Something in reserve

Chester City's draw against Lincoln City was a well-earned point, given the threadbare squad Mark Wright had at his disposal, owing to injuries and suspensions.

City's squad is not plentiful in numbers at the best of times nowadays, and the lack in depth was sorely highlighted by a midweek Cheshire Premier Cup defeat, where a bunch of youngsters City seemed to cobble together willy-nilly, mixed with a couple of recognised faces, ended in a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Crewe, who were able to field several first-team players. It was an out and out rout.

Still, despite the woeful result in the week, Tony Dinning must've done something in that match to prove himself worthy of being in the starting XI for Saturday's encounter. Fortunate for him, fortunate for the team, as his little free-kick provided the assist for Anthony Barry's super 25-yard strike.

Youngster Ben Jones was also able to get a little matchday experience toward the end, even if it was a bit of a surprise for him to be picked to come on ahead of Paul Rutherford.

Overall, the hard-fought point was convenient, especially with other sides below winning and leaving Chester now 15 points clear of the relegation zone. A few more battling 'moral victories' will be required to ensure safety in League Two for this season though...