Blues Match Preview: Chester FC v Warrington Town

Chester FC are back in action on Tuesday night when they entertain Warrington Town at the Deva Stadium.

Calum McIntyre’s men will attempt to bounce back from Saturday’s narrow defeat to Chorley, in which a brace from Tom Peers was cancelled out by goals from Tom Carr, George Horbury and Mark Ellis.

The reverse fixture at Cantilever Park saw the Seals come from behind to claim a point courtesy of Harrison Burke’s late equaliser.

The Opposition

Paul Carden’s side picked up their first victory of 2025 of Saturday, thanks to a 2-0 win at home to fellow strugglers Rushall Olympic that saw the Yellows jump above the Pics in the table.

It has been a tough campaign for the club who find themselves in 22nd with ten games to play, five points adrift of safety.

Warrington slipped into the drop zone after a poor run of form at the start of this calendar year, a stretch that yielded just three points in 11 outings, prior to Saturday’s success.

This term is the club’s second successive season in the sixth tier after they achieved promotion from the NPL Premier Division in May 2023, courtesy of a dramatic play-off final victory over Bamber Bridge.

The Gaffer

Paul Carden has been in the dugout at Cantilever Park since last September, after Mark Beesley’s successful stint with the club came to an end.

Beesley, who appeared for the Seals on a permanent basis between 2000-2003 and during a loan spell in 2009, resigned after a earning just two wins in the first eight league games of the season and has since joined FC United of Manchester.

It is Carden’s second term in charge of the Yellows, after he previously led the club for over five years from 2016-2021.

The 45-year-old has also held managerial roles at Southport, AFC Telford United and Nantwich Town, alongside a brief stint as interim boss for Tranmere Rovers.

As a player, Carden featured at the Deva Stadium for five years in the early 2000s, with a brief hiatus at Doncaster Rovers in 2001.

One To Watch

Stockport County loanee Lee Williams has added firepower to the Yellows’ forward line since he put pen to paper in January.

The 17-year-old has netted twice in his first eight appearances for the club, the first in a narrow defeat on the road at Hereford and the second in the 96th minute on Saturday in the win over Rushall.

Williams has worked in tandem with experienced striker Josh Amis since his arrival, and the 30-year-old highlighted his importance when he bagged a brace in just four minutes during the 2-2 draw with Alfreton Town at the start of the month.

League Form Guide

Chester FC | W19 D10 L8 | F57 A36 | Pos: 3rd

Last three

Oxford City (A) | D 0-0 | Scorers: None

Needham Market (H) | D 1-1 | Scorers: Taelor O’Kane

Chorley (A) | L 3-2 | Scorers: Tom Peers x2

Warrington Town | W6 D12 L18 | F30 A51 | Pos: 22nd

Last three

Scarborough Athletic (H) | L 2-0 | Scorers: None

Alfreton Town (A) | D 2-2 | Scorers: Josh Amis x2

Rushall Olympic | W 2-0 | Scorers: Mikey O’Neil, Lee Williams

Match Preview by Tom Bird. 

MATCH DETAILS

Kick off is 7:45pm at The Deva Stadium on Tuesday.