Match Report: Chester 2-1 Darlington

Goals from Tom Peers and Connor Woods earned all three points for Calum McIntyre’s men over Darlington at the Deva Stadium.

The away side took the lead in the 13th minute with a fantastic move that ended with a precise finish from Will McGowan.

Peers netted from the spot after a Ben Hedley handball before Woods hooked home from Tom Leak’s volleyed effort.

Woods looked to build on his first goal in Blue early on, which came in last week’s 2-2 draw at Hereford, as he headed the first effort of the contest towards goal but Peter Jameson was equal to it and palmed behind for a corner.

Darlington took the lead in the 13th minute with a fantastic move that saw McGowan drill a low finish past Jimmy Storer.

Cedric Main fed a through ball to McGowan who turned past two defenders and fired home.

Main looked lively and almost doubled the visitors’ lead on the half-hour mark, as he connected with a hopeful long ball to poke past Storer but the ball clipped the outside of the post on its way to safety.

The Blues held sustained possession throughout the first-half but faced a disciplined away defence.

Kurt Willoughby almost drew Chester level but he couldn’t reach Peers’ low cross which fizzed across the six-yard box.

Declan Weeks also had an opportunity before the interval but his volleyed effort was gathered by Jameson.

The mood at the Deva was lifted almost immediately after the restart when referee Benjamin Tomlinson pointed to the spot when Hedley blocked Iwan Murray’s cross with his hand.

Peers struck with confidence from 12 yards and fired a powerful effort past Jameson to draw the scores level.

The Seals attacked with ambition in the second half and grabbed the lead from close-range just after the hour mark. 

Declan Weeks floated a delightful cross that was volleyed into the ground by Tom Leak before Woods hooked the ball into the net from a couple of yards out, a second goal in successive outings for the 27-year-old.

Woods looked lively throughout and he almost made it three when he connected with a long ball but the header looped on to the roof of the net.

Steve Watson’s men pushed forward in the late stages but failed to threaten Storer who had little to do in the second period.

Another chance arose for Woods in stoppage time but his low shot was pushed to safety after positive play from Weeks and Peers.

The Seals held on for all three points after a dominant second-half display that deserved all three points.