CHESTER CITY brushed off their early season cobwebs to demolish woeful Barnet at the Deva Stadium on Saturday.
After three Coca-Cola League Two defeats City bounced back impressively to record their first points of the campaign and earn a standing ovation from the relieved home supporters at the end of the game.
By contrast, the Barnet players and officials stayed on the pitch following the final whistle in an apparent attempt to apologise to their travelling fans for their shambolic and passionless performance.
The paucity of commitment and talent shown by the Londoners should not take anything away from City’s performance, who turned in their best showing since the turn of the year.
With a little more incision in front of goal, Chester could easily have led at the break by more than the Kevin Ellison solo effort that came just after the half hour mark.
Ellison broke the deadlock, when he linked well with man of the match Ryan Lowe, before drilling the ball past Harrison in the visitors’ goal.
Hughes, Ellison and the improving Paul Taylor fired narrowly wide of the upright, while the over-worked Harrison made impressive saves to deny Lowe and Mozika.
The floodgates opened in the second half, with Chester running riot and registering a further four goals.
Lowe doubled the homesters’ advantage after 57 minutes, after Ellison had turned provider.
Chester then registered two set-piece goals in a three minute spell to put the game out of reach of the visitors. Paul Linwood volleyed home from close range after 62 minutes, while Kevin Roberts bundled the ball home after 65 minutes following a corner from Lowe.
City completed their nap hand of goals when Lowe doubled his personal tally with a delightful strike from 15 yards.
A defensive comedy of errors allowed substitute Cliff Akurang to notch a consolation goal for Barnet two minutes into added time, but it didn’t do anything to dampen Chester’s euphoria.
After the match a delighted City manager Simon Davies enthused: “Everybody at the club has worked really hard to turn our poor start to the season around and thankfully that hard work has paid off.”
Davies also revealed that he was hopeful of adding possibly at least one signing prior to tonight’s closure of the transfer window.
CHESTER CITY: Danby, J Vaughan, Linwood, Roberts, Wilson, Mozika, S Vaughan, Hughes, Taylor, Lowe, Ellison. Subs not used: Kelly, Barry, Partridge, Mannix, McManus.
BARNET: Harrison, Devera, De Magalhaes, Leary, Thomas, Adomah, Bishop, Mitchell (Porter 71), Hart (Akurang 64), Birchall, Medley (Tabin 71). Subs not used: Kadoch, Charles.
REFEREE: Mr Paul Gibbs (West Midlands).
ATTENDANCE: 1,295.
