Chester FC ’s unbeaten pre-season run was ended as they were beaten 3-2 at Evo Stik Northern Premier League side Altrincham.
Goals from former Chester players Tom Peers an Jerome Wright and one from Josh Amis condemned the Blues to a limp defeat where they were second best for much of the contest.
Liam Davies and a Lucas Dawson penalty were on target for Chester but they were never at the races against a well organised and disciplined side who made the Blues do all the running.
Just 24 hours earlier the Blues were in action in Gwynedd, Wales, where they secured a 3-1 success over Welsh Premier Leaguers Bala Town.
At Moss Lane there were plenty of familiar faces in the Altrincham side with former Chester players Tom Peers, Jerome Wright, John Disney and Tony Thompson all in the Robins squad.
Pre-match there was a bucket collection for former Blues striker Peers in aid of his sister Vicki Griffiths, with the proceeds going towards helping the mother of two adapt her home in order to care for herself and her children after being left paralysed from the waist down after a gym accident.
Jon McCarthy opted to field two separate teams in each half although there was no place for Craig Mahon, Lathaniel Rowe-Turner, Lloyd Marsh-Hughes or Ross Hannah, with the latter still recovering from a muscle strain picked up at Runcorn Town last week.
It was Phil Parkinson’s Robins side who started on the front foot and James Poole fired over from 20 yards before Peers latched on to an inviting cross from John Johnston but could only stab over from 12 yards.
The opening period saw Chester struggle to make any inroads into the Alty defence and the home side repelled the visitors with ease as they dominated possession and moved the ball around with purpose.
And the home side grew in stature as the half wore on with Johnston causing plenty of problems out wide on the right.
Josh Hancock headed a Johnston corner just wide before Johnston himself jinked his way into the area before firing a tame effort at Alex Lynch as the home side poured forward.
Altrincham should have been rewarded for their efforts just before the half hour mark when Ryan Astles pondered in possession on the edge of his own area and was robbed of the ball but Peers, one-on-one with Lynch could only lift the ball over the bar when he really should have buried his finish.
But Peers wasn’t to be denied and handed Altrincham a deserved lead on 33 minutes when more Robins pressure saw the ball worked to the former Chester striker eight yards out and his angled sidefooted effort crept past Lynch and into the back of the net.
Alty seemed to be coasting but Chester were back level just five minutes later against the run of play.
The Blues punctured Alty’s pressure long enough for Davies to find some room 25 yards out and, as he had done at Runcorn the week before, he pulled the trigger and found the target, firing beyond an outstretched Thompson to level matters, albeit somewhat undeserved based on the balance of play.
After wholesale changes from both sides at the break Chester came out with a little more urgency after the restart and Lucas Dawson’s marauding run from midfield saw him tee up Nyal Bell 10 yards out but the striker, on loan from Gateshead, could only skew wide from an angle.
But it didn’t take long for the home side to find their groove going forward again and Johnston was causing plenty of headaches with his pace and trickery on the right wing with his deliveries causing havoc.
Altrincham had the ball in the back of the net again on 64 minutes, although their celebrations were to be short lived.
Substitute Tomoli Omotola’s burst of speed took him past full back Alex Downes and to the byline where he cut back to Johnston to fire high into the roof of the net. The goal didn’t stand, though, as Omotola was deemed to have taken the ball out of play. It was, however, another display of Alty’s dominance.
And the pressure would tell on 69 minutes when Parkinson’s men heaped pressure on the Blues back four before the ball fell kindly to Wright 10 yards out who made no mistake in firing past Trialist A in the Chester goal. It was no less than their efforts deserved.
Chester, though, almost hit back just moments later when Wade Joyce’s deep cross was met with a looped header from Trialist D, whose effort crashed against the bar and deflected out for a corner.
But it was soon 3-1.
Substitute Amis latched on to a long ball down the right and took aim at goal, firing at Trialist A in the Chester goal only for the ball to sneak beyond him and into the back of the net to compound the visitors’ misery.
There was a chink of light six minutes from time when Bell was brought down by Jake Moult somewhat dubiously, with the referee pointing to the spot, much to the chagrin of the home faithful.
Dawson stepped up to slam home the spot kick to reduce the arrears, giving substitute keeper Tim Deasy no chance.
MATCH FACTS
Altrincham: Thompson, Disney, Short, Lynch, Harrison, Moult, Johnston, Sheridan, Peers, Poole, Hancock. Subs: Densmore, Brownhill, Jones, Taylor, Wright, Amis, Heathcote, Deasy, Omotola.
Goals: Peers 33, Wright 69, Amis 76.
Chester first half: Lynch, Halls, McCombe, Astles, Trialist, Waters, Turnbull, James, Davies, Akintunde, White.
Chester second half: Trialist A, Trialist B, Jones, Trialist C, Downes, Chapell, Dawson, Joyce, Hellawell, Bell, Trialist.
Goals: Davies 38, Dawson 84 (pen).
Attendance: 412
