A frustrating afternoon at The Deva Stadium saw Moors fall to defeat at the hands of Chester in National League North.
An early goal from Glen Taylor opened the scoring when he found the bottom left from the penalty spot, before goals on either side of the break from Fin Shrimpton flipped the fixture on its head.
Moors couldn’t have asked for a better start when former loanee, Bobby Jones took out Corey McKeown just inside the penalty area with only two minutes on the clock, which forced the referee to award a penalty.
Taylor stepped up and calmly dispatched the spot-kick into the bottom left corner, sending Jones the wrong way in the process, and giving Moors an early lead.
It didn’t take long for the hosts to equalise, however, as former Moors man, Shrimpton drew his side level in the 14th minute. A good ball from the left found the midfielder in space on the edge of the area, where he shifted the ball onto his right foot and tucked home the equaliser into the bottom right corner.
The hosts went close again when Connor Woods curled a dangerous looking effort goalwards, only to see it held at stretch by Brad James.
McKeown went close when he drove into the penalty area from the right-hand side, before smashing an effort towards the bottom left corner, only for the strike to be blocked.
Moors had another chance to get back in front on the half-hour mark. A deep cross from Olly Dyson found Taylor at the back post, who volleyed the ball across the face of goal, connecting with McKeown on the way through, but somehow missing the target.
Chester saw some half chances go begging as the first half came to a close, first through Pat Jones, who forced a corner out of Tyler Hill, before Connor Woods saw a free-kick from 25 yards fly over the bar.
With just three minutes gone in the second half, Chester found themselves in front. A ball over the top found Shrimpton in space, where he noticed James off his line and pulled off an audacious lob over the Moors’ Number 1 and into the back of the net to complete the turnaround.
Moors went close on the hour mark when Dyson’s ball into the front post caused problems for Calum McIntyre’s men. The whipped pass deflected off the foot of Phil Croker three yards out and towards his own net, forcing Jones into a good reaction save to stop the danger.
The Seals had a couple of good chances to add a third with 15 minutes left to play, as substitute, Jaiden White, saw his effort blocked by Hill, before Dylan Mottley-Henry glanced a header wide.
Dyson’s looped ball on the 85th minute almost helped Tommy Miller and Matty Dolan’s men get on level terms, as the ball looked to drop right into the run of Frank Nouble, however, Jones was there to claim.
Moors ended the game the better of the two sides, as Luke Williams’ corner into the front post was flicked on by Ramshaw. The ball smashed off the post and was somehow gathered up by Jones.
Taylor had a chance to rescue a point with one of the last kicks of the game, when the ball fell kindly too him just inside the area. The frontman took aim with a first-time volley but skewed the effort wide of the mark.
Full Time: Chester 2 Moors 1
Chester: B Jones, K Roberts, Crocker, Davies, Kelly, Leigh (Weeks 79), Murray, Shrimpton, P Jones (White 67), Mottley-Henry, Woods.
Subs not used: Davies, Woodthorpe, Leak, Burgess, F Roberts.
Booked: Mottley-Henry (50), Davies (53), Murray (81), Shrimpton (83).
Moors: James, Dyson, Broadbent (Sutcliffe 63), Beals, Hill, Sharples (Hancox 56), Salkeld (Mondal 63), McKeown (Nouble 82), Heaney (Williams 72), Ramshaw, Taylor
Subs not used: Johnson, Dolan
Booked: Salkeld (28), Broadbent (50), Hill (87).
Referee: Scott Henry.
Attendance: 2,113 (60 Away)
Written by Noah Betts