Key Events
HT Altrincham 0 Chester FC 2
No more than the Blues deserved. Goals from Danny O’Brien and Ryan Astles give them a telling lead.
Astles off the mark
Ryan Astles with his first goal for the club. Bundling home after Rooney’s corner caused chaos. Seconds before a bending free-kick from Rooney from the tightest of angles was tipped over.
GOAL! Altrincham 0 Chester FC 2
Ryan Astles doubles the lead in added time at the end of the first-half.
Robins 'goal' chalked off
Goal...no. Robins have one ruled out for offside. Crowther a fraction off when he fired past Thompson.
Big chance!
Sweeping break from the Blues ends with Ross Hannah shooting straight at Deasy from 15 yards. Should have done better.
Rooney effort
Rooney hits the target with a free-kick from 35 yards. Deasy saves but he made a meal of it.
Blues chance
Wicked cross from Chapell into a dangerous area but Hughes heads wide under pressure
Robins substition
Altrincham have been forced to replace Simon Richman. Josh O’Keefe, who had a fleeting loan spell at Chester last season, comes on.
Sweet strike
An emphatic finish from Danny O’Brien on his debut makes it 1-0 to the Blues. Ryan Lloyd the provider with a cross from the left that the Wigan Athletic winger chested down and fired past Deasy.
Deasy saves
Chapell with a good hit from 25 yards but it’s straight at Deasy who saves comfortably.
Off target
First shot for the Robins as Moult fires over from 25 yards after Griffin’s shot was blocked.
Wall does its job
Ross Hannah takes but it strikes the wall and the Robins clear up the other end.
Shooting chance
Free-kick to Blues on edge of the area after a cynical tug from Griffin on Chapell, who has started well.
Post!
Jordan Chapell’s scuffed effort takes a deflection and rebounds off the upright with Tim Deasy scrambling. The winger had a second chance but the ball got stock under his feet.
Excitement lacking
Not a lot happened in the opening six or seven minutes. Both teams still to settle down.
Quiet start
Chester have started in a 3-5-2 formation with Ryan Lloyd and Danny O’Brien as wing backs, Craig Mahon in midfield and Jordan Chapell behind Ross Hannah.
Teams are out
The Blues, who are in yellow tonight, and the Robins are out on the pitch. We’ll be underway soon.
League situation
Chester start tonight one place and two points above the Robins in the National League table so an Altrincham win would take them above the Blues on the ladder, which at this stage of the season is not a good place to be in. An away win would give Chester a valuable five point cushion. This is a big game, no doubt.
Bold selection
That’s a whopping FIVE changes for the Blues. Manager Steve Burr clearly believes it’s needed and his selection is an attacking one. It’s a big call to replace Jon Worsnop with Tony Thompson and to drop both Johnny Hunt and Ryan Higgins. Tweet us your thoughts @ChesterFC_Chron.
Guide to the game
Need to swot up on tonight’s match? We’ve compiled the team news, recent form, match odds, opposition report and the forecast (rain!) in a helpful guide.
Team news
Luke George (hamstring) won’t be involved for the Blues but the word is Ben Heneghan (ankle) could start, which would be a big boost. There’s also a whisper there’ll be a change between the sticks. We’ll bring you confirmed teams when we have them.
