Chester FC Under 17's continued their pre-season at home with a 1-0 victory against a touring side from Denver, Colorado on Monday evening at Clifton Drive.
The match started with a minutes silence in honour of the victims of the Denver shootings last weekend, which was observed impeccably and gratefully received by our visitors.
The young Blues demonstrated an excellent work rate and high energy levels to control a powerful opposition side in warm conditions, making the contest an ideal work out in the 17's pre-season campaign. With chances few and far between, Tom Peers gave Chester the lead midway through the first half after reacting first in the box after a failed clearance to slot home.
Chester once again raised their performance levels in the second half and continued to dominate and further see out the game. Centre back Nathan Rowe was forced to stand in as a makeshift goalkeeper after injury forced Ryan Neild off. The second half saw Chester dominate possession, aided by the intelligent midfield play of Sam Graham and the central defensive pairing of Lloyd Pownall and Richard Tomassen dictating the play from defence. Tom Batten was extremely unlucky not to double the lead in the second half with an audacious over head kick which struck the post.
The Denver side were a pleasure to play against, very sporting but with a real competitive edge and several excellent players. This was a great win for the lads, for whom captain Lloyd Pownall, forward Joe Williams and keeper Ryan Nield had played for the youth team the previous day.
The boys face Bootle FC Under 18s next, on Saturday 28th July with an 11am kick off at Clifton Drive (turning opposite Big Storage/B&Q on Sealand Road). All are welcome and admission is free.