Take a look at everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s season opener at The Brewery Field in our in-depth preview of the action.
Spennymoor Town v Chester
Saturday 10th August 2024, 3pm
National League North
The Brewery Field
The Opposition
Chester fans will be approaching the 2024/25 campaign with optimism after a summer of what appears to be smart recruitment at The Deva Stadium.
The Blues fell away in disappointing fashion during the closing stages of last term and ended up finishing outside of the play-offs after winning just two of their last 12 games.
Boss Calum McinTyre, who guided Chester to third during his first season in charge in 2022/23, will be hoping to rediscover some of that consistency in form as they reconvene this year.
The capture of Ben Pollock from Moors was an early indication of intent, while the more recent return of Kurt Willoughby on loan from Oldham Athletic excited the supporters.
Previous Meeting
Both games last season finished 1-1, with Moors coming from behind to take a point in both meetings against The Blues in 2023/24.
Will Harris scored an 87th minute leveller at The Brewery Field last September, while Fin Shrimpton was on target when the team drew at The Deva Stadium in February.
Match Officials
Declan Brown will take charge of Saturday’s game against Chester at The Brewery Field, and he will be assisted by Samuel Bragg and Karl Parker.
Fourth Officials have also been introduced to National League North this season and Joseph Goodwin will take up that role this weekend.
Fans will also notice that officials at every game will now be equipped with the technology to allow them to communicate with each other throughout the game.
Rule Changes
In a change to the rules for 2024/25, both teams will now be permitted to make up to five substitutions at any point throughout the 90 minutes.
Last season clubs were only allowed to bring on three substitutes, but the alteration means that all five can be introduced and there are no windows for those changes.
Tickets
Saturday’s game is segregated, meaning that home fans can enter via the turnstiles on Wood Vue while Chester supporters should head to the gates on the Tees Crescent side.
Fans of both teams can buy their tickets online in advance right now and are encouraged to do so where possible to avoid queuing on matchday.
Tickets will also be available on the turnstiles where we accept card and cash payments.
Click here for full ticket information.
Live Streaming
Due to this weekend falling outside of the coverage blackout window, the fixture against Chester is set to be streamed live on NLTV.
Match Passes cost £9.99 and are available to buy right now on the NLTV website so that fans everywhere can watch the action as it unfolds on Saturday.
Click here for more information on Saturday’s live stream.
Live Commentary
We’ll also be providing our usual live audio commentary of the game against Chester after extending our partnership with Durham OnAir into the 2024/25 season.
Fans all over the planet will be able to access our live coverage online, via their mobiles devices or smart speakers and on Freeview TV.
Click here now for full information on listening to our free live commentary.
Betting Odds
Moors have been installed as slight favourites for victory at 6/5 this weekend, while visitors Chester are an 8/5 shot and the draw is priced up at 13/5.
