Farnborough 1, Chester City 1

Sep 14 2001 Chester Chronicle

CHESTER'S resilience paid off with a last-minute equaliser on Saturday in a match which did little to enhance the reputation of the Conference.

It was a chapter of errors from both sides and newcomers Farnborough could hardly complain when two points went astray with Mark Beesley's last-ditch strike.

The Hampshire side had the lion's share of the game, but lacked the cutting edge needed to finish Chester off and they paid the price within moments of the final whistle.

Chester looked to be set up for a defeat when Lenny Piper cashed in on Sam Hill's misplaced clearance after only six minutes, but if the home fans expected the floodgates to open they were to be disappointed.

There were plenty of chances, but the home finishing was woeful and the City defence remained intact after that, allied to some smart goalkeeping by Wayne Brown.

To their credit, City never gave up and they had the last laugh when Beesley, with the help of Jimmy Haarhoff, fired home into the bottom corner of the net with time running out.

Said director of football Gordon Hill: 'It was Farnborough who got out of jail, not us. They had the first half, but when you start to play football you create chances and that's what we did.'

Farnborough: Farrelly, Annon, O'Shea, Laker, Warner, L Piper, Watson, Patterson, C Piper (Taggart 75), Vansittart, Crawshaw (Lee 61). Subs: Harper, Bonfield, Jones.

Chester: Brown, M Rose, Porter, Ruffer, Woodyatt (Haarhoff 59), Hill (Kilgannon 46), Lancaster, Kerr (Wright 79), Ruscoe, Spink, Beesley. Subs: S Rose, Roberts.

Booked: Spink, Wright.

Referee: M McCoy.

Attendance: 954.