| Club: | Chester City |
| Season: | 1989–90 |
| Manager: | Harry McNally |
| Stadium: | Sealand Road |
| League: | Football League Third Division |
| League Result: | 16th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Round 2 |
| Cup2: | Football League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Round 1 |
| Cup3: | Associate Members' Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Area quarterfinal |
| League Topscorer: | Carl Dale (8) |
| Season Topscorer: | Carl Dale Graham Abel (8) |
| Highest Attendance: | 4,210 vs Tranmere Rovers (20 April) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 1,722 vs Leyton Orient (6 January) |
| Average Attendance: | 2,459 24th in division[1] |
| Prevseason: | 1988–89 |
| Nextseason: | 1990–91 |
The 1989–90 season was the 52nd season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester City, 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 1986. Alongside competing in the Football League, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the Football League Cup and the Associate Members' Cup.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 August | Mansfield Town | H | L | 0–2 | 2,293 | ||
| 26 August | Brentford | A | D | 1–1 | Dale | 5,153 | |
| 2 September | Crewe Alexandra | H | W | 2–1 | Newhouse, Abel | 2,170 | |
| 9 September | Swansea City | A | L | 1–2 | Newhouse | 2,738 | |
| 15 September | Notts County | H | D | 3–3 | Newhouse (pen), Lightfoot, Croft | 2,383 | |
| 23 September | Preston North End | A | L | 0–5 | 5,230 | ||
| 26 September | Reading | A | D | 1–1 | Lundon | 4,296 | |
| 30 September | Fulham | H | L | 0–2 | 2,135 | ||
| 7 October | Bury | H | L | 1–4 | Lundon | 2,168 | |
| 13 October | Cardiff City | A | D | 1–1 | Newhouse | 3,675 | |
| 17 October | Birmingham City | H | W | 4–0 | Croft, Pugh, Painter, Butler | 1,882 | |
| 21 October | Bolton Wanderers | A | L | 0–1 | 6,496 | ||
| 28 October | Bristol Rovers | H | D | 0–0 | 2,618 | ||
| 31 October | Leyton Orient | A | W | 3–0 | Painter, Abel (pen), Butler | 3,979 | |
| 4 November | Huddersfield Town | H | W | 2–1 | Painter, Reeves | 2,660 | |
| 11 November | Rotherham United | A | L | 0–5 | 5,216 | ||
| 24 November | Walsall | H | D | 1–1 | Abel (pen) | 2,507 | |
| 2 December | Shrewsbury Town | A | L | 0–2 | 2,905 | ||
| 15 December | Tranmere Rovers | A | D | 0–0 | 5,594 | ||
| 26 December | Wigan Athletic | H | D | 0–0 | 3,165 | ||
| 30 December | Blackpool | H | W | 2–0 | Barrow, Abel | 2,404 | |
| 1 January | Northampton Town | A | L | 0–1 | 3,823 | ||
| 6 January | Leyton Orient | H | W | 1–0 | Painter | 1,722 | |
| 12 January | Brentford | H | D | 1–1 | Pugh | 2,294 | |
| 20 January | Mansfield Town | A | L | 0–1 | 2,257 | ||
| 26 January | Swansea City | H | W | 1–0 | Dale | 2,150 | |
| 30 January | Bristol City | A | L | 0–1 | 8,769 | ||
| 3 February | Preston North End | H | W | 3–1 | Woodthorpe, Butler, Croft | 2,499 | |
| 10 February | Notts County | A | D | 0–0 | 5,077 | ||
| 13 February | Crewe Alexandra | A | D | 0–0 | 4,260 | ||
| 17 February | Shrewsbury Town | H | W | 1–0 | Abel | 2,500 | |
| 24 February | Walsall | A | W | 1–1 | Butler | 3,315 | |
| 3 March | Bristol City | H | L | 0–3 | 2,496 | ||
| 6 March | Fulham | A | L | 0–1 | 3,824 | ||
| 9 March | Reading | H | D | 1–1 | Dale | 1,978 | |
| 17 March | Bury | A | L | 0–1 | 2,851 | ||
| 20 March | Cardiff City | H | W | 1–0 | Dale | 1,866 | |
| 24 March | Birmingham City | A | D | 0–0 | 7,584 | ||
| 31 March | Bolton Wanderers | H | W | 2–0 | Cowdrill (o.g.), Dale | 2,738 | |
| 7 April | Bristol Rovers | A | L | 1–2 | Reeves | 6,589 | |
| 14 April | Northampton Town | H | L | 0–1 | 2,234 | ||
| 16 April | Wigan Athletic | A | L | 0–1 | 2,277 | ||
| 20 April | Tranmere Rovers | H | D | 2–2 | Dale, Pugh | 4,210 | |
| 24 April | Blackpool | A | W | 3–1 | Gore (o.g.), Dale (2) | 3,724 | |
| 28 April | Rotherham United | H | W | 2–0 | Bennett, Abel | 3,827 | |
| 5 May | Huddersfield Town | A | L | 1–4 | Abel | 3,514 |
See main article: 1989–90 FA Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 18 November | Macclesfield Town (5) | A | D | 1–1 | Painter | 4,200 | |
| First round replay | 21 November | H | W | 3–2 | Abel (pen), Butler, Croft | 4,202 | ||
| Second round | 9 December | Blackpool (3) | A | L | 0–3 | 4,099 |
See main article: 1989–90 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round first leg | 22 August | Crewe Alexandra (3) | A | L | 0–4 | 3,200 | |
| First round second leg | 29 August | H | L | 0–2 | 1,758 |
See main article: 1989–90 Associate Members' Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage | 7 November | Tranmere Rovers (3) | A | L | 0–1 | 10,559 | ||
| 28 November | Rochdale (4) | H | D | 0–0 | 1,222 | |||
| Group play-off | 20 December | Rochdale (4) | A | W | 2–1 | Lightfoot (2) | 787 | |
| First round | 16 January | Blackpool (3) | A | W | 1–0 | Newhouse | 1,433 | |
| Area quarterfinal | 6 February | Tranmere Rovers (3) | A | L | 0–3 | 4,183 |
| Player | Total | League | FA Cup | League Cup | AM Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||||
| Billy Stewart | 56 | – | 46 | – | 3 | – | 2 | – | 5 | – | ||
| Field players | ||||||||||||
| Graham Abel | 50 | 8 | 41 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | – | 4 | – | ||
| Graham Barrow | 33+1 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 1+1 | – | – | – | 4 | – | ||
| Gary Bennett | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Barry Butler | 54 | 5 | 44 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | – | 5 | – | ||
| Brian Croft | 49+4 | 4 | 41+3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | 4+1 | – | ||
| Carl Dale | 33+4 | 8 | 27+4 | 8 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | – | ||
| Michael Danzey | 0+2 | – | 0+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
 | Ross Greer | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | |
| David Hamilton | 34+2 | – | 26+2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | – | 4 | – | ||
| Mick Hayde | 0+1 | – | 0+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Joe Hinnigan | 16+1 | – | 14+1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Kevin Hulme | 4 | – | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Martin Lane | 46 | – | 36 | – | 3 | – | 2 | – | 5 | – | ||
| Chris Lightfoot | 44+3 | 3 | 38+2 | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | – | 3+1 | 2 | ||
| Sean Lundon | 8+6 | 2 | 5+6 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | ||
| Derek Nassari | 0+1 | – | 0+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Aidan Newhouse | 19+7 | 5 | 15+3 | 4 | 0+2 | – | 2 | – | 2+2 | 1 | ||
 | Eamonn O'Keefe | 1+2 | – | 1+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Robbie Painter | 25+16 | 5 | 19+13 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1+1 | – | 2+2 | – | ||
| Neil Parsley | 6 | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| David Pugh | 38+5 | 3 | 31+4 | 3 | 2+1 | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Alan Reeves | 32+2 | 2 | 28+2 | 2 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | ||
| Karl Senior | 0+1 | – | 0+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Colin Woodthorpe | 56 | 1 | 46 | 1 | 3 | – | 2 | – | 5 | – | ||
| Darren Wynne | 0+6 | – | 0+6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Own goals | – | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 56 | 50 | 46 | 43 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 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.