by Tom Poole
Ahead of this weekend’s Emirates FA Cup First Round tie at the Leap76 Stadium, we take a look at this weekend’s opposition, Chester FC.
City will travel to Chester hoping to book their place in the 2nd Round of the competition for the first time since 2010/11, but standing in their way is a Chester FC side, who are currently going well in the National League North.
Five straight wins in all competitions has seen The Seals move into the final playoff spot in the sixth tier, and they’ll head into this weekend’s fixture full of confidence as they look to cause an upset against the Minstermen.
Chester FC booked their place in this weekend’s first round having seen off fellow National League side Hartlepool United in the 4th Qualifying Round three weeks ago. Goals from former Minstermen loanee Elliott Whitehouse and Charlie Caton secured a 2-0 win for The Seals.
They boast a strong defensive record currently in the National League North, having only conceded eleven goals in fourteen games, which sees them currently stand as the league’s second-best tightest defence.
Manager: Calum McIntyre
The boss spent two years at Runcorn Linnets prior to making the move to become Chester FC manager in the summer of 2022.
During his time with the Linnets, he helped guide them to a fourth placed finish in the Northern Premier League West Division, before they lost against Marine in the playoff final.
In his first season with Chester FC, he also helped guide them to the National League North playoffs as they finished third in the league, before they bowed out to Brackley Town in the semi-finals.
Last season, McIntyre built a team which saw them secure 22 league wins and 18 draws in 46 league games. They boasted the league’s best defence as well, having only conceded 41 goals all season.
Top Scorer: Charlie Caton
The 20-year-old is the club’s current top goalscorer having netted five goals so far this season.
He joined the club on a permanent deal this summer, having spent a proportion of last season with The Seals on loan, which saw him claim seven goals and seven assists in twenty-six appearances.
He penned a two-year deal with the club after coming through the youth-team set-up at Football League side Shrewsbury Town.
One to Watch: Kevin Roberts
A 34-year-old full-back, who has a wealth of experience in the National League.
Now into his fourth season with Chester, he re-joined the club in 2019 having spent two seasons at local Welsh rivals Wrexham.
Roberts originally started his career at Chester City in 2006, the former club who were replaced by Chester FC after they were dissolved in 2010.
Also during his career, he has made appearances for Cambridge United and FC Halifax Town, where he has gone on to make just under 600 career appearances.
Head to Head
Even before Chester City’s liquidation in 2010, York and Chester have a rich history of going up against each other over the years.
Having both played against each other in the National League North over recent season, this weekend’s meeting with be the first fixture between the two sides in nearly two years.
The last meeting between York and Chester came in April 2022 at the Deva Stadium as a Lenell John-Lewis goal secured a 1-0 win for the Minstermen as they went on to secure promotion that season back to the National League.