Peterborough Utd 0 Chester City 1: Saturday, August 6, Coca-Cola League Two
Peterborough: Tyler, Holden, Kennedy (Day 71), Carden, Burton (Plummer 89), Arber, Gain, Benjamin, St Ledger, Boucaud (Semple 58), Crow. Subs: Harrison, Logan. Booked: Carden.
Chester: MacKenzie, McNiven, Bolland, Limech, Regan, Davies, Drummond, Curtis, Lowe (Walker 81), Branch, Richardson. Subs (not used): Vaughan, Artell, Brookfield, El Kholti.
Goal: Drummond (69) Booked: Davies, Dimech, Curtis, Bolland, Lowe.
Referee: M Messias (Yorkshire). Attendance: 4,980.
clock watch
2 mins: Posh full-back Peter Kennedy fires a left-footed free-kick just wide of Chris MacKenzie's goal.
25 mins: Chester winger Ryan Lowe twists and turns through the hosts' defence and sees his rasping 20-yard drive tipped over by Mark Tyler.
30 mins: Ben Davies's right-wing corner is met by Phil Bolland, whose header skims the top of Tyler's crossbar.
45+1 mins: Lowe has a 'goal' mysteriously ruled out by referee Matt Massias following a goalmouth scramble
69 mins: City take the lead when Lowe releases Michael Branch down the right and the striker's cross falls to Davies, whose diving header is pushed out by Tyler. STEWART DRUMMOND seizes on to the loose ball to make it 1-0.
79 mins: Danny Crow breaks clear and lobs MacKenzie, only for Chester's Luke Dimech to race back and hook the ball to safety.
80 mins: Burton curls in another dangerous free-kick, but MacKenzie is alert to the danger and palms the ball away for a corner.
84 mins: The home crowd sense an equaliser when Trevor Benjamin rises for a header, but the former Leicester and Coventry striker miscues and the ball drifts wide.
88 mins: Chester launch a counter attack but Davies fails to connect with Marcus Richardson's low cross into the six-yard box.
Star man
Phil Bolland: Honourable mention must go to Bolland's defensive colleagues and the tireless Tom Curtis in midfield, but the big centre back was literally head and shoulders above everybody else. Kept Benjamin quiet.
Dugout view
KEITH CURLE: 'If you could write a story book, you'd want to play and win against the departing manager from last season. Everyone's been building it up and asking whether we'd be able to stand up to the reaction we'd get, so I'm very proud. We knew we would be tight, solid and that we'd create chances. We've turned a squad of players into a team.'
MARK WRIGHT: 'That's a big wake-up call. Some of our players have been used to playing in League One, so welcome to League Two! Chester had one chance and took it. We didn't play as well as we have been in pre-season and you have to give Chester credit for that. I thought Chester played well but I don't think anyone deserved to win the game.'
