Blues Match Preview: Chester FC v Spalding United

Chester FC are back at the Deva Community Stadium this weekend, as they host Spalding United in the fourth game of the National League North season.

Phil Parkinson’s squad will look to build on a positive start to the season as Saturday provides an opportunity for his Blues squad to start the campaign with four wins on the bounce, in our first ever competitive outing against the Tulips.

The Opposition

Over the summer our opponents looked to build a squad capable of surviving in their first ever season in the National League North as they recruited seven players, all with experience in the division.

Alongside those arrivals, arguably the most important business was extending the contracts of their two top goalscorers from their promotion winning campaign, Jack Roberts and Bartosz Cybulski, who scored a combined 48 goals in the Southern League Premier Division Central last season.

Their summer activity paid off as they claimed three points in their first-ever season in the division at the first time of asking with a 2-0 win away against Radcliffe on the opening day.

However, the Tulips’ impressive start to the season stalled as their first home game of the campaign ended in a 1-0 defeat to Oxford City, three days before a hard fought goalless draw at home to Macclesfield on Tuesday night.

The Gaffer

The Lincolnshire-based side are entering their third season under the management of Jimmy Dean following his appointment in August 2024.

The 44-year-old led his side to safety with an eight-game unbeaten run to end the campaign, securing a comfortable seventh-place finish in his first season at the club, after the Tulips sat in the relegation zone prior to his arrival.

The former Scunthorpe United manager kept the momentum going into the following season as he steered his side to promotion through the play-offs after an impressive second-placed finish to lift his squad into step two for the first time in their history.

Dean is most known for his remarkable rise with Peterborough Sports. In just his first managerial role, he guided the Turbines to four promotions, including three league titles in seven years, before he departed to Scunthorpe United in January 2023.

One to Watch

The aforementioned Bartosz Cybulski was crucial to the Tulips’ first three points in the NLN as he netted his first goal of the season with a tidy finish in injury-time on the opening matchday.

The Pole has proved himself to be a valuable member of Jimmy Dean’s squad, earning himself a contract extension for the 2026/27 season after scoring 33 goals in his first two years at the club.

The Derby County academy graduate made seven appearances for the first team, whilst also featuring for Matlock Town, Solihull Moors, and contributing to AFC Fylde’s 2023 National League North title whilst on loan from the Rams.

Match Preview by Harry Bennett.

Match Details

The match at the Deva Community Stadium will kick-off at 15:00.