Two late goals from Chester condemned Moors to defeat at The Brewery Field as the visitors came from behind to snatch all three points.
Moors opened the scoring through a floated ball in from Cam Salkeld, which tricked everyone and found the net, before goals in the 81st and 83rd courtesy of Pat Jones and Fin Roberts turned the match on its head.
The visitors should’ve found themselves ahead in the sixth minute when a brilliant ball across the face of goal found Tom Peers unmarked at the back post. However, the number 7 somehow managed to navigate his effort off target from just 2 or 3 yards out.
A real chance went begging for Moors less than a minute later, when Junior Mondal wriggled into space in the left side of the penalty area and scooped an effort over George Murray-Jones. The ball looked destined for the back of the net, only for it to bounce off the right post and into the path of Salkeld, who couldn’t quite get his strike on target.
Both sides had good chances to go in front around the 20-minute mark, first for Moors as Corey McKeown saw his effort brilliantly stopped by Murray-Jones. Despite the ball trickling beneath the shot-stopper, before Pat Jones saw a curled effort go wide of the post from the edge of the area.
Calum McIntyre’s side were inches from breaking the deadlock on the half hour mark when Tom Leak let fly inside the 18-yard box, only to see his effort smash off the crossbar and go behind.
Murray-Jones was forced into a brilliant save just seconds later as he got in the way of Mondal’s close range effort, having been slipped the ball by Salkeld at the near post.
Goalkeeper, Brad James, was kept busy at the start of the second period, as he claimed both Dion Kelly-Evans and Pat Jones’ balls into the area.
Moors carved out two good chances as the game moved towards the hour mark. McKeown latched onto a good through ball down the left-hand side, before firing an effort across goal, just wide of the right post, before Mackenzie Heaney’s flicked attempt had to be stopped by Murray-Jones.
A stroke of luck came Moors’ way as they took the lead on the 64th minute. Salkeld got the ball on the right-hand side before floating a high ball into the area, which somehow managed to find its way into the back of the net, handing Moors the lead through the most unlikely of ways.
The game seemed to settle for the next 15 minutes, as both sides made changes on the field, before Chester drew level on the 81st minute.
A quickly taken corner to the feet of Jones saw him drive across the by-line and play a ball across goal, which managed to find its way into the bottom left corner and equalise for the visitors.
It took just two minutes for Chester to flip the game on its head. Moors struggled to clear their lines inside the area, allowing the ball to fall to substitute, Fin Roberts inside the area, who made no mistake and fired home into the bottom left corner.
Roberts almost doubled up with just a minute of normal time remaining, when he spun into space just outside the penalty area and let fly, only to be denied by the outstretched glove of James’ right hand.
Full Time: Moors 1 Chester 2
Moors: James, Rowe, Dolan, Jones, Salkeld (Ramshaw 70), Dyson, Hancox (Williams 90), McKeown, Heaney (Hill 76), Mondal, Taylor.
Subs not used: Johnson, Beals, Pollock, Hughes.
Booked: Rowe (44), Dyson (69).
Chester: Murray-Jones, Kelly-Evans, Arthur, Leak, Woodthorpe, Shrimpton, Weeks, Woods (Mottley-Henry 62), Murray (Leigh 90), Jones, Peers (Roberts 70).
Subs not used: Davies, Croker, Burgess, Kelly.
Booked: Leigh (90), Kelly-Evans (90).
Attendance: 923
Referee: Alex Beckett
Written by Noah Betts