A John Pritchard penalty saw Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley pick up their first win in charge of Chester FC.
In a game that was limited on chances and quality in the final third, Pritchard fired home from the spot after Gary Stopforth was fouled 62 minutes.
And Pritchard had the chance to make it 2-0 from the spot eight minutes later but he fired well over after Matty Hughes had been brought down in the box.
Blues bosses Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley, returning to where they began their managerial odyssey nine years ago, opted to run the rule over two new trialists, a striker and a centre back, alongside the forward who played the second half of the 7-0 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday.
One player who wasn't present, though, was striker Jordan Archer, with the 24-year-old expected to complete a move to a League Two side in the next 24 hours.
The pitch wasn't conducive to flowing football, with the long grass holding the ball up, and the opening exchanges were a fairly dull affair, with a long range effort from Lee Gaskell ballooning well over about as close as either side came in the first 25 minutes.
Chester were dominating possession against the Evo-Stik West Division side but, struggling for any kind of rhythm offensively, chances were at a premium and a header from Trialist C from a Pritchard corner that dropped wide was the first chance of the game for the Blues.
Luke Thompson headed over from a corner from ex-Chester winger Jerome Wright before Wright wasted a great chance shortly before the break when he skewed wide.
Dominic Smalley fizzed an effort that was saved well by the Ramsbottom keeper on the stroke of half time, and there was still time for Trialist C to hit the post after he was put through by Scott Burton.
Half time Ramsbottom 0 Chester 0
The second almost saw the home side break the deadlock when Dom Marie forced a good save from Grant Shenton from an acute angle.
But the lack of fluency that was apparent in the first half was on show once again, as is often the case during pre-season.
It took for the stopwatch to tick past the hour mark before we saw a goal.
Stopforth broke into the box and rode a challenge before being felled by Rob Henry, and Pritchard stepped up to coolly slot past the Ramsbottom keeper to hand the Blues the lead.
Chester then started to assert themselves on the game and upped the tempo, with the introduction of Hughes and Craig Mahon providing some impetus in the final third.
Mahon lashed a fine strike from 25 yards which was pushed away before Hughes shot just wide from a similar distance.
And it should have been three on 70 minutes when Hughes raced onto a long ball before bringing the ball down superbly only to be bundled over by Phil Dean.
But Pritchard couldn't make it 2-0 as he fired over from the resulting spot kick.
Chester gave a 15 minute run out to a trialist goalkeeper, and he saved well at his near post from close range on 78 minutes.
And Mahon was in the thick of it once again shortly after when he jinked into space but saw a low effort from distance saved.
Hughes will feel he could have done better with a chance on 90 minutes, scooping over from close range after being played through by Mahon.
Nathan Brown saw a late free-kick saved as the action petered out.
Full time: Ramsbottom 0 Chester 1
Match facts
Ramsbottom: Trialist, Henry, Dean, Trialist, Thompson, Ellison, Jordan, Trialist, Marie, Daniels, Wright. Subs not used: Fould, Brooks, Trialist, Trialist, Gaskell.
Bookings: None.
Goals: None.
Chester: Shenton (Trialist 76), Smalley (Thomson 72), Howson (Moran 72), Trialist A, Pritchard (Downes 73), Burton (Noble 63), Stopforth (Brown 63), Roberts (Mahon 56), Mooney (Hellawell 72), Trialist B (Murray 56), Trialist C (Hughes 56). Subs not used:
Bookings: None.
Goals: Pritchard 62 pen.
Referee: Ian Walsh.
