Chester RUFC head coach Dave Craven has warned his players to expect another strenuous examination when Preston Grasshoppers visit Hare Lane.

Chester’s last three matches have been decided by a margin of five points or less, ending in narrow defeats to Ampthill and Sedgley Park before a 25-21 win at Birmingham & Solihull last weekend.

That leaves them sitting third in National League Two North heading into the game with Preston, who are 12th in the table, on Saturday (3pm) but Craven insists the Grasshoppers cannot be underestimated.

“Preston are a good side and are part of that middle group in the league from us down to 10th, 11th and 12th where there is very little between the teams so we know it’s going to be difficult,” said Craven, whose squad is nursing a series of bumps and bruises.

Chester led Birmingham for most of the Valentines Day match yet there was a sting in the tail as the Bees broke from deep with two minutes left on the clock and a converted score put them 21-18 in front.

However, there was still time for one last twist as fly-half Rhys Hayes broke Birmingham hearts, weaving through some tired defence to score under the posts in the dying seconds and win the match.

Chester had struck first when Craig Ross crossed after just six minutes with Hayes’ conversion giving them a 7-0 advantage.

Birmingham levelled the scores up on 17 minutes but the instrumental Hayes clipped over a penalty to nudge his team into a 10-7 lead at the break.

Sean Green’s break laid the platform for Ross to score his second of the game after the restart, Hayes adding the extras, and although the Bees drew to within a point, another Hayes penalty pushed Chester out to 18-14 before the late drama.

Craven said: “It was an important win and we were in front for most of the game until Birmingham got a breakaway try but we kept our composure and worked through the phases and Rhys scored under the posts.

“It was quite difficult to get our game going because the pitch was very muddy and Birmingham were a better team than the table suggests.”