NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH PLAYOFF PREVIEW: BUXTON TRAVEL TO CHESTER IN QUARTER FINAL PLAYOFF CLASH

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Buxton travel to Chester on Wednesday 30 April for a National League North play off quarter final, with kick off at 7.45pm.

The Bucks

The Bucks head into this game on the back of a 2-0 win over ten man Warrington Town at the weekend.

Warrington went down to ten men in the first half after an off the ball incident results in Murphy Bennett being sent off.

After the break, goals from Kieran Burton and Johnny Johnston secure all three points. With Curzon Ashton drawing and Hereford losing, the result confirms 7th place and a playoff spot for The Bucks.

Following the match manager John McGrath said:

“We’ve finished the season in the playoff spots, and that’s a fantastic achievement. After the low of Monday at Alfreton, getting the lads up for this game was crucial, and I thought we were superb today. We missed two or three chances in the first half but kept plugging away with calm heads. This is a day of celebration. You don’t get many of these days, so it’s great that we’ve progressed into the playoffs.”

Opposition

Chester FC were reformed in 2010 following the liquidation of Chester City.

The club began life in Division One North of the Northern Premier League and secured three consecutive promotions to reach the Conference Premier.

They remained at that level until 2018, when relegation saw them drop into the National League North, where they have competed ever since.

Nicknamed The Seals, Chester play their home fixtures at the Deva Stadium, which has a capacity of 5,400. For this fixture, 500 tickets have been allocated to Buxton supporters. Uniquely, the stadium sits right on the border between England and Wales.

Callum McIntyre was appointed as manager in May 2022 and enjoyed an impressive debut season, earning the club’s Manager of the Season award. He also picked up the National League North Manager of the Month accolade in January of this campaign.

Last season, Chester finished 10th in the division, collecting 69 points across the season.

This season, they improved significantly, securing 4th place with a total of 87 points.

Their most recent outing saw them claim a convincing 3-0 victory over King’s Lynn, extending their unbeaten run in the league to six matches, including four straight wins.

One to watch

Kurt Willoughby is a 27 year old midfielder who rejoined the club on loan from Oldham Athletic after originally leaving in 2023.

He had an impressive record whilst at The Seals scoring 27 goals in 52 games in his first spell and was included in the National League North team of the season.

Willoughby has made three appearances for the England C team and started his career at Fleetwood Town.

After leaving The Fishermen he went onto play for Padiham, AFC Blackpool, Clithroe, FC United of Manchester and AFC Fylde.

Last Time Out

It was an exciting game at The Silverlands last time out with Chester coming out 4-2 winners in January.

Last time at the Deva Stadium it was a 1-0 victory for The Bucks with Ethan Fitzhugh scoring early on in the game.