Preview: Alfreton Town v Chester FC

Chester FC are on the road this evening, for a trip to the Impact Arena to face Alfreton Town.

Their most recent league outing saw the points shared at the Deva Stadium with Kidderminster Harriers.

Ryley Reynolds’ header in the first-half was cancelled out by Dylan Mottley-Henry who rose inside the box to nod past Christian Dibble to earn the equaliser.

Their last clash with the Reds was during our seven-match winning run at the beginning of 2025, as late goals from Harrison Burke and Tom Peers secured all three points down CH1.

The Opposition

Alfreton have started the campaign in inconsistent fashion and sit on 10 points from their opening 11 games.

Billy Heath’s eight-year reign in Derbyshire was brought to an end after an underwhelming start to the campaign, with his successor, Jake Buxton, appointed last week.

His first contest in charge saw three points cruelly taken away late on as Jed Abbey’s early strike was cancelled out by Dan Jarvis in the 89th minute for Peterborough Sports.

Alfreton’s two victories to date during 25/26 have both come at home, firstly through a 2-0 win over Marine before a 1-0 success over AFC Telford United.

The Gaffer

Newly-appointed manager Jake Buxton has his first home game back in Alfreton following a short spell as a player back in 2003.

The 40-year-old’s coaching career began as a player-manager for Burton Albion before he joined the coaching team at Derby County, firstly as a Professional Development Coach and then as Head Coach of the Under-21s.

Buxton spent over a decade as a defender in the EFL for various clubs, most notably for Derby where he made over 100 appearances between 2009-16, though his longest stint came at Mansfield Town, whom he featured on over 150 occasions for between 2002-08.

One to Watch

Attacking midfielder Jed Abbey has been in fine form over recent weeks since his re-introduction to the team.

The 23-year-old first featured this campaign in the aforementioned 1-0 success over Telford and he has since scored in successive games, firstly in the defeat to Radcliffe, followed by the Reds’ sole goal in the draw at PIMS Park.

The Dutch midfielder spent time in the youth setup at Wolverhampton Wanderers before a permanent move to Telford in 2021, followed by a switch to Alvechurch in 2022.

A period at South Shields followed before he made the move to the Impact Arena in the summer of 2024.

Abbey’s first season in Derbyshire ended with an impressive record of 11 league goals in 42 appearances.

League Form Guide

Alfreton Town | W2 D4 L5 | F9 A20 | Pos: 21st

Last three 

• AFC Telford United (H) | W 1-0 | Scorers: Samuels
• Radcliffe (A) | L 3-1 | Scorers: Abbey
• Peterborough Sports (H) | D 1-1 | Scorers: Abbey

Chester FC | W2 D6 L3 | F14 A20 | Pos: 18th

Last three

• Darlington (A) | D 1-1 | Scorers: P. Jones
• Merthyr Town (H) | D 2-2 | Scorers: Zanzala, Handley OG
• Kidderminster Harriers (H) | D 1-1 | Scorers: Mottley-Henry

MATCH DETAILS

Tuesday’s game will kick off at 19:45 at the Impact Arena.

The address for the ground is North Street, Alfreton, DE55 7FZ.