Chester 1, Chorley 2: New boy Jack Sampson strikes twice to seal victory over Chester

The Magpies had seen their promotion challenge stutter in a trouble-torn February but this first win in four games lifts them back into fifth.

Chester in contrast slid closer to the relegation trapdoor after this fifth successive defeat which gave Chorley their first league double of the season.

Jamie Vermiglio’s men could not have made a brighter start, hitting the front within ninety seconds.

Adam Blakeman’s raking cross was flicked on by Connor Hall for Sampson to finish with a close-range volley.

The Magpies maintained their momentum and went two up after 27 minutes. Jon Ustabasi burst into the box and whipped an inviting ball across the face of goal for the alert Sampson to tap in.

Hall was not far from a third for Chorley with an angled drive which flew just wide but Chester were fighting back and Declan Weeks struck a post from short range.

The visitors, however, held out to go in at the break still in command.

Sampson had a clear chance to complete a hat-trick shortly after the resumption but his mistimed header flew over the bar.

Chester not surprisingly raised the stakes with a period of sustained pressure and were mighty close to reducing the arrears when Marcus Dackers rattled the bar with a fiercely struck shot and then forced Matt Urwin into an excellent save with another effort from inside the box.

Chorley defended with their trademark determination to stage a shut-out, repeatedly getting bodies in the way of Chester’s best efforts on goal.

They were within a minute of the ninety when Urwin fouled George Glendon to concede a penalty which Dackers confidently put away.

In added time, the persistent Dackers got his head to a long ball but could only redirect it straight at Urwin. And with that went hard-working Chester’s last hope of redemption. ‘A huge three points and a much-needed win,’ was Vermiglio’s post-match verdict. ‘We’ve not been at our best in recent games but we’ve held on well in the second half here and the three points are all that matter.’

CHORLEY : Urwin, Smith, Halls, Leather, Whitehouse (Shenton 76), Calveley, Sampson, Tomlinson, Ustabasi, Blakeman (Baines 58), Hall (Alli 66). Unused subs. Blyth, Holmes.