# 1978–79 Chester F.C. season

The 1978–79 season was the 41st season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester, an English club based in Chester, Cheshire.
Also, it was the fourth season spent in the Third Division after the promotion from the Fourth Division in 1975. Alongside competing in the Football League, the club also participated in the FA Cup, Football League Cup and the Welsh Cup.

## Football League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 14 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 13 | 19 | 14 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 45 |
| 15 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 67 | 68 | −1 | 44 |
| 16 | Chester | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 57 | 61 | −4 | 44 |
| 17 | Rotherham United | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 49 | 55 | −6 | 44 |
| 18 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 12 | 19 | 15 | 51 | 52 | −1 | 43 |

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 57 | 61 | −4 | 44 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 42 | 21 | +21 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 40 | −25 |
Source: rsssf.com

### Results by matchday

| 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 | W | W | L | D | L | L | W | W | D | W | L | D | D | W | L | W | W | D | L | L | L | D | L | L | D | D | D | D | W | W | L | L | L | L | W | D | D | W | D | D | W | D | D | L | L |
| Position | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 14 |

### Matches

| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
| 19 August | Southend United | A | W | 1–0 | Edwards | 4,223 |
| 23 August | Walsall | H | W | 2–1 | Phillips, Mellor (pen) | 4,257 |
| 26 August | Exeter City | H | W | 3–0 | Mellor (pen), Edwards (2) | 3,431 |
| 2 September | Hull City | A | L | 0–3 | | 5,325 |
| 8 September | Peterborough United | H | D | 1–1 | Edwards | 4,506 |
| 12 September | Colchester United | A | L | 1–2 | Phillips | 2,311 |
| 16 September | Gillingham | A | L | 0–1 | | 4,743 |
| 23 September | Swansea City | H | W | 2–0 | Mellor, Edwards | 8,583 |
| 27 September | Swindon Town | H | W | 2–0 | Delgado, Oakes | 3,311 |
| 30 September | Bury | A | D | 1–1 | Edwards | 4,056 |
| 7 October | Watford | H | W | 2–1 | Edwards, Phillips | 6,468 |
| 13 October | Tranmere Rovers | A | L | 2–6 | Edwards, Mellor | 5,587 |
| 18 October | Plymouth Argyle | H | D | 0–0 | | 3,921 |
| 21 October | Oxford United | A | D | 0–0 | | 3,908 |
| 28 October | Brentford | H | W | 3–1 | Edwards (3) | 4,301 |
| 4 November | Chesterfield | A | L | 1–3 | Raynor | 5,015 |
| 11 November | Hull City | H | W | 2–1 | Edwards (2) | 4,249 |
| 18 November | Exeter City | A | W | 1–0 | Mellor | 3,985 |
| 9 December | Sheffield Wednesday | A | D | 0–0 | | 8,872 |
| 23 December | Blackpool | A | L | 0–3 | | 4,106 |
| 26 December | Carlisle United | H | L | 1–2 | Walker | 4,690 |
| 13 January | Peterborough United | A | L | 1–2 | Edwards | 4,445 |
| 17 January | Colchester United | H | D | 2–2 | Henderson, Phillips | 2,339 |
| 30 January | Shrewsbury Town | A | L | 0–1 | | 6,693 |
| 3 February | Swindon Town | A | L | 0–2 | | 6,036 |
| 10 February | Bury | H | D | 1–1 | Henderson | 3,160 |
| 21 February | Gillingham | H | D | 1–1 | Jeffries | 2,421 |
| 24 February | Tranmere Rovers | H | D | 1–1 | Raynor (pen) | 4,375 |
| 27 February | Swansea City | A | D | 2–2 | Henderson, Raynor (pen) | 7,983 |
| 3 March | Oxford United | H | W | 4–1 | Oakes, Jones, Phillips, Edwards | 2,476 |
| 7 March | Lincoln City | H | W | 5–1 | Henderson (3), Edwards, Phillips | 2,585 |
| 10 March | Brentford | A | L | 0–6 | | 6,420 |
| 14 March | Rotherham United | H | L | 0–1 | | 2,473 |
| 21 March | Southend United | H | L | 0–1 | | 2,108 |
| 24 March | Walsall | A | L | 1–2 | Oakes | 2,795 |
| 28 March | Chesterfield | H | W | 3–0 | Jones, Livermore, Phillips | 1,804 |
| 31 March | Mansfield Town | H | D | 1–1 | Edwards | 2,205 |
| 7 April | Lincoln City | A | D | 0–0 | | 3,489 |
| 13 April | Blackpool | H | W | 4–2 | Oakes, Phillips (pen), Henderson, Edwards | 4,439 |
| 14 April | Carlisle United | A | D | 1–1 | Phillips | 5,309 |
| 16 April | Shrewsbury Town | H | D | 0–0 | | 6,249 |
| 21 April | Rotherham United | A | W | 1–0 | Edwards | 2,893 |
| 24 April | Plymouth Argyle | A | D | 2–2 | Raynor, Edwards | 4,686 |
| 28 April | Sheffield Wednesday | H | D | 2–2 | Mellor, Phillips | 4,200 |
| 2 May | Watford | A | L | 0–1 | | 12,167 |
| 5 May | Mansfield Town | A | L | 0–2 | | 4,173 |

## FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
| First round | 25 November | Runcorn (NPL) | H | D | 1–1 | Phillips | 5,421 |
| First round replay | 28 November | Runcorn (NPL) | A | W | 5–0 | Mellor (2), Jones, Phillips, Howat | 4,441 |
| Second round | 16 December | Darlington (4) | A | L | 1–2 | Mellor | 2,491 |

## League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
| First round first leg | 12 August | Port Vale (4) | A | W | 3–0 | Edwards (2), Phillips | 2,805 |
| First round second leg | 16 August | Port Vale (4) | H | D | 1–1 | Livermore (pen) | 3,741 |
| Second round | 30 August | Coventry City (1) | H | W | 2–1 | Edwards, Mellor | 8,598 |
| Third round | 4 October | Norwich City (1) | H | L | 0–2 | | 8,749 |

## Welsh Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
| Fourth round | 10 January | Bangor City (NPL) | H | D | 0–0 | | 1,100 |
| Fourth round replay | 23 January | Bangor City (NPL) | A | W | 1–0 | Edwards | |
| Fifth round | 14 February | Oswestry Town (SFL) | H | W | 4–3 | Felix, Edwards, Phillips, Leggett (o.g.) | 438 |
| Semifinal | 4 April | Wrexham (2) | H | L | 0–1 | | 7,275 |

## Season statistics

| Nat | Player | Total | Total | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Welsh Cup | Welsh Cup |
| Nat | Player | A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G | A | G |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| | Brian Lloyd | 52 | – | 41 | – | 3 | – | 4 | – | 4 | – |
| | Grenville Millington | 5 | – | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Field players ||||||||||||
| | David Burns | 8+2 | – | 7+2 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| | Bob Delgado | 21 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 2 | – | 4 | – | – | – |
| | Ian Edwards | 47 | 25 | 39 | 20 | – | – | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| | Gary Felix | 9 | 1 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| | Peter Henderson | 27 | 7 | 25 | 7 | – | – | – | – | 2 | – |
| | Ian Howat | 9 | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – |
| | Derek Jeffries | 50 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 3 | – |
| | Brynley Jones | 31+4 | 3 | 26+3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0+1 | – | 3 | – |
| | Doug Livermore | 49 | 2 | 39 | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | 1 | 3 | – |
| | Ian Mellor | 28+3 | 10 | 21+2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0+1 | – |
| | Mark Nickeas | 41+1 | – | 33+1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | – | 4 | – |
| | Alan Oakes | 45 | 4 | 37 | 4 | 2 | – | 4 | – | 2 | – |
| | Ronnie Phillips | 50+1 | 14 | 40 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 3+1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| | Paul Raynor | 45+1 | 4 | 36+1 | 4 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 2 | – |
| | Ian Rush | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| | Trevor Storton | 57 | – | 46 | – | 3 | – | 4 | – | 4 | – |
| | Peter Sutcliffe | 14+3 | – | 11+3 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – |
| | Jim Walker | 38+3 | – | 31+1 | 1 | 0+2 | – | 4 | – | 3 | – |
| | Own goals | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| | Total | 57 | 75 | 46 | 57 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 |