A competitive pre-season workout with League Two club Tranmere Rovers ended in a deserved draw for the Blues.

Steve Burr will have taken far more positives than negatives from the game and his side could, and perhaps should, have won.

It took them almost half an hour to get going but once John Rooney began to influence proceedings then the Blues created the better chances and more of them.

Given his side had faced Newcastle Town 24 hours before, it was no surprise that Burr shuffled his pack.

His selection against an experimental Rovers side perhaps offered some insight into his thinking with the first league game in 10 days.

Both sides got stuck into each other in a competitive opening 10 minutes and the Birkenhead club had the first real chance when Elliot Richards fired straight at Worsnop from inside the box.

Rovers went ahead on 14 minutes when Worsnop failed to deal with Jason Koumas' shot, palming the ball up into the air and back under the crossbar for Richards to bundle home.

Chester were struggling to make inroads with lone forward Craig Hobson looking isolated up top but John Rooney did his best to inspire the hosts.

Tranmere keeper Aaron Jameson saved his curler on 23 minutes and then held on well when the midfielder fired in a low free kick minutes later.

Craig Mahon worked an opening on the half hour but Jameson pushed his shot clear and Hobson headed Rooney's free kick the wrong side of the bar as the Blues pushed without ever opening the League Two side up.

Rovers had a chance themselves on 38 minutes when Koumas clipped a pass towards James Rowe but Worsnop beat his shot clear.

Jameson – on trial at Prenton Park – was much busier than his opposite number and his fine one-handed stop denied Rooney before Mahon spurned a great chance when the keeper dropped on his tame shot from close range.

Second before half time, Jameson's resistance was broken as team-mate Antonie Boland tried to hook Mahon's cross clear but sliced past the despairing keeper.

Keiran Charnock replaced Michael Kay during the break and Rovers brought on another trialist in Canadian Jon Viscosci for the impressive Jameson.

Tranmere made another three changes inside eight minutes with Cole Stockton, Kayode Odejayi and Jake Kirby coming on, and the substitutions interrupted the flow of the game.

Burr opted to keep things settled and that contributed to the Blues seeing more possession and creating two openings with Sean McConville firing wide under pressure and Mahon off target from distance.

Rovers, who introduced Max Power and Ben Jago, almost regained the lead when the ball fell to Stockton in the area but he drilled the ball against the post when it looked easier to score.

As the contest moved into the closing stages, the game opened up with Danny Taylor's cross rebouding straight to Viscosci off defender Euan Gumbs and Jamie Menagh firing wide.

Burr made a triple-change with 15 minutes remaining with Liam Blake, Bohan Dixon and Wayne Riley coming on but the game soon petered out.

In comparison to the first period, the second half was untidy but the Blues had an excellent chance to claim the win with two minutes to go.

Rovers were caught out at the back and Taylor set up McConville but he looked heavy-legged and dragged wide with only Viscosci to beat.

Tranmere had a half-chance with seconds remaining but the Blues back four scrambled well and the full time whistle soon followed.

Chester FC: Worsnop, Taylor, Roberts, Kay (Charnock 45), Brown, Rooney, James (Dixon 76), McConville, Mahon (Blake 76), Menagh, Hobson (Riley 76). Subs: Hall, Peers, Disney, Miller, Rea.

Goal: Boland (own goal) 45.

Tranmere Rovers: Jameson (Viscosci 45), Gumbs, McDonald, Boland, Touray, Duggan (Holmes 74), Gill (Power 64), Shaw (Jago 64), Rowe (Kirby 53), Koumas (Stockton 51), Richards (Odejayi 51). Subs: Holmes, Woodards, Ihiekwe, Holness.

Goal: Richards 14.

Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside)

Attendance: 1,532.