| Club: | Chester |
| Season: | 1979–80 |
| Manager: | Alan Oakes |
| Stadium: | Sealand Road |
| League: | Football League Third Division |
| League Result: | 9th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Round 5 |
| Cup2: | Football League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Round 2 |
| Cup3: | Welsh Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Quarterfinal |
| League Topscorer: | Ian Rush (14) |
| Season Topscorer: | Ian Rush (19) |
| Highest Attendance: | 8,372 vs Bradford City (26 December) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,467 vs Torquay United (21 September) |
| Average Attendance: | 3,726 23rd in division[1] |
| Prevseason: | 1978–79 |
| Nextseason: | 1980–81 |
The 1979–80 season was the 42nd season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester, an English club based in Chester, Cheshire.
Also, it was the fifth 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.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August | Wimbledon | A | W | 3–2 | Ruggiero, Henderson, Edwards | 3,549 | |
| 22 August | Grimsby Town | H | W | 3–1 | Edwards (2), Raynor (pen) | 3,779 | |
| 25 August | Sheffield United | H | D | 1–1 | Jones | 6,361 | |
| 1 September | Bury | A | L | 0–2 | 3,447 | ||
| 8 September | Millwall | H | D | 1–1 | Storton | 3,473 | |
| 15 September | Gillingham | A | D | 2–2 | Oakes, Rush | 7,397 | |
| 18 September | Swindon Town | A | L | 1–3 | Henderson | 6,102 | |
| 22 September | Reading | H | L | 0–2 | 3,226 | ||
| 29 September | Carlisle United | A | D | 2–2 | Jones, Raynor (pen) | 4,324 | |
| 6 October | Plymouth Argyle | H | W | 1–0 | Henderson | 2,818 | |
| 9 October | Grimsby Town | A | W | 2–0 | Oakes, Edwards | 8,007 | |
| 13 October | Exeter City | A | L | 0–1 | 3,454 | ||
| 20 October | Hull City | H | W | 2–1 | Sutcliffe, Jones | 3,209 | |
| 24 October | Blackburn Rovers | H | D | 0–0 | 3,955 | ||
| 27 October | Barnsley | A | D | 1–1 | Edwards | 9,879 | |
| 3 November | Wimbledon | H | W | 3–1 | Rush, Walker, Storton | 2,891 | |
| 7 November | Blackburn Rovers | A | L | 0–2 | 5,759 | ||
| 10 November | Oxford United | A | W | 1–0 | Rush | 4,026 | |
| 17 November | Mansfield Town | H | W | 1–0 | R. Phillips | 2,920 | |
| 1 December | Sheffield Wednesday | H | D | 2–2 | Rush, R. Phillips | 6,241 | |
| 7 December | Southend United | A | L | 1–4 | Rush | 3,885 | |
| 21 December | Rotherham United | H | W | 3–1 | Rush (2), Storton | 2,727 | |
| 26 December | Brentford | A | D | 2–2 | Sutcliffe, Jones | 10,140 | |
| 29 December | Blackpool | H | W | 1–0 | Rush | 4,212 | |
| 8 January | Colchester United | A | D | 1–1 | R. Phillips (pen) | 3,251 | |
| 12 January | Bury | H | W | 1–0 | Jones | 4,692 | |
| 19 January | Millwall | A | L | 1–3 | Coleman (o.g.) | 5,270 | |
| 9 February | Reading | A | L | 1–2 | Rush | 5,381 | |
| 20 February | Carlisle United | H | W | 1–0 | Rush | 3,765 | |
| 26 February | Sheffield United | A | D | 1–1 | Rush | 13,738 | |
| 1 March | Hull City | A | L | 0–1 | 5,771 | ||
| 8 March | Barnsley | H | D | 0–0 | 5,024 | ||
| 15 March | Plymouth Argyle | A | L | 0–1 | 4,095 | ||
| 19 March | Swindon Town | H | W | 1–0 | Raynor (pen) | 2,611 | |
| 22 March | Oxford United | H | W | 1–0 | Rush | 3,088 | |
| 26 March | Exeter City | H | L | 1–3 | R. Phillips | 2,867 | |
| 29 March | Mansfield Town | A | L | 1–2 | Jones | 3,097 | |
| 1 April | Rotherham United | A | L | 0–2 | 4,631 | ||
| 5 April | Brentford | H | D | 1–1 | T. Phillips | 2,751 | |
| 7 April | Chesterfield | A | L | 0–2 | 9,100 | ||
| 12 April | Colchester United | H | W | 2–1 | Rush (2) | 2,282 | |
| 19 April | Sheffield Wednesday | A | L | 0–3 | 19,130 | ||
| 23 April | Chesterfield | H | W | 1–0 | Walker | 3,737 | |
| 26 April | Southend United | H | W | 2–1 | Fear, Sutcliffe | 2,461 | |
| 30 April | Gillingham | H | L | 0–2 | 2,027 | ||
| 3 May | Blackpool | A | D | 0–0 | 5,925 |
See main article: 1979–80 FA Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 24 November | Workington (6) | H | W | 5–1 | Henderson (2), Sutcliffe, Rush (2) | 2,934 | |
| Second round | 18 December | Barnsley (3) | H | W | 1–0 | Raynor (pen) | 4,561 | |
| Third round | 5 January | Newcastle United (2) | A | W | 2–0 | Henderson, Rush | 24,548 | |
| Fourth round | 26 January | Millwall (3) | H | W | 2–0 | Storton, Rush | 7,966 | |
| Fifth round | 16 February | Ipswich Town (1) | A | L | 1–2 | Jones | 26,353 |
See main article: 1979–80 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round first leg | 11 August | Walsall (4) | H | W | 2–1 | Henderson (2) | 3,872 |
| First round second leg | 14 August | A | D | 0–0 | 3,611 | ||
| Second round first leg | 28 August | Swindon Town (3) | H | L | 0–1 | 6,965 | |
| Second round second leg | 5 September | H | D | 1–1 | Sutcliffe | 3,930 |
See main article: 1979–80 Welsh Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fourth round | 21 January | Bangor City (APL) | H | D | 1–1 | R. Phillips | 923 | |
| Fourth round replay | 5 February | A | W | 2–0 | Howat, Rush | 1,937 | ||
| Fifth round | 4 March | Merthyr Tydfil (SFL) | A | L | 0–1 | 1,700 |
| Player | Total | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Welsh Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||||
| Brian Lloyd | 21 | – | 17 | – | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | ||
| Grenville Millington | 37 | – | 29 | – | 5 | – | – | – | 3 | – | ||
| Field players | ||||||||||||
| David Burns | 7+3 | – | 5+3 | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | ||
| John Cottam | 57 | – | 45 | – | 5 | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Ian Edwards | 19 | 5 | 15 | 5 | – | – | 4 | – | – | – | ||
| Keith Fear | 12+2 | 1 | 11+2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Peter Henderson | 43+5 | 8 | 34+5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | – | ||
| Ian Howat | 7+2 | 1 | 3 | – | 1+1 | – | 0+1 | – | 3 | 1 | ||
| Derek Jeffries | 39+4 | – | 31+3 | – | 3+1 | – | 3 | – | 2 | – | ||
| Brynley Jones | 40+3 | 7 | 33+3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Paul Lewis | 1+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1+1 | – | ||
| Alan Oakes | 44 | 2 | 32 | 2 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Ronnie Phillips | 56+1 | 5 | 44+1 | 4 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 3 | 1 | ||
| Trevor Phillips | 12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Paul Raynor | 44+1 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | – | 1+1 | – | ||
| John Ruggiero | 12+3 | 1 | 9+3 | 1 | – | – | 3 | – | – | – | ||
| Ian Rush | 39+1 | 19 | 32+1 | 14 | 5 | 4 | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||
| Trevor Storton | 50 | 4 | 39 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Peter Sutcliffe | 42+1 | 5 | 34+1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | ||
| Jim Walker | 56 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Own goals | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 58 | 66 | 46 | 49 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||
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.