Chester: Danby, Marples, Linwood, Butler, Sandwith (Yeo 63), Partridge (Paul McManus 83), Dinning, Hughes, Wilson, Murphy, Ellison.

Subs Not Used: Palethorpe, Rutherford, Holroyd.

Booked: Dinning, Hughes.

Goals: Partridge 62, Murphy 72, Yeo 73.

Shrewsbury: Garner, Langmead, Kempson, Murdock (Pugh 46), Darren Moss, Herd, Drummond, Hunt, Ashton, Symes (Nicholson 81), Hibbert, Pugh (Ryan 76).

Subs Not Used: Esson, Hall.

Booked: Drummond, Murdock, Symes.

Goals: Darren Moss 69.

Att: 3,057 (1047)

Ref: Chris Foy (Merseyside).
Assistants: A Butler, R Pollock
Fourth Official: K Evans

Gary Peters makes three changes from the side that lost 2-0 at home to Peterborough on Tuesday with Marc Pugh and Danny Hall dropping to bench while Marc Tierney has failed to recover from a knock picked up in the game, in come Stewart Drummond, Colin Murdock and Neil Ashton as Town look to get back to winning ways.

It was a pretty frantic opening 5-minute with Town putting a lot of pressure onto the home side by getting the ball forward quickly. There were a lot of balls into Ben Herd to try and get in down the right of the Chester defence and this was working to an extent.

It was the home side who should have taken the lead after a Town move broke down and Chester came forward quickly, the ball was played across the Town goal then found Ellison free at the back post, he smashed in a first time shot which rose quickly, hit the upright and flew over the Town goal.

Town were creating some decent openings as they were getting the ball in behind the Town defence and then getting early balls into the box, but the Chester defence were holding strong. Town did have a great chance to take the lead just before the quarter-hour mark when a corner found Darran Kempson at the back post, he looped header back across the goal but Tony Dinning was on the post to head the ball off the line.

Stewart Drummond was the first Town played in to the ref's book when he was a bit unlucky to have caught Mark Hughes after making a genuine attempt to get the ball.

Colin Murdock was the next into the ref's book after he mistimed a header and went into the back of a Chester player; the ref called him over and booked Murdock for persistent fouling.

The game took a lull for a while with both sides looking to play with a direct style and this didn't make for good viewing from the stands. There were little openings but it was a mainly a battle of strength between the two teams attacking lines and defences.

Neil Ashton had been finding himself in some good shooting positions but was putting his shots over the target. Town had a good bit of pressure around the box with Hibbert and Symes causing problems in the air but the ball finally dropped to Neil Ashton who was in space on the edge of box, he drilled in a low shot which seemed to take a deflection but ref Foy awarded a goal kick to Chester.

Town were getting near to grabbing the lead and when a corner was put in towards the near post both Kempson and Drummond got up well but it was Kempson who got the flick header in that dropped just wide of the far post.

Half-time: 0-0

Town started with a change in personnel with Marc Pugh coming on to replace Colin Murdock. Murdock had been booked in the first half and the move meant Neil Ashton dropped to left-back and Marc Pugh slotted onto the left of midfield.

Town created a great opening early in the half after Pugh's tricks took him past Dinning and in towards the Chester box, he lifted a great ball to the back post to find Hibbert, he nodded the ball back to Symes who acrobatically tried to hook the ball home but the ball was deflected behind for a Town corner. David Hunt lifted an inviting ball over that was met by Stewart Drummond but his header was over the bar.

Chester then went up the other end and nearly grabbed the ball lead themselves, a strong break ended John Murphy on the edge of the box with Ellison in support, but Murphy elected to drive in a shot that was inches wide of the Town goal.

Town were getting into some good attacking positions but most times they were breaking down and allowing the home side to break. Hibbert tried to nod the ball back to Pugh but it was short and allowed Chester to break, the eventually switched the ball to the ball to the left to exploit the space that Moss had left, the ball was lifted over to find the head of John Murphy but his header flashed wide of the target.

Chester's pressure paid off when they grabbed the lead with over 25-minutes of the game remaining, Town failed to clear the ball and it fell to Richie Partridge out on the left, nothing looked on for him until he drove in a 25-yard drive that flew past the dive of Garner into the top corner to give the home side the lead.

Town were straight back and pushing for the equaliser with play going down the left with Pugh, he clipped a ball into Symes who was in the box with his back to goal, he nicked the ball past a defender and then went over an out stretched foot to go to ground but ref Foy was having none of it and booked Symes for diving.

Chester's lead didn't last long as moments later it was all square at 1-1. Town won a free-kick about 30-yards from the Chester goal by the touchline. David Hunt curled over a great ball and there was Darren Moss with a superb flicked header that went in at the back post to make it 1-1.

The score was 1-1 only for minutes after a long clearance from Chester dropped in front of Langmead, he slipped at the vital moment so Ashton came across to cover but Langmead recovered and both players went for the same ball, the two Town players collided and this allowed John Murphy to have a clear run at goal and slid the ball under Garner to make it 2-1 to Chester.

A minute later Chester were 3-1 in the lead after a Kempson clearance found a Chester shirt, the ball was then threaded in to find Yeo who had found space in between the Town centre-backs and he smashed in a great shot to make it 3-1.

Gary Peters made his second substitution bringing on Jimmy Ryan to replace Marc Pugh, Pugh left the pitch with a bag of ice around his knee as he went to sit on the bench. Then moments later Peters made his final switch with Stuart Nicholson coming on to replace Michael Symes in a straight swap.

A shell-shocked Town were still pushing to get back into the game and after Jimmy Ryan nicked in to snuff out a Chester break Kempson pushed the ball to Hunt, he threaded a great ball into the run of Stuart Nicholson who got in behind the home defence and then flashed a shot across the goal which just missed the target.

Town were doing their best to grab a goal back and in injury time they tested Danby in the Chester goal, a Hunt corner was drilled into the box and a flick found Nicholson stretching at the back post, he kept the ball in and then drove the ball back into the 6-yard box, Kempson stuck a foot out but Danby's reactions kept the ball out and the danger was gone.

Full-time: 1-3