| 1997–98 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Kevin Ratcliffe |
| Stadium | Deva Stadium |
| Football League Third Division | 14th |
| FA Cup | Round 2 |
| Football League Cup | Round 1 |
| Football League Trophy | Round 1 |
| Top goalscorer | League: Gary Bennett (11) All: Gary Bennett (11) |
| Highest home attendance | 3,245 vs Macclesfield Town (25 October) |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,510 vs Swansea City (26 November) |
| Average home league attendance | 2,255 21st in division[1] |
← 1996–97
1998–99 →
| |
The 1997–98 season was the 60th season of competitive association footballinthe Football League played by Chester City, an English club based in Chester, Cheshire.
Also, it was the third season spent in the Third Division, after the relegation from the Second Division in 1995. Alongside competing in the Football League the club also participated in the FA Cup, the Football League Cup and the Football League Trophy.
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 64 | 55 | +9 | 65 |
| 13 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 61 | 62 | −1 | 61 |
| 14 | Chester City | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 60 | 61 | −1 | 61 |
| 15 | Exeter City | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 60 |
| 16 | Cambridge United | 46 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 63 | 57 | +6 | 60 |
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 60 | 61 | −1 | 61 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 34 | 15 | +19 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 26 | 46 | −20 |
Source: rsssf.com
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | W | D | L | L | W | W | W | L | L | W | W | L | L | D | W | W | L | D | W | D | L | W | L | W | W | W | L | W | D | D | L | D | W | L | L | D | D | L | L | L | L | W | L | W | L | D |
| Position | 1 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 14 |
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August | Lincoln City | H | W | 2–0 | Flitcroft, Bennett | 2,478 |
| 23 August | Cambridge United | H | D | 1–1 | Bennett | 2,167 |
| 30 August | Barnet | A | L | 1–2 | Simpson (o.g.) | 1,790 |
| 2 September | Scunthorpe United | A | L | 1–2 | Bennett | 2,633 |
| 5 September | Hull City | H | W | 1–0 | Bennett | 2,271 |
| 13 September | Shrewsbury Town | H | W | 2–0 | Bennett (2) | 2,853 |
| 16 September | Cardiff City | A | W | 2–0 | Alsford, Davidson (pen) | 3,949 |
| 20 September | Mansfield Town | A | L | 1–4 | Davidson (pen) | 2,183 |
| 27 September | Rotherham United | A | L | 2–4 | Alsford, Priest | 3,061 |
| 4 October | Hartlepool United | H | W | 3–1 | Whelan, Bennett, Murphy | 2,163 |
| 11 October | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | W | 2–0 | Bennett (2) | 2,402 |
| 18 October | Torquay United | A | L | 1–3 | Richardson | 2,047 |
| 21 October | Scarborough | A | L | 1–4 | Thomas | 1,451 |
| 25 October | Macclesfield Town | H | D | 1–1 | Priest | 3,245 |
| 1 November | Rochdale | H | W | 4–0 | McDonald, Bennett, Rimmer (2) | 2,431 |
| 4 November | Notts County | A | W | 2–1 | McDonald, Bennett | 3,104 |
| 8 November | Leyton Orient | A | L | 0–1 | 3,894 | |
| 18 November | Peterborough United | H | D | 0–0 | 2,612 | |
| 26 November | Swansea City | H | W | 2–0 | Flitcroft (pen), Thomas | 1,510 |
| 29 November | Exeter City | H | D | 1–1 | Rimmer | 2,288 |
| 2 December | Doncaster Rovers | A | L | 1–2 | Jones | 864 |
| 13 December | Darlington | H | W | 2–1 | McDonald, Alsford | 1,812 |
| 19 December | Colchester United | A | L | 0–2 | 1,867 | |
| 26 December | Hull City | A | W | 2–1 | Whelan, Thomas | 6,807 |
| 28 December | Scunthorpe United | H | W | 1–0 | Priest | 2,263 |
| 10 January | Lincoln City | A | W | 3–1 | Priest, Jenkins, Rimmer | 2,913 |
| 17 January | Barnet | H | L | 0–1 | 2,479 | |
| 24 January | Cambridge United | A | W | 2–1 | Rimmer, McDonald | 2,473 |
| 27 January | Cardiff City | H | D | 0–0 | 1,757 | |
| 31 January | Shrewsbury Town | A | D | 1–1 | Woods | 3,002 |
| 7 February | Mansfield Town | H | L | 0–1 | 2,055 | |
| 14 February | Hartlepool United | A | D | 0–0 | 2,186 | |
| 21 February | Rotherham United | H | W | 4–0 | Murphy, Alsford, Priest (2) | 2,432 |
| 24 February | Torquay United | H | L | 1–3 | Woods | 2,163 |
| 28 February | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | L | 2–3 | Flitcroft, Murphy | 2,510 |
| 3 March | Leyton Orient | H | D | 1–1 | Richardson | 1,650 |
| 7 March | Rochdale | A | D | 1–1 | Murphy | 1,955 |
| 14 March | Notts County | H | L | 0–1 | 2,753 | |
| 21 March | Peterborough United | A | L | 1–2 | McDonald | 4,817 |
| 28 March | Swansea City | A | L | 0–2 | 2,500 | |
| 4 April | Exeter City | A | L | 0–5 | 2,965 | |
| 11 April | Doncaster Rovers | H | W | 2–1 | Flitcroft (pen), Rimmer | 1,593 |
| 13 April | Darlington | A | L | 0–1 | 1,901 | |
| 18 April | Colchester United | H | W | 3–1 | Whelan, Fisher, Rimmer | 1,780 |
| 25 April | Macclesfield Town | A | L | 2–3 | Whelan, Thomas | 5,982 |
| 2 May | Scarborough | H | D | 1–1 | Rimmer | 2,719 |
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 15 November | Winsford United (6) | H | W | 2–1 | Richardson, Priest | 3,885 |
| Second round | 5 December | Wrexham (3) | H | L | 0–2 | 5,224 |
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round first leg | 11 August | Carlisle United (3) | H | L | 1–2 | Woods | 2,367 |
| First round second leg | 18 August | A | L | 0–3 | 4,208 |
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 9 December | Scunthorpe United (4) | A | L | 1–2 | Flitcroft | 813 |
| Nat | Player | Total | League | FA Cup |
League Cup |
FL Trophy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | ||
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
 |
Wayne Brown | 16 | – | 13 | – | 2 | – | – | – | 1 | – |
 |
Ronnie Sinclair | 35 | – | 33 | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – |
| Field players | |||||||||||
|
Julian Alsford | 44 | 4 | 39 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – |
|
Gary Bennett | 41+4 | 11 | 37+4 | 11 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – |
|
Ross Davidson | 27+1 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 0+1 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – |
|
Ryan Dobson | 6 | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
|
Neil Fisher | 34+6 | 1 | 29+6 | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – |
|
David Flitcroft | 48+1 | 5 | 43+1 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 1 |
|
Martin Giles | 8+2 | – | 8+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 |
Iain Jenkins | 39 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – |
 |
Jonathan Jones | 3+6 | 1 | 2+5 | 1 | 0+1 | – | – | – | 1 | – |
|
Rod McDonald | 23+10 | 5 | 21+10 | 5 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – |
|
Matt McKay | 3+2 | – | 3+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
|
Andy Milner | 1+2 | – | 1 | – | 0+2 | – | – | – | – | – |
|
John Murphy | 19+10 | 4 | 19+8 | 4 | 0+1 | – | 0+1 | – | – | – |
|
Chris Priest | 40 | 7 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – |
|
Nick Richardson | 46+3 | 3 | 41+3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | – |
|
Stuart Rimmer | 29+9 | 8 | 26+8 | 8 | 1+1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – |
|
Andy Shelton | 0+2 | – | 0+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
|
Gary Shelton | 3 | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
|
Rod Thomas | 29+13 | 4 | 25+13 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – |
|
Spencer Whelan | 40 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – |
|
Matt Woods | 24+7 | 3 | 24+5 | 2 | – | – | 0+2 | 1 | – | – |
|
Darren Wright | 3+3 | – | 3+2 | – | – | – | – | – | 0+1 | – |
| Own goals | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Total | 51 | 64 | 46 | 60 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Sumner, Chas (1 November 2011). 125 Years on the Borderline: The Complete History of Chester City F.C. 1885-2010. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0956984821.
