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  • Kick-off: 15:00
  • Venue: The Deva Stadium
  • Attendance: 2536
  • Referee: Bates, T

Live Commentary

90 mins

The ref has blown his whistle for full time.

81 mins

Kevin Ellison is being taken off, Kevin Sandwith has come on in his place.

75 mins

Kevin Roberts is replaced by Mark Hughes.

73 mins

James Vaughan is booked for unsporting behaviour.

72 mins

Danny Harrison is booked for dissent.

69 mins

Derek Holmes is being taken off, Jamie Yates has come on in his place.

65 mins

Chester are replacing Chris Holroyd with Craig Lindfield.

62 mins

The referee has booked Paul Linwood.

46 mins

Ryan Taylor is being taken off, Ian Ross has come on in his place.

46 mins

The second half is under way with the score currently at 0 v 1.

45 mins

Half time whistle is blown by T Bates

37 mins

Kevin Ellison is booked for unsporting behaviour.

28 mins

John Welsh goes into the referees book for unsporting behaviour.

19 mins

Dale Tonge is booked for unsporting behaviour.

7 mins

Goal!! Chris O'Grady scores for Rotherham.

0 mins

The ref has blown his whistle and the match has started.

Match Report

Striker Chris O'Grady scored the only goal of the game to enable high-flying Rotherham United to keep up the pressure on Milton Keynes Dons at the top of League Two.

Mark Robins' side were made to work hard for the points against a Chester side who had endured a miserable run of late, picking up only one point from their last seven games.

The visitors took the lead on seven minutes with the first effort of the game when striker O'Grady, who had only scored one goal in his previous 11 matches, received the ball from a throw in on the right and hit a left-footed shot from 18 yards out that flew in past John Danby.

Chester looked unlikely to get back into the game, although John Welsh hit a shot narrowly past the post on ten minutes and Paul Linwood headed a good opportunity straight into the arms of keeper Andy Warrington.

It was a scrappy stop-start affair in the first half, with the referee's whistle playing as big a part in the game as the players themselves with infringement after infringement, the majority of which seems to be shared between Kevin Ellison and Dale Tonge, who both went into the notebook after a succession of fouls.

Deep into first-half added time Chester captain Paul Butler produced a brilliant block to deny Danny Harrison's seemingly goalbound shot.

The visitors should have doubled their advantage on 63 minutes when Pablo Mills rolled the ball across the face of goal where O'Grady came sliding in, but he could only direct the ball wide when it looked easier to score.

Ten minutes from time sub Jamie Yates saw an effort saved by Danby and Chester defender James Vaughan almost inadvertently deflected the rebound into the net, but it rebounded back off the post and he was able to clear at the second attempt.

Chester City Team

Rotherham United Team

Chester City

Rotherham United

Corners

3 1

Fouls

15 18

Goal attempts

5 9

Shots off target

3 4

Offsides

2 10

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