| Club: | Chester |
| Season: | 1956–57 |
| Manager: | John Harris |
| Stadium: | Sealand Road |
| League: | Football League Third Division North |
| League Result: | 21st |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | First round |
| Cup2: | Welsh Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Semifinal |
| League Topscorer: | Billy Foulkes (11) |
| Season Topscorer: | Billy Foulkes and Barry Jepson (11) |
| Highest Attendance: | 12,192 vs Derby County (22 August) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,691 vs Scunthorpe & Lindsey United (23 February) |
| Average Attendance: | 6,472 15th in division[1] |
| Pattern La1: | _blue_stripes |
| Pattern B1: | _bluestripes |
| Pattern Ra1: | _blue_stripes |
| Pattern So1: | _hoops_blue |
| Shorts1: | 000000 |
| Prevseason: | 1955–56 |
| Nextseason: | 1957–58 |
The 1956–57 season was the 19th season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester, an English club based in Chester, Cheshire.
It was the club's 19th consecutive season in the Third Division North since the election to the Football League. Alongside competing in the league, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the Welsh Cup.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August | Wrexham | A | D | 2–2 | Bullock, Allman | 13,506 | |
| 22 August | Derby County | H | D | 2–2 | Foulkes (2) | 12,192 | |
| 25 August | Hartlepools United | H | L | 0–1 | 8,374 | ||
| 29 August | Derby County | A | L | 0–3 | 20,037 | ||
| 1 September | Bradford City | A | L | 0–1 | 14,244 | ||
| 5 September | Chesterfield | A | L | 0–3 | 7,901 | ||
| 8 September | Stockport County | H | L | 1–4 | Whitlock | 9,948 | |
| 12 September | Chesterfield | H | L | 3–4 | Harris, Hansell, Fields | 5,404 | |
| 15 September | Carlisle United | A | L | 0–3 | 6,306 | ||
| 17 September | York City | A | W | 1–0 | Foulkes (pen.) | 9,234 | |
| 22 September | Accrington Stanley | H | L | 0–2 | 8,850 | ||
| 26 September | York City | H | L | 3–4 | Bullock, Williams, Hansell | 4,258 | |
| 29 September | Tranmere Rovers | A | L | 1–3 | Hansell | 6,982 | |
| 6 October | Crewe Alexandra | H | W | 4–1 | Foulkes (2), Hansell, Bullock | 6,653 | |
| 13 October | Scunthorpe & Lindsey United | A | L | 0–3 | 6,377 | ||
| 20 October | Bradford Park Avenue | H | W | 2–0 | Foulkes, Hansell | 5,385 | |
| 27 October | Halifax Town | A | L | 1–2 | Mulholland | 4,982 | |
| 3 November | Workington | H | W | 1–0 | Hansell | 6,654 | |
| 10 November | Hull City | A | L | 0–2 | 8,571 | ||
| 24 November | Darlington | A | L | 1–5 | Davies (pen.) | 4,097 | |
| 1 December | Rochdale | H | D | 2–2 | Davies (pen.), Hansell | 5,492 | |
| 15 December | Wrexham | H | D | 0–0 | 10,066 | ||
| 22 December | Hartlepools United | A | D | 2–2 | Bullock (2) | 6,515 | |
| 25 December | Oldham Athletic | A | D | 0–0 | 7,524 | ||
| 29 December | Bradford City | H | L | 1–2 | Foulkes | 7,330 | |
| 5 January | Mansfield Town | A | D | 1–1 | Hansell | 5,999 | |
| 12 January | Stockport County | A | L | 1–2 | Hansell | 8,958 | |
| 19 January | Carlisle United | H | L | 1–2 | Turner | 6,533 | |
| 26 January | Mansfield Town | H | W | 6–2 | Jepson (3), Turner (2), Foulkes | 5,681 | |
| 2 February | Accrington Stanley | A | L | 0–4 | 6,661 | ||
| 9 February | Tranmere Rovers | H | D | 1–1 | Davies (pen.) | 7,625 | |
| 16 February | Crewe Alexandra | A | D | 0–0 | 6,536 | ||
| 23 February | Scunthorpe & Lindsey United | H | D | 2–2 | Jepson (2) | 2,691 | |
| 2 March | Bradford Park Avenue | A | L | 1–3 | Smith | 7,547 | |
| 9 March | Halifax Town | H | D | 1–1 | Jepson | 5,098 | |
| 16 March | Workington | A | W | 1–0 | Jepson | 10,414 | |
| 23 March | Hull City | H | D | 1–1 | Jepson | 6,272 | |
| 30 March | Barrow | A | L | 0–3 | 4,069 | ||
| 6 April | Darlington | H | L | 0–3 | 4,786 | ||
| 10 April | Oldham Athletic | H | W | 1–0 | Smith | 3,416 | |
| 13 April | Rochdale | A | L | 1–2 | Jepson | 4,501 | |
| 19 April | Southport | A | D | 1–1 | Bullock | 5,216 | |
| 20 April | Gateshead | H | W | 4–1 | Oldham (o.g.), Foulkes (2), Davies | 5,545 | |
| 22 April | Southport | H | W | 2–0 | Jepson, Foulkes | 6,749 | |
| 27 April | Gateshead | A | L | 1–4 | Smith | 2,599 | |
| 29 April | Barrow | H | W | 2–0 | Williams, Bullock | 3,849 |
See main article: 1956–57 FA Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 17 November | Barrow (3N) | H | D | 0–0 | 8,311 | |
| First round replay | 22 November | A | L | 1–3 | Turner | 4,052 |
See main article: 1956–57 Welsh Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fifth round | 31 January | Oswestry Town (B&DL) | A | W | 3–0 | Bullock (2), Smith | 1,095 | |
| Quarterfinal | 27 February | Cardiff City (1) | A | W | 2–0 | Davies | 5,000 | |
| Semifinal | 20 March | Wrexham (3N) | N | L | 0–2 |
| Player | Total | League | FA Cup | Welsh Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||
| Bobby Jones | 51 | – | 46 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Field players | ||||||||||
| George Allman | 11 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | ||
| Norman Bullock | 48 | 9 | 43 | 7 | 2 | – | 3 | 2 | ||
| Jim Collins | 5 | – | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| George Davies | 36 | 5 | 33 | 4 | – | – | 3 | 1 | ||
| Mike Fields | 14 | 1 | 13 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Billy Foulkes | 46 | 11 | 42 | 11 | 2 | – | 2 | – | ||
| Ray Gill | 47 | – | 42 | – | 2 | – | 4 | – | ||
| Ray Griffiths | 9 | – | 9 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Bernard Hackett | 4 | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Jack Haines | 7 | – | 5 | – | 2 | – | – | – | ||
| Ron Hansell | 40 | 9 | 36 | 9 | 1 | – | 3 | – | ||
| John Harris | 29 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | ||
| Ron Hughes | 44 | – | 39 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Barry Jepson | 20 | 11 | 18 | 10 | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||
| Gavin Lang | 3 | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Eric Lee | 12 | – | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Sam Morris | 39 | – | 34 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| John Mulholland | 9 | 1 | 8 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Les Owen | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Harry Smith | 15 | 4 | 13 | 3 | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||
| Phil Turner | 19 | 4 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | ||
| Phil Whitlock | 33 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Bobby Williams | 19 | 2 | 17 | 2 | – | – | 2 | – | ||
| Own goals | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 51 | 61 | 46 | 55 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
Book: Sumner. Chas. 125 Years on the Borderline: The Complete History of Chester City F.C. 1885-2010. 1 November 2011. Yore Publications. 978-0956984821.