Chester FC 4 Hungerford Town 0: Blues through to FA Trophy third round

The record books will show this as a routine win for the Chester FC but in reality it was much more difficult than that.

Goals from Jordan Chapell, Ross Hannah, Johnny Hunt and Jason Gilchrist sent the Blues into the draw for the third round but Hungerford from the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division were far from disgraced.

The dismissal of Scott Rees for two bookable offences proved pivotal with Chester scoring three times against the 10 men and this win, which takes them into the last 16, will hopefully give them confidence to take into the league too.

Once the excitement over visiting keeper Paul Strudley being made to change his kit due to a colour clash had passed, the first-half was largely forgettable.

Hungerford were content to allow the Blues to have the ball with captain Matt Day and Jon Boardman organising the back four well.

Chester created a few half chances with Strudley gathering at the second time of asking having spilled John Rooney's shot and saving Hunt's close range header.

The best chance of the half came when Hunt found Chapell with a low cross and the recalled winger squared to Danny Hattersley but he had no chance to do anything other than divert the ball over the bar.

Hungerford never really threatened themselves but deserved to go into the break on level terms.

Chester, who replaced Hattersley with Ryan Lloyd at the interval, started the second-half well with Rooney curling inches wide of the piost from 18 yards.

However, the Crusaders almost went ahead moments later when Garyn Preen's cross found an unmarked Rees but a sprawling Jon Worsnop saved well while at the opposite end Strudley made routine stops from Chapell and Hannah.

The visitors were growing in confidence and Preen should have done better than shoot straight at Worsnop when he got in behind Ryan Higgins but their resistance was broken on 67 minutes when Mahon teed up Chapell and he did well to find the space to bend a shot into the bottom corner from 18 yards.

Hungerford were reduced to 10 men soon after when Rees was booked twice in quick succession for fouls on Rooney and Luke George.

Now chasing the game, the Crusaders fell further behind on 83 minutes when a long Ian Sharps pass caught them out and Hannah raced clear to finish in expert fashion for his 17th goal of the season.

And the Blues got a third two minutes later when Hunt swooped on a loose ball in the area and fired past Strudley with Hungerford appealing to the officials for an infringement.

Deep into added time, Jason Gilchrist, who had replaced George, added a fourth with an emphatic close range finish after excellent work from Ryan Higgins to open his account for the club.