Chester 1-1 Banbury United

Chester had to settle for a point against Banbury United as goalkeeper Jack Harding had a virtuoso performance defending the Banbury goal, including saving a stoppage time penalty.

Calum McIntyre’s men extend their unbeaten run to four games, but the players were made to rue a number of missed opportunities.  

The Seals started the game on the front foot with forward Tom Peers testing Banbury’s goalkeeper with a fierce drive. Unfortunately for Chester, that was the story of the game. 

Chester captain George Glendon opened the scoring and entered double figures for goals this season with a smart finish. The skipper finished with seasoned conviction, as he swept the ball into the far-left corner. 

The Blues continued to dominate proceedings for the remainder of the first 45’ with Harding keeping the Puritans in the contest. He was forced into action several times with the pick of the chances being a sweet volley from Declan Weeks on the edge of the box which was parried away by Harding. 

The start of the second half brought more of the same with Chester repeatedly trying to double the deficit.

However, it was the visitors who scored next, 20 minutes after the restart and completely against the run of play. Banbury won a penalty after a combination of Woodthorpe and Stanway impeded substitute Ethan Fitzhugh.

The penalty was dispatched with unerring composure by Emmanuel Maja, taking a slow run up before rolling the ball past Stanway. 

The game then transformed into a scrappy affair with both sides struggling to get a grasp on the ball and the game. The last 15 minutes saw an onslaught on the Banbury goal as Chester looked to regain the lead. 

A small chunk of the 2,208 in attendance thought Harrison Burke had helped his side retake the lead but his header was just wide of the post. 

Joel Taylor was inches away from regaining the lead for the Seals as he struck the underside of the crossbar ten minutes from time. It was another well-worked set piece that deserved a goal but somehow the ball didn’t end up in the net. 

The full back had another chance a few minutes later as both full backs linked up. Jid Okeke lofted a ball to the back post, but Taylor couldn’t connect cleanly enough. 

The golden opportunity came in the dying embers of the game as Weeks was bundled over inside the area and referee Charles Martland showed no hesitation and pointed to the spot. 

Glendon stepped up to take the spot kick but was denied by Harding, as the ‘keeper dived to his right and got two strong hands to the penalty.  

A frustrating afternoon at the Leap76 stadium, but a performance that had plenty of positives. 

Match Report by Jude Deedigan.

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Chester: Stanway, Okeke, Burke, Williams, Woodthorpe, Taylor, Whitehouse, Glendon, Weeks, Caton (Hall 82), Peers.

Subs Not Used: Windsor, Norton, Daly, Heywood.

Scorers: Glendon 15; Maja (pen) 66.

Attendance: 2,208.