| Club: | Chester City |
| Season: | 1997–98 |
| Manager: | Kevin Ratcliffe |
| Stadium: | Deva Stadium |
| League: | Football League Third Division |
| League Result: | 14th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Round 2 |
| Cup2: | Football League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Round 1 |
| Cup3: | Football League Trophy |
| Cup3 Result: | Round 1 |
| League Topscorer: | Gary Bennett (11) |
| Season Topscorer: | Gary Bennett (11) |
| Highest Attendance: | 3,245 vs Macclesfield Town (25 October) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 1,510 vs Swansea City (26 November) |
| Average Attendance: | 2,255 21st in division[1] |
| Prevseason: | 1996–97 |
| Nextseason: | 1998–99 |
The 1997–98 season was the 60th season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester City, an English club based in Chester, Cheshire.
Also, it was the third season spent in the Third Division, after the relegation from the Second Division in 1995. Alongside competing in the Football League the club also participated in the FA Cup, the Football League Cup and the Football League Trophy.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August | Lincoln City | H | W | 2–0 | Flitcroft, Bennett | 2,478 | |
| 23 August | Cambridge United | H | D | 1–1 | Bennett | 2,167 | |
| 30 August | Barnet | A | L | 1–2 | Simpson (o.g.) | 1,790 | |
| 2 September | Scunthorpe United | A | L | 1–2 | Bennett | 2,633 | |
| 5 September | Hull City | H | W | 1–0 | Bennett | 2,271 | |
| 13 September | Shrewsbury Town | H | W | 2–0 | Bennett (2) | 2,853 | |
| 16 September | Cardiff City | A | W | 2–0 | Alsford, Davidson (pen) | 3,949 | |
| 20 September | Mansfield Town | A | L | 1–4 | Davidson (pen) | 2,183 | |
| 27 September | Rotherham United | A | L | 2–4 | Alsford, Priest | 3,061 | |
| 4 October | Hartlepool United | H | W | 3–1 | Whelan, Bennett, Murphy | 2,163 | |
| 11 October | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | W | 2–0 | Bennett (2) | 2,402 | |
| 18 October | Torquay United | A | L | 1–3 | Richardson | 2,047 | |
| 21 October | Scarborough | A | L | 1–4 | Thomas | 1,451 | |
| 25 October | Macclesfield Town | H | D | 1–1 | Priest | 3,245 | |
| 1 November | Rochdale | H | W | 4–0 | McDonald, Bennett, Rimmer (2) | 2,431 | |
| 4 November | Notts County | A | W | 2–1 | McDonald, Bennett | 3,104 | |
| 8 November | Leyton Orient | A | L | 0–1 | 3,894 | ||
| 18 November | Peterborough United | H | D | 0–0 | 2,612 | ||
| 26 November | Swansea City | H | W | 2–0 | Flitcroft (pen), Thomas | 1,510 | |
| 29 November | Exeter City | H | D | 1–1 | Rimmer | 2,288 | |
| 2 December | Doncaster Rovers | A | L | 1–2 | Jones | 864 | |
| 13 December | Darlington | H | W | 2–1 | McDonald, Alsford | 1,812 | |
| 19 December | Colchester United | A | L | 0–2 | 1,867 | ||
| 26 December | Hull City | A | W | 2–1 | Whelan, Thomas | 6,807 | |
| 28 December | Scunthorpe United | H | W | 1–0 | Priest | 2,263 | |
| 10 January | Lincoln City | A | W | 3–1 | Priest, Jenkins, Rimmer | 2,913 | |
| 17 January | Barnet | H | L | 0–1 | 2,479 | ||
| 24 January | Cambridge United | A | W | 2–1 | Rimmer, McDonald | 2,473 | |
| 27 January | Cardiff City | H | D | 0–0 | 1,757 | ||
| 31 January | Shrewsbury Town | A | D | 1–1 | Woods | 3,002 | |
| 7 February | Mansfield Town | H | L | 0–1 | 2,055 | ||
| 14 February | Hartlepool United | A | D | 0–0 | 2,186 | ||
| 21 February | Rotherham United | H | W | 4–0 | Murphy, Alsford, Priest (2) | 2,432 | |
| 24 February | Torquay United | H | L | 1–3 | Woods | 2,163 | |
| 28 February | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | L | 2–3 | Flitcroft, Murphy | 2,510 | |
| 3 March | Leyton Orient | H | D | 1–1 | Richardson | 1,650 | |
| 7 March | Rochdale | A | D | 1–1 | Murphy | 1,955 | |
| 14 March | Notts County | H | L | 0–1 | 2,753 | ||
| 21 March | Peterborough United | A | L | 1–2 | McDonald | 4,817 | |
| 28 March | Swansea City | A | L | 0–2 | 2,500 | ||
| 4 April | Exeter City | A | L | 0–5 | 2,965 | ||
| 11 April | Doncaster Rovers | H | W | 2–1 | Flitcroft (pen), Rimmer | 1,593 | |
| 13 April | Darlington | A | L | 0–1 | 1,901 | ||
| 18 April | Colchester United | H | W | 3–1 | Whelan, Fisher, Rimmer | 1,780 | |
| 25 April | Macclesfield Town | A | L | 2–3 | Whelan, Thomas | 5,982 | |
| 2 May | Scarborough | H | D | 1–1 | Rimmer | 2,719 |
See main article: 1997–98 FA Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 15 November | Winsford United (6) | H | W | 2–1 | Richardson, Priest | 3,885 | |
| Second round | 5 December | Wrexham (3) | H | L | 0–2 | 5,224 |
See main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round first leg | 11 August | Carlisle United (3) | H | L | 1–2 | Woods | 2,367 |
| First round second leg | 18 August | A | L | 0–3 | 4,208 |
See main article: 1997–98 Football League Trophy.
| Player | Total | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||||
| Wayne Brown | 16 | – | 13 | – | 2 | – | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Ronnie Sinclair | 35 | – | 33 | – | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | ||
| Field players | ||||||||||||
| Julian Alsford | 44 | 4 | 39 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Gary Bennett | 41+4 | 11 | 37+4 | 11 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – | ||
| Ross Davidson | 27+1 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 0+1 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Ryan Dobson | 6 | – | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Neil Fisher | 34+6 | 1 | 29+6 | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | ||
| David Flitcroft | 48+1 | 5 | 43+1 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | ||
| Martin Giles | 8+2 | – | 8+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Iain Jenkins | 39 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Jonathan Jones | 3+6 | 1 | 2+5 | 1 | 0+1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Rod McDonald | 23+10 | 5 | 21+10 | 5 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | ||
| Matt McKay | 3+2 | – | 3+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Andy Milner | 1+2 | – | 1 | – | 0+2 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| John Murphy | 19+10 | 4 | 19+8 | 4 | 0+1 | – | 0+1 | – | – | – | ||
| Chris Priest | 40 | 7 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Nick Richardson | 46+3 | 3 | 41+3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Stuart Rimmer | 29+9 | 8 | 26+8 | 8 | 1+1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Andy Shelton | 0+2 | – | 0+2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Gary Shelton | 3 | – | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Rod Thomas | 29+13 | 4 | 25+13 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – | ||
| Spencer Whelan | 40 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Matt Woods | 24+7 | 3 | 24+5 | 2 | – | – | 0+2 | 1 | – | – | ||
| Darren Wright | 3+3 | – | 3+2 | – | – | – | – | – | 0+1 | – | ||
| Own goals | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 51 | 64 | 46 | 60 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 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.