Harry White’s fourth goal in four league games salvaged a point for Chester FC at home to fellow strugglers Hartlepool United.

White struck with 13 minutes remaining to cancel out Michael Woods’ 62nd minute opener at the Swansway Chester Stadium, and it was a share of the spoils that the Blues deserved after a far better showing than their efforts on Saturday against Gateshead.

Some encouraging performances from James Jones, Tom Crawford and Craig Mahon brought some cheer, but a point does little to alter Chester’s precarious National League situation at the bottom. They are now four points adrift but have played a game more than Barrow in 20th place.

After the defeat to Gateshead, Chester bos Bignot said he would make changes to his side, and he did just that with teenage academy graduate Crawford earning a first start for the club while Lathaniel Rowe-Turner and Mahon both came into the first XI.

Hartlepool’s off-field problems in recent weeks have been well documented, but they had seemed on the verge of a takeover this week. But late on Tuesday afternoon it was revealed that the takeover had fallen through. Not the ideal preparation.

Mahon looked to make an early impression and he came close with two minutes on the clock when he jinked his way in from the right wing and fired low and wide past the right-hand post of Pools keeper Scott Loach.

As befitting of their lowly league positions, both sides looked nervous in the opening exchanges and neither side looked keen to be the aggressors.

The visitors had their first shot on target on nine minutes when Carl Magnay’s right-wing cross was poked first time towards goal by Lewis Hawkins, with Sam Hornby gratefully gathering the looping effort.

Harry White in action against Hartlepool

After being a peripheral figure for much of Bignot’s reign, Mahon was looking to be a creative force.

He found room to get off a 20-yard effort that whisped wide before, on 19 minutes, picking up the ball and beating two men in the centre of the park before setting Harry White free, with White’s attempts to poke past Loach stymied by a superb last-ditch tackle from Louis Laing.

The Blues saw a decent chance go begging just after the half hour mark when Mahon wrestled back possession on the byline and hung an inviting cross into the air for Ryan Astles who connected but could only direct it wide.

And at the other end Hornby produced a fine full-stretch save to deny Devante Rodney’s fiercely struck 20-yarder.

But Chester could, and should, have taken the lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the half but found Loach in inspired form.

Firstly, Mahon’s stepover created space and he let fly from 20 yards only to see his goalbound effort tipped over acrobatically by Loach.

From the following corner a melee then ensued and James Jones almost netted his first senior goal when he latched on to a loose ball in the area, but is near-post effort was deflected away superbly by Loach.

And the former Watford stopper was to make it a hat-trick of fine saves when he tipped wide a curling Kingsley James effort seconds later to keep the Blues at bay.

HALF TIME: CHESTER 0 HARTLEPOOL UNITED 0

Chester had a chance to test Loach further after the break after James Akintunde had been brought down by Louis Laing as the striker looked to break clear. Laing was booked for his efforts.

But Lucas Dawson’s attempts to find a route to the net from the resulting free kick were way off the mark as he ballooned his 20-yard set piece well over.

Jones was giving a performance at the back the belied his tender years as the 18-year-old dealt competently with what the visitors had to offer.

And the 18-year-old produced a brilliant last-ditch tackle in the area to deny Rodney, who had broken clear and was one-on-one with the young Chester defender after leaving Rowe-Turner on his backside.

But the visitors took the lead just after the hour mark in scruffy circumstances.

A scramble in the box saw Jake Cassidy manage to square the ball across the six yard box where Woods was on hand to poke home. It was a gut punch for the Blues.

The Blues came close to hitting back immediately as Mahon found Andy Halls on the overlap, with the right back’s cross finding James at the far post unmarked, but his header flashed across goal and wide.

Hornby produced a smart stop to keep out a Nicky Deverdics effort that deflected wickedly on 73 minute, but Chester would soon be level.

White twisted and turned his way through traffic on the edge of the box, barrelling through to go one on one with Loach, shooting high into the roof of the net to keep his hot streak in front of goal going.

That buoyed the Blues in the minutes that followed, but they were nearly caught out with six minutes of normal time remaining.

A ball forward had Rowe-Turner all at sea and substitute Oluwatomisin Adeloye picked his pocket to go one on one with Hornby, rounding the keeper before Halls recovered to shepherd him away from goal and away from danger. It was a real let off.

And Hornby showed safe hands again on 85 minutes to get down well to hold a Cassidy effort after he had found room to run at the Blues backline.

A late scramble almost saw White and then substitute Jordan Archer turn home, but they couldn’t bundle over a winner and the spoils were shared.

MATCH FACTS

Chester: Hornby, Halls, Rowe-Turner, James, Astles, Mahon, White, Dawson (Archer 65), Jones, Akintunde, Crawford. Subs not used: Lynch, McCombe, Joyce, Brown.

Bookings: James.

Goals: White 77.

Hartlepool: Loach, Magnay, Adams, Featherstone, Cassidy, Woods, Deverdics, Hawkins, Rodney, Donnelly, Laing. Subs not used: Harrison, Munns, Hawkes, Newton, Adeloye.

Bookings: Laing.

Goals: Woods 62.

Referee: Joe Hull.

Attendance: 1,421.

Star man: James Jones.