Words: James Ede, Image: David Airey
CHORLEY'S Enterprise National League North campaign continues this weekend with a big clash against Chester.
Both sides finished in the play-offs last year, before being defeated by Scunthorpe United in the semi-finals and final and kicked off the 2025/26 season with a 3-2 victory each last weekend.
Andy Preece will be looking for his side to back up last Saturday’s result and make a big statement against one of the division’s strongest sides.
Last Time Out
The Magpies’ campaign began with an away trip to Darlington last Saturday and could not have kicked off much worse.
A crash involving the Chorley team coach resulted in a half-hour delay to kick-off, and an early goal for the hosts meant the game got off to a poor start.
Tom Carr’s tidy finish levelled things up but Milan Lalkovic’s straight red card gave the Quakers an advantage and Will Hatfield capitalised on it with a curling finish to give his side a 2-1 lead at half-time.
However, Preece’s team came out fighting and Jack Sampson’s left-footed hooked finish from a corner made it equal early in the second half.
The Magpies did not stop there and, with just over 20 minutes remaining, Scott Wilson pounced on a scramble in the box to find the back of the net and win the game for the visitors.
A victory on the road with 10 men was made even better by the fact that Chorley were the only away team to win on the opening day of the season, making it a great start to the campaign.
Opposition Focus
Saturday’s visitors Chester began their season in a similar fashion as they beat Peterborough Sports 3-2 to claim three points on the opening day of the campaign.
After finishing fourth in 2024/25, one place and eight points above the Magpies, Calum McIntyre’s side recruited the likes of striker Offrande Zanzala from Torquay United, Dion Kelly-Evans from Woking and James Jones from Altrincham.
However, they lost highly rated centre-back Harrison Burke, who completed a permanent transfer to League Two outfit Walsall.
Their pre-season schedule included wins over Runcorn Linnets and Colwyn Bay, whilst they drew with Glentoran and lost to Bury, Salford City and Carlisle United.
Last Saturday’s match saw them take the lead in the 20th minute through Fin Roberts, after good work from Zanzala on his return to the club, before being pegged back by the Turbines just minutes later after failing to clear the ball.
Former Barnsley and Bradford City winger Dylan Mottley-Henry then put them back in front shortly before the break with a good header into the bottom corner from Fin Shrimpton’s cross.
However, they conceded just two minutes later as Sports’ Josiah Dyer pounced again for his second goal of the game.
Just nine minutes into the second half, though, Mottley-Henry found space at the back post from Declan Week’s free-kick and tapped home for the winner.
McIntyre was appointed as the club’s manager in May 2022 and has taken them to the play-offs in 2023 and 2025 but has been unable to win promotion so far.
He oversaw the club’s academy from 2016 until taking charge of the first team and had a spell as caretaker manager in 2018, overseeing three National League matches.
He also won promotion with Runcorn Linnets from the Northern Premier League Division One West in 2021, in what was his first season of senior management.
Head to Head
The last meeting between the sides saw the Magpies emerge victorious with a 3-2 win at home in March.
The Seals took a two-goal lead inside the first quarter of the game but goals from Mike Calveley and George Horbury levelled things up by half-time. Mark Ellis’ late winner then gave the hosts all three points and strengthened their play-offs hopes.
Earlier in the season, Chester came away as winners as goals from Tom Peers and Harrison Burke saw off Preece’s side, despite a late consolation from Tom Carr.
Match Details
Chorley vs Chester
Enterprise National League North
Saturday, August 16
3pm kick-off
Grant Store Victory Park Stadium, Victory Park, Chorley, PR7 3DU
