Blues Match Preview: Buxton v Chester

The Blues four-game unbeaten run on the road to start the season will be tested over the next week, as their visit to The Silverlands kicks off a challenging away double-header.

Saturday provides an opportunity for Phil Parkinson’s squad to build on their impressive record in Derbyshire. The Seals are unbeaten when travelling to face Buxton, winning in each of our last three outings.

The start of our FA Cup journey is now in sight as we follow up our journey to The Silverlands with a visit to Lower Breck in the Second Qualifying Round.

Opposition 

The Bucks have made a positive start to their fifth season in the National League North, trailing the top seven by a single point which is where they have ended their two previous campaigns.

After an encouraging two-week spell, Jordan Broadbent’s side have climbed up the table with three victories in their last four games, including bank holiday double-header success against Oxford City and Merthyr Town, making them one of the most in-form teams in the division.

Tuesday night brought their most emphatic victory yet, a five-star performance against recently relegated Brackley Town earned the Bucks a 5-0 win, courtesy of goals from Kian Scales, Ashton Mee, Max Woltman, and a Sisa Tuntulwana brace.

Broadbent’s attacking football will prove to be a tough challenge for the Blues defence, as his side have seen their names on the scoresheet 15 times so far this season, making them the joint top goalscorers in the league, alongside table-topping Hereford.

Jack Bainbridge stole the show in this fixture in the 2025/26 season. His brace brought all three points back to the Deva Community Stadium in a 2-1 victory as we went on to complete the double against today’s opponents.

Gaffer 

Jordan Broadbent took charge at the Silverlands in June, for just his second managerial job, after plying his trade in youth coaching across Yorkshire for the majority of the past 13 years.

The 39-year-old’s only previous first team role was when he became the youngest-ever manager at the world’s oldest club, Sheffield FC.

The former Barnsley youth coach joined the Club as an assistant manager at just 26 years old, but only three months into the season he was appointed as manager. Steadying the ship, he led the 168-year-old club to a 15th-place finish in the Evo-Stik League Division One South.

A serious leg and ankle injury ended Broadbent’s playing career as a teenager, but this setback granted him an early start into coaching as he went on to lead the youth squads at the likes of Sheffield United, Bradford City, and Sheffield Wednesday from 2013 onwards.

One to watch

Summer signing Sisa Tuntulwana was at the heart of Buxton’s 5-0 win at home to Brackley Town on Tuesday night, with finishes in the 7th and 77th minute securing his third brace and seventh goal of the campaign.

The league’s second top goalscorer has proven to be vital in his side’s hunt for points as he’s netted in three of Buxton’s four victories, including a 98th minute winner against Hereford, that helped him secure the Bucks player of the month award for August.

The South African caught the eye of the NLN side through an unusual transition from full-back to centre-forward in the 2025/26 season, that platformed the 22-year-old to score 12 goals and earn a move up the pyramid.

Known for his defensive qualities earlier in his career, he has excelled deeper on the pitch during spells for Grantham Town, Boston Town, and Wisbech Town.

Match Preview by Harry Bennett.

The match at the Silverlands will kick-off at 15:00.