| Club: | Chester City |
| Season: | 2008–09 |
| Manager: | Simon Davies Mark Wright |
| Stadium: | Deva Stadium |
| League: | Football League Two |
| League Result: | 23rd (relegated) |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Round 1 |
| Cup2: | Football League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Round 1 |
| Cup3: | Football League Trophy |
| Cup3 Result: | Round 2 |
| League Topscorer: | Ryan Lowe (16) |
| Season Topscorer: | Ryan Lowe (18) |
| Highest Attendance: | 3,349 vs Bournemouth (18 April) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 1,235 vs Rotherham United (10 March) |
| Average Attendance: | 1,972 22nd in division[1] |
| Prevseason: | 2007–08 |
| Nextseason: | 2009–10 |
The 2008–09 season was the 67th and final season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester City, an English club based in Chester, Cheshire.
Also, it was the fifth season spent in the Football League Two, after the promotion from the Football Conference in 2004. Alongside competing in the Football League the club also participated in the FA Cup, the Football League Cup and the Football League Trophy.
In 2007–08, Chester finished the season in 22nd place, only one spot above the relegation zone, on just 47 points from the 46 matches. Chester began the 2008–09 season with a squad of only 22 players and a transfer embargo, including youth team players given professional contracts just prior to the season.[2] However, at the start of the campaign it seemed unlikely for City to get relegated, as Rotherham United and A.F.C. Bournemouth had both been deducted 17 points for rules violations before the start of the season, and Luton Town faced a 30-point penalty. A poor start to 2008–09 saw Davies sacked in November 2008 with the club out of all cup competitions and struggling in League Two.[3] Mark Wright returned for his third spell as manager on a non-contract basis.[4] Beset by an ongoing transfer embargo,[5] Chester continued to struggle throughout the remainder of the campaign, and a 2–1 home defeat by Darlington on the final day of the season sealed Chester's demise and a return to non-league football after five years back in The Football League.[6] Two weeks after the final match the club entered administration.[7]
See main article: 2008–09 Football League Two.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August | Dagenham & Redbridge | A | L | 0–6 | 1,434 | ||
| 16 August | Wycombe Wanderers | H | L | 0–2 | 1,419 | ||
| 23 August | Rotherham United | A | L | 1–3 | Ellison | 3,462 | |
| 30 August | Barnet | H | W | 5–1 | Ellison, Lowe (2), Linwood, Roberts | 1,295 | |
| 6 September | Bury | H | D | 1–1 | Mozika | 2,327 | |
| 13 September | Grimsby Town | A | W | 3–1 | Ellison (3) | 2,950 | |
| 21 September | Shrewsbury Town | H | D | 1–1 | McManus | 2,891 | |
| 27 September | Luton Town | A | D | 1–1 | McManus | 5,731 | |
| 4 October | Lincoln City | H | L | 0–2 | 1,962 | ||
| 11 October | Chesterfield | A | D | 1–1 | Linwood | 3,042 | |
| 19 October | Port Vale | H | L | 1–2 | Lowe | 3,102 | |
| 21 October | Rochdale | A | L | 1–6 | McArdle (o.g.) | 2,162 | |
| 25 October | Gillingham | A | L | 0–2 | 4,852 | ||
| 28 October | Brentford | H | W | 3–0 | Lowe (2), Roberts | 1,301 | |
| 1 November | Exeter City | A | L | 0–2 | 4,448 | ||
| 15 November | Morecambe | H | L | 1–2 | Johnson | 1,647 | |
| 22 November | Aldershot Town | H | L | 0–1 | 1,653 | ||
| 25 November | Darlington | A | W | 2–1 | Lowe, Kelly | 2,416 | |
| 6 December | AFC Bournemouth | A | L | 0–1 | 4,154 | ||
| 13 December | Notts County | H | W | 2–0 | Lowe, Roberts | 1,767 | |
| 20 December | Bradford City | A | D | 0–0 | 12,092 | ||
| 26 December | Accrington Stanley | H | W | 2–0 | Lowe (2) | 2,223 | |
| 28 December | Macclesfield Town | A | L | 1–3 | Lowe | 2,219 | |
| 13 January | Luton Town | H | D | 2–2 | Lowe (pen), Ellison | 1,652 | |
| 17 January | Chesterfield | H | L | 1–3 | Mozika | 1,806 | |
| 24 January | Lincoln City | A | D | 1–1 | Barry | 3,760 | |
| 27 January | Port Vale | A | L | 0–3 | 4,448 | ||
| 31 January | Gillingham | H | L | 0–1 | 1,541 | ||
| 3 February | Rochdale | H | L | 0–2 | 1,357 | ||
| 7 February | Brentford | A | L | 0–3 | 4,719 | ||
| 14 February | Morecambe | A | L | 1–3 | Wilson | 1,795 | |
| 17 February | Shrewsbury Town | A | L | 0–1 | 6,133 | ||
| 21 February | Exeter City | H | D | 0–0 | 1,649 | ||
| 28 February | Dagenham & Redbridge | H | D | 2–2 | Mannix, Roberts | 1,416 | |
| 3 March | Wycombe Wanderers | A | L | 0–2 | 3,713 | ||
| 7 March | Barnet | A | L | 1–3 | Ellison | 2,085 | |
| 10 March | Rotherham United | H | L | 1–5 | Ellison | 1,235 | |
| 14 March | Grimsby Town | H | D | 1–1 | Lowe | 2,836 | |
| 21 March | Bury | A | D | 1–1 | Lowe | 3,049 | |
| 28 March | Bradford City | H | D | 0–0 | 2,735 | ||
| 4 April | Notts County | A | W | 2–1 | Mannix, Lowe | 4,025 | |
| 11 April | Macclesfield Town | H | L | 0–2 | 2,248 | ||
| 13 April | Accrington Stanley | A | W | 1–0 | Lowe (pen) | 1,100 | |
| 18 April | AFC Bournemouth | H | L | 0–2 | 3,349 | ||
| 25 April | Aldershot Town | A | D | 2–2 | Lowe, Ellams | 3,100 | |
| 2 May | Darlington | H | L | 1–2 | Miller (o.g.) | 1,945 |
See main article: 2008–09 FA Cup.
See main article: 2008–09 Football League Cup.
See main article: 2008–09 Football League Trophy.
| Player | Total | League | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||||
| John Danby | 44 | – | 41 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | ||
| James Spencer | 5 | – | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Field players | ||||||||||||
| Anthony Barry | 41+5 | 1 | 38+5 | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | ||
 | Paul Butler | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | |
| Tony Dinning | 3+1 | – | 3+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Lloyd Ellams | 2+2 | 1 | 2+2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Kevin Ellison | 42 | 9 | 39 | 8 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | ||
| Jay Harris | 25+8 | – | 24+7 | – | 1 | – | 0+1 | – | – | – | ||
| Mark Hughes | 27+1 | – | 25+1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Eddie Johnson | 8+3 | 1 | 7+3 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Ben Jones | 2+13 | – | 2+13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Shaun Kelly | 23+5 | 1 | 23+4 | 1 | – | – | 0+1 | – | – | – | ||
| Paul Linwood | 46 | 2 | 43 | 2 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Ryan Lowe | 47+1 | 18 | 45 | 16 | 1 | – | 1 | 2 | 0+1 | – | ||
| David Mannix | 11+3 | 2 | 10+3 | 2 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | ||
| Paul McManus | 7+3 | 2 | 6+3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | ||
 | Damien Mozika | 24+1 | 2 | 21+1 | 2 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | |
| James Owen | 4+3 | – | 4+3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| | Richie Partridge | 17+13 | – | 15+13 | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | |
| Kristian Platt | 0+1 | – | 0+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Kevin Roberts | 46 | 4 | 44 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Glenn Rule | 18+4 | – | 18+4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Paul Rutherford | 5+15 | – | 5+14 | – | 0+1 | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Paul Smith | 0+5 | – | 0+5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Paul Taylor | 2+8 | – | 2+7 | – | – | – | – | – | 0+1 | – | ||
| Stephen Vaughan | 7+1 | – | 7+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| James Vaughan | 45 | – | 42 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Laurence Wilson | 36+1 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 0+1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | ||
| Own goals | – | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 49 | 46 | 46 | 43 | 1 | – | 1 | 2 | 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.