| Club: | Chester |
| Season: | 1981–82 |
| Manager: | Alan Oakes Cliff Sear |
| Stadium: | Sealand Road |
| League: | Football League Third Division |
| League Result: | 24th (relegated) |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Round 1 |
| Cup2: | Football League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Round 1 |
| Cup3: | Football League Group Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | GS |
| League Topscorer: | Gary Simpson (12) |
| Season Topscorer: | Gary Simpson (13) |
| Highest Attendance: | 8,372 vs Bradford City (26 December) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,467 vs Torquay United (21 September) |
| Average Attendance: | 2,062 24th in division[1] |
| Prevseason: | 1980–81 |
| Nextseason: | 1982–83 |
The 1981–82 season was the 44th season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester, an English club based in Chester, Cheshire.
Also, it was the seventh 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 August | Bristol Rovers | A | D | 2–2 | Zelem, Oakes | 5,554 | |
| 5 September | Swindon Town | H | D | 0–0 | 1,798 | ||
| 12 September | Gillingham | A | W | 1–0 | Simpson | 3,990 | |
| 19 September | Millwall | H | D | 0–0 | 2,052 | ||
| 23 September | Walsall | H | D | 0–0 | 1,978 | ||
| 26 September | Fulham | A | L | 0–2 | 3,629 | ||
| 29 September | Huddersfield Town | A | W | 2–1 | Simpson (2) | 7,747 | |
| 10 October | Oxford United | H | D | 2–2 | Phillips, Sutcliffe | 2,008 | |
| 17 October | Wimbledon | A | L | 0–1 | 1,659 | ||
| 21 October | Chesterfield | H | L | 0–2 | 2,329 | ||
| 24 October | Plymouth Argyle | A | L | 1–5 | Jones | 2,646 | |
| 31 October | Reading | H | L | 2–3 | Phillips, Needham | 1,765 | |
| 3 November | Burnley | A | L | 0–1 | 3,455 | ||
| 7 November | Preston North End | A | W | 1–0 | Storton | 5,181 | |
| 14 November | Exeter City | H | L | 0–2 | 2,125 | ||
| 28 November | Brentford | A | L | 0–1 | 5,200 | ||
| 2 December | Doncaster Rovers | H | D | 1–1 | Cooke | 1,555 | |
| 5 December | Southend United | H | D | 1–1 | Cooke | 1,388 | |
| 26 December | Newport County | A | W | 1–0 | Ludlam | 4,908 | |
| 19 January | Portsmouth | H | W | 3–2 | Sutcliffe, Jones, Simpson | 1,444 | |
| 23 January | Bristol Rovers | H | D | 1–1 | Simpson | 2,040 | |
| 30 January | Millwall | A | L | 1–2 | Cooke | 3,250 | |
| 3 February | Lincoln City | A | L | 0–3 | 2,120 | ||
| 6 February | Gillingham | H | D | 0–0 | 1,543 | ||
| 9 February | Walsall | A | L | 1–2 | Henderson | 3,668 | |
| 13 February | Doncaster Rovers | A | L | 3–4 | Henderson, Simpson (2) | 4,098 | |
| 20 February | Huddersfield Town | H | W | 3–1 | Henderson, Cooke, Simpson | 3,120 | |
| 27 February | Oxford United | A | L | 1–3 | Cooke | 5,049 | |
| 9 March | Chesterfield | A | W | 5–3 | Simpson (2), Raynor, Henderson (2) | 4,291 | |
| 13 March | Plymouth Argyle | H | L | 0–3 | 1,988 | ||
| 17 March | Burnley | H | L | 0–1 | 3,261 | ||
| 20 March | Reading | A | L | 1–4 | Simpson | 3,093 | |
| 27 March | Preston North End | H | L | 0–1 | 2,842 | ||
| 31 March | Wimbledon | H | D | 1–1 | Simpson | 1,359 | |
| 3 April | Exeter City | A | L | 0–3 | 2,498 | ||
| 10 April | Newport County | H | L | 0–2 | 1,451 | ||
| 13 April | Carlisle United | A | L | 0–3 | 5,340 | ||
| 17 April | Southend United | A | L | 0–2 | 3,427 | ||
| 21 April | Bristol City | H | D | 0–0 | 1,034 | ||
| 24 April | Brentford | H | L | 1–2 | Storton | 1,304 | |
| 27 April | Swindon Town | A | L | 0–3 | 3,848 | ||
| 1 May | Portsmouth | A | L | 0–2 | 6,196 | ||
| 5 May | Fulham | H | L | 0–2 | 1,174 | ||
| 8 May | Lincoln City | H | L | 1–2 | Jones | 1,176 | |
| 15 May | Bristol City | A | L | 0–1 | 3,934 | ||
| 19 May | Carlisle United | H | L | 0–1 | 2,535 |
See main article: 1981–82 FA Cup.
See main article: 1981–82 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round first leg | 8 September | Plymouth Argyle (3) | H | D | 1–1 | Jones | 1,690 |
| First round second leg | 15 September | A | L | 0–1 | 2,348 |
See main article: 1981–82 Football League Group Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | 15 August | Bury (4) | A | W | 2–1 | Simpson, Jones | 1,504 |
| 18 August | Shrewsbury Town (2) | A | L | 0–1 | 1,567 | ||
| 22 August | Bolton Wanderers (2) | H | L | 1–2 | Burns | 1,291 |
| Player | Total | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FLGC | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||||
| Phil Harrington | 10 | – | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Grenville Millington | 42 | – | 36 | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Field players | ||||||||||||
| John Allen | 15+7 | – | 15+7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Paul Blackwell | 21+2 | – | 21+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| David Burns | 31+3 | 1 | 29+3 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | ||
| Terry Cooke | 13+3 | 5 | 11+2 | 5 | – | – | 0+1 | – | 2 | – | ||
| John Cottam | 33+4 | – | 30+3 | – | – | – | 2 | – | 1+1 | – | ||
| Mark Dean | 4 | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Peter Henderson | 28 | 5 | 28 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Brian Hornsby | 4 | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Ian Howat | 5+4 | – | 3+2 | – | 0+1 | – | 2 | – | 0+1 | – | ||
| Brynley Jones | 39+1 | 5 | 33+1 | 3 | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Steve Ludlam | 39 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Paul Needham | 33 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Alan Oakes | 30 | 1 | 25 | 1 | – | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Trevor Phillips | 21+4 | 2 | 17+4 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 | – | ||
| Paul Raynor | 46 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Gary Simpson | 38+4 | 13 | 33+4 | 12 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 1 | ||
| Trevor Storton | 48 | 2 | 42 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Peter Sutcliffe | 35+1 | 2 | 32+1 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | – | – | – | ||
| Mike Williams | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Peter Zelem | 35 | 1 | 31 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 | – | ||
| Own goals | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 52 | 40 | 46 | 36 | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | 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.