| Club: | Chester |
| Season: | 1980–81 |
| Manager: | Alan Oakes |
| Stadium: | Sealand Road |
| League: | Football League Third Division |
| League Result: | 18th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Round 1 |
| Cup2: | Football League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Round 1 |
| League Topscorer: | Steve Ludlam Trevor Phillips (7) |
| Season Topscorer: | Steve Ludlam Trevor Phillips (7) |
| Highest Attendance: | 8,372 vs Bradford City (26 December) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,467 vs Torquay United (21 September) |
| Average Attendance: | 2,892 23rd in division[1] |
| Prevseason: | 1979–80 |
| Nextseason: | 1981–82 |
The 1980–81 season was the 43rd 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 and the Football League Cup.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 August | Oxford United | H | L | 0–1 | 2,203 | ||
| 19 August | Plymouth Argyle | A | L | 0–2 | 4,823 | ||
| 23 August | Carlisle United | H | W | 1–0 | Oakes | 2,007 | |
| 30 August | Millwall | A | L | 0–1 | 3,264 | ||
| 6 September | Exeter City | H | W | 1–0 | Cooke | 1,964 | |
| 13 September | Charlton Athletic | A | L | 0–1 | 4,422 | ||
| 20 September | Burnley | H | D | 0–0 | 3,402 | ||
| 27 September | Colchester United | A | D | 1–1 | Jones | 2,147 | |
| 4 October | Swindon Town | A | W | 2–1 | Howat, Ludlam | 5,577 | |
| 8 October | Hull City | H | W | 4–1 | T. Phillips (2), Ludlam, Howat | 1,964 | |
| 11 October | Reading | H | W | 1–0 | T. Phillips | 2,444 | |
| 18 October | Brentford | A | W | 1–0 | Howat | 6,600 | |
| 21 October | Rotherham United | A | D | 0–0 | 6,635 | ||
| 25 October | Fulham | H | L | 0–1 | 3,169 | ||
| 29 October | Huddersfield Town | H | L | 0–2 | 4,331 | ||
| 1 November | Barnsley | A | L | 0–2 | 9,330 | ||
| 4 November | Hull City | A | D | 0–0 | 3,335 | ||
| 8 November | Sheffield United | H | W | 3–2 | Burns, T. Phillips, Sutcliffe | 4,563 | |
| 12 November | Plymouth Argyle | H | W | 1–0 | Ludlam | 2,247 | |
| 15 November | Oxford United | A | L | 0–1 | 2,526 | ||
| 29 November | Portsmouth | A | L | 0–2 | 10,515 | ||
| 3 December | Newport County | H | D | 1–1 | Sutcliffe | 1,640 | |
| 6 December | Walsall | H | W | 1–0 | T. Phillips | 2,215 | |
| 13 December | Newport County | A | D | 1–1 | Cottam | 4,169 | |
| 20 December | Gillingham | H | L | 1–2 | Ludlam | 1,740 | |
| 26 December | Blackpool | A | W | 3–2 | Fear, Ludlam, Cooke | 4,878 | |
| 27 December | Chesterfield | H | W | 2–1 | Cooke, Fear | 4,222 | |
| 2 January | Reading | A | L | 0–3 | 3,804 | ||
| 10 January | Brentford | H | D | 0–0 | 2,041 | ||
| 17 January | Walsall | A | L | 1–2 | Jones | 3,483 | |
| 24 January | Millwall | H | L | 0–1 | 2,114 | ||
| 31 January | Carlisle United | A | L | 0–3 | 3,282 | ||
| 7 February | Charlton Athletic | H | W | 4–0 | T. Phillips, Jones, Howat, Raynor | 2,461 | |
| 21 February | Colchester United | H | D | 0–0 | 1,778 | ||
| 28 February | Burnley | A | L | 0–1 | 4,993 | ||
| 7 March | Swindon Town | H | W | 1–0 | Rollings (o.g.) | 1,810 | |
| 17 March | Fulham | A | W | 1–0 | T. Phillips | 3,387 | |
| 21 March | Rotherham United | H | L | 0–1 | 3,945 | ||
| 28 March | Huddersfield Town | A | D | 0–0 | 11,117 | ||
| 4 April | Barnsley | H | D | 2–2 | Ludlam (2) | 4,680 | |
| 7 April | Sheffield United | A | L | 0–2 | 10,027 | ||
| 17 April | Blackpool | H | W | 2–1 | Cooke (2) | 2,804 | |
| 18 April | Chesterfield | A | L | 0–2 | 3,850 | ||
| 25 April | Gillingham | A | L | 1–2 | Oakes | 3,228 | |
| 29 April | Exeter City | A | D | 2–2 | Jones, Howat | 3,056 | |
| 2 May | Portsmouth | H | L | 0–1 | 2,153 |
See main article: 1980–81 FA Cup.
See main article: 1980–81 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round first leg | 9 August | Stockport County (4) | H | D | 1–1 | Oakes | 2,468 |
| First round second leg | 11 August | A | L | 0–1 | 2,720 |
| Player | Total | League | FA Cup | League Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| Grenville Millington | 49 | – | 46 | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | |||
| Field players | |||||||||||
| John Anderson | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | |||
| Trevor Birch | 33+1 | 1 | 30+1 | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | |||
| David Burns | 16+3 | 1 | 15+3 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | |||
| Terry Cooke | 10+4 | 5 | 10+4 | 5 | – | – | – | – | |||
| John Cottam | 45 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | – | |||
| Keith Fear | 30+1 | 2 | 30+1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | |||
| Richie Gendall | 4+1 | – | 4+1 | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| Ian Howat | 17+1 | 5 | 17 | 5 | 0+1 | – | – | – | |||
| Derek Jeffries | 24 | – | 22 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | |||
| Brynley Jones | 44+1 | 4 | 41+1 | 4 | 1 | – | 2 | – | |||
| Mike Kearney | 11 | – | 9 | – | – | – | 2 | – | |||
| Steve Ludlam | 42+1 | 7 | 39+1 | 7 | 1 | – | 2 | – | |||
| Paul Needham | 7+2 | – | 7+2 | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| Alan Oakes | 30 | 3 | 28 | 2 | – | – | 2 | 1 | |||
| Ronnie Phillips | 3+2 | – | 2+1 | – | – | – | 1+1 | – | |||
| Trevor Phillips | 29+3 | 7 | 28+3 | 7 | 1 | – | – | – | |||
| Paul Raynor | 34 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | – | |||
| Trevor Storton | 47 | – | 44 | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | |||
| Peter Sutcliffe | 27+1 | 2 | 26+1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | |||
| Jim Walker | 34 | – | 32 | – | – | – | 2 | – | |||
| Peter Zelem | 2+4 | – | 2+4 | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| Own goals | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | |||
| Total | 49 | 40 | 46 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
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.