Chester 2 Darlington 1

McGowan 13 mins, 0-1, Peers pen 48 mins, 1-1, Woods 63 mins 2-1

Attendance 2412

Quakers play off hopes are almost over after defeat at the Deva Stadium.

They led with a great goal by Will McGowan, but Chester got back into the game with a disputed penalty at the start of the second half which they converted, then Connor Woods put them in front.

The defeat means that they are eight points behind the play off places with just three games to play.

Here are the goals:

https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/check-the-goals-from-todays-game

Chester won the first corner on the left on 4 minutes, but when the ball went into the Darlington box, it was headed away by Tom Platt.

They won another on the opposite side on 9 minutes, and this time Peter Jameson produced a great save down to his right to stop a header from Connor Woods going in from a Iwan Murray cross

But Quakers took the lead on 13 minutes. Will McGowan picked a good ball up on the left from Cedric Main, worked his way into the box, sidestepped two challenges and tucked the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net, his second in three games.

The game flowed end to end for a while, and Chester went close when Quakers couldn’t clear a left wing cross, and Woods fired just wide from twelve yards out.

Quakers won a free kick for a foul on Will Hatfield about 40 yards out, but Cade Kelly’s free kick to the far post was too far for Jack Maskell.

Chester responded when Murray set up Willoughby on the edge of the box, but his effort went well over the bar.

Quakers nearly caught Chester out on 31 minutes. A great diagonal ball by Scott Barrow went over the Chester defence for Main to catch on the volley, but it went just wide of the left hand post.

Chester nearly equalised on 35 minutes. Peers broke on the right and fired across the face of goal, with Willoughby just unable to get a touch.

Jameson pulled off another save on 40 minutes when Peers pulled the ball back from the right for Weeks to volley first time, but Jameson held on comfortably.

Quakers had defended well in the first half, and had a good goal by McGowan to show for their efforts

Half time 0-1

Chester won a corner straight after the resumption, but Quakers defended it well.

Chester got a penalty on 48 minutes when the ref said that Ben Hedley handled a cross by Murray from only a couple of yards distance -- it looked like the usual argument about an unnatural or natural position -- and pointed to the spot from where Peers sent Jameson the wrong way.

Quakers tried to hit back and Kelly showed some good skill and crossed from the right into the middle, where the ball was headed away to Hedley, who fired over the top.

Kelly played a great ball over the top of the Chester defence for Maskell inside the area, but he couldn’t turn on goal and Chester scrambled the ball away.

Then Kelly tried his luck from long range, but the ball went over the top.

Chester went in front on 64 minutes. A corner was helped by Leak into the Darlington six yard area where Connor Woods touched the ball home.

Quakers took Kelly off after 66 minutes and replaced him with Cameron Salkeld, then Barrow went off after Mottley-Henry fell on him and was replaced by Blair Adams.

Sam Hetherington also came on for Tom Platt.

Quakers created a chance when Salkeld found Hatfield running into the box, but his shot was deflected behind.

With four minutes left, Matt Cornish came on for Ben Hedley.

Chester nearly scored another right at the end, but Jameson saved well.

Final score Chester 2 Darlington 1

Team: Jameson, Hedley (sub Cornish 86), Lees, Storey, Barrow (sub Adams 73), Hatfield, Platt (sub Hetherington 73), McGowan, Kelly (sub Salkeld 66), Maskell, Main

Subs: Griffiths

Booking: Hatfield

Chester: Storer, Burke, Weeks, Peers, Willoughby, Woodthorpe, Leak, O'Kane, Woods, Murray, Roberts

Subs: Lambert, Mottley-Henry, Rosenblatt, Burgess, Mooney