Preview: Alfreton Town (H)

    Calum McIntyre’s side welcome seventh placed Alfreton Town to the Leap76 stadium on Easter Monday, in what is our penultimate home game of the season.

    With only two points separating the two sides and four games remaining of the campaign, the result of this contest may prove to be decisive in determining who finishes in those coveted play-off spots.

    The Chester faithful will be hoping for a repeat performance of Good Friday’s match against Buxton, as the Seals thrashed the Bucks 4-1 in Derbyshire in what was arguably our best display of the season.

    The reverse fixture, back in November, resulted in a 1-1 draw with Declan Weeks opening the scoring before a Liam Edwards own goal drew Monday’s opposition level.

    THE OPPOSITION

    Alfreton Town are aiming to finish in the play-offs for a second consecutive season after finishing fifth last year, before being knocked out by the eventual play-off winners Kidderminster Harriers.

    The Reds have enjoyed another action-packed campaign, which included almost making the FA Cup third round for the first time in their history, but their hopes were crushed by League Two outfit Walsall, who needed a replay to knock Billy Heath’s side out.  

    Like Chester, they were also victorious on Good Friday, narrowly edging out Rushall Olympic by one goal to nil at North Street.

    Their attack is one of the most potent in the league as their goal tally of 68 is only bettered by second placed Scunthorpe United and third placed Chorley (both 72).

    THE GAFFER

    Billy Heath has occupied the dugout at North Street since 2018 and he’ll be hoping his team can take that next step after fighting for promotion in the last few years.

    The 52-year-old is six games shy of managing his 250th game in charge of the Reds and he has overseen a stark contrast from the team he inherited. They have gone from flirting with relegation to consistent play-off hopefuls during his tenure.

    Prior to joining Alfreton, Heath had a successful spell with FC Halifax Town as he led them to promotion to the National League in the 2016/17 season where Halifax remain to this day.

    ONE TO WATCH

    Goalkeeper George Willis comes into this game fresh from his inclusion in the National League North Team of the Week alongside Chester’s Harrison Burke and Tom Peers. His place in the team was earned after a clean sheet against Rushall Olympic.

    The 28-year-old stopper has kept 13 clean sheets for the Reds this campaign, and most notably Willis has kept clean sheets against National League North champions Tamworth both home and away.

    A Sheffield United academy graduate, Willis has had permanent spells with Stalybridge Celtic and Boston United since embarking on a new journey away from the Blades in 2016. He has been with Alfreton since 2020 and he is a huge asset for Billy Heath’s side.

    LEAGUE FORM GUIDE

    Chester FC | W17 D14 L11 | F51 A31 GD: +20 | Pos: 9th

    Last Three

    Tamworth (A) | D 0-0 | Scorers: N/A

    South Shields (H) | L 1-0 | Scorers: N/A

    Buxton (A) | W 4-1 | Scorers: Declan Weeks, Harrison Burke, Adam Thomas, Tom Peers

    Alfreton Town | W19 D10 L12 | F68 A49 GD: +19 | Pos: 7th

    Last Three

    Bishop’s Stortford (H) | W 3-0 | Scorers: Jordan Thewlis x2, Billy Fewster

    Brackley Town (A) | L 1-0 | Scorers: N/A

    Rushall Olympic (H) | W 1-0 | Scorers: Jordan Thewlis

    Match preview by Jude Deedigan.

    MATCH DETAILS

    Kick off is 3pm on Easter Monday afternoon at the Leap76 Stadium. The postcode for the ground is CH1 4LT.

    TICKETS

    The quickest and easiest way to buy match tickets is via our online ticketing platform at chesterfc.ktckts.com. Online sales will now be available until kick off and you simply need to present your printed ticket or mobile phone to be scanned at the turnstile.

    We still strongly encourage supporters to purchase tickets in advance via the below link, as purchasing in advance prior to matchday also provides a saving on the price.

    CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS!

    Card/contactless payments are also available at the turnstiles for all open stands.

    Supporters can pay with contactless, chip and pin and Apple Pay and Google Pay for The Gary Talbot (East) Stand, Harry McNally (North) Terrace and Swettenham Chemists’ Community (West) Stand. Please note the relevant turnstile further down in this article.

    If you wish to pay with cash, you will need to buy your ticket from the Ticket Office before the game, however we advise arriving earlier than normal to reduce queuing times. Cash is not accepted at the turnstiles.

    MATCHDAY INFORMATION

    WHAT’S ON

    There’s plenty going on at the Leap76 Stadium as we face Alfreton Town…

    RETRO DAY/EASTER ACTIVITIES

    Monday’s fixture with Alfreton Town will see us hosting a pre-match Family Fun Day with our friends from Audacious Church!

    There will be a host of free activities on offer, including inflatables, face painting, crafts, games and competitions, as well as hundreds of chocolate eggs to be given away to younger fans.

    And at half-time, Lupus will join the Easter Bunny and Chester FC Community Trust’s Team of the Week for a penalty shoot-out in front of the Harry Mac, subject to the weather.

    This game is also our designated Retro Day with fans encouraged to wear old replica shirts – including the 1995/96 away design that flew off the shelves in the Club Shop last weekend.

    Featuring a special retro cover design, our official matchday programme The Cestrian will include club historian Chas Sumner’s insight on the history of Chester kits through the years.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

    THE CESTRIAN

    The Cestrian bar opens from 12pm on Saturday showing all the live football on the big screens with a wide variety of drinks on offer.

    Once again, it’s HAPPY HOUR between 12pm and 1pm tomorrow in the Cestrian – with all draught ales just £4 a pint on the main bar!

    FOOD AND DRINK

    We will have food available outside the ground prior to the  game – as the footy scran recognised loaded fries are available inside the street food van!

    Inside the ground there’s plenty of food and drinks to enjoy – with our kiosks serving the famous Cowards Pies and fantastic Hot Dogs.

    GINGER CAT COFFEE

    Ginger Cat Coffee will be serving their barista style hot drinks outside the ground before the game in their pop up tent, as well as Iced Coffees!

    PROGRAMME

    The Cestrian Programme will be available at the game, and the 40-page publication costs £2.50 at the ground.

    Sales will also be available online: CLICK HERE

    MATCH COVERAGE

    • We will have full, FREE match commentary on Seals Live from 2.40pm on Monday. Tune in by visiting our Match Centre: CLICK HERE

    There is also updates from the ground on our social media channels throughout the day, including…

    • Match Updates on our Twitter page. CLICK HERE
    • HT/FT Updates on Facebook and Instagram. CLICK HERE
    • A full time match report on ChesterFC.com. CLICK HERE
    • A post match interview with Calum on Chester FC TV. CLICK HERE