The Debrief: Chester find out how it feels as play-off hopes hit by Southport
The Blues conceded twice in injury time to fall to defeat at home
The ability for football to flip the script in a matter of moments is why we all love it.
Tonight I hate it. Loathe it. With a passion.
As the clock approached 90 minutes, Chester were 1-0 up against Southport. The live National League North table had the Blues level on points with the play-off spots, with Scarborough Athletic and AFC Telford United above them. All level on 60 points, all having played 40 games.
It seemed like it was very much on. The rather ridiculous notion a few short weeks ago that Chester could make the play-offs after the season that that has been, gathered some actual pace after interim manager Connell Rawlinson’s two wins and a draw from his first three games.
But two goals in injury time, both scrappy goals following a penalty area melee, saw the Sandgrounders pick up the three points. At the same time, Scarborough were coming from behind late on to snatch a 2-1 win at Leamington.
The seven minutes were up, the final whistle sounded, and that gap that had been eroded to zero at 4:40pm, had grown to five points by 4:50pm. Chris Sze and Danny Lloyd’s efforts had cancelled out Chester’s opener from Dylan Mottley-Henry on 56 minutes.
The travelling support sent into rapture and song, while the Blues were forced to trudge away from the Deva with thoughts of what might have been.
For Rawlinson’s first defeat as a manager, the lesson couldn’t have been much harsher. While the play-off window isn’t closed fully, it’s barely ajar now, and they have to be faultless from now until the end of the season and still rely on charity from elsewhere.
Chester have won two games under Rawlinson at the death. This was how it felt to be on the receiving end.
