Lee Richardson played his nap hand of debutants at Chester today, giving a first Spireite appearance to Robertson, Winter, Leven, Lester and Fletcher. The last time we gave debuts to five players in the opening game of a season, we won promotion from the fourth tier of English football. Enough said!!

The advertised formation was a 4-3-3, with Niven, Leven and Winter in midfield, and Lester, Fletcher and Ward up front. This contradicted the pre-match whisper that Ward would occupy the right wing of a midfield four.

Chesterfield were defending the end filled by their own supporters in the first half. Chester showed first when Partridge raced away on 2 and crossed for Murphy, but Downes cleared. Lester found Ward on 6 and the forward raced away but stumbled as his studs caught in the turf.

Winter went into the book on 9 for what appeared to be some form of dissent. Leven tried to get Ward away but Chester's defence were working a high line and caught Ward offside.

Niven won the game's first corner on 12. Leven took it left footed and Ward got a shot in, which Danby tipped the ball round his post for another corner. Kovacs got his head to the second one and that went out for a third corner, which Winter took and Butler headed away.

Ward got through a hesitant midfield on 22 and got into the penalty area as Lester was taken out by a defender, but he screwed his shot narrowly wide of the post. Picken's clearance gave Chester their first corner of the game on 23; Partridge's place kick was cleared to Hughes, but his shot went wide.

Grant brought Lester down and gave Leven the opportunity to shoot over the wall, but Danby got down well to it. Ward's free kick hit Ellison in the face on 27. After an opening five minutes Chesterfield had settled well and the trio of Ward, Fletcher and Lester posed problems to the home defence.

A Picken foul on Ellison in the 34^th minute gave Partridge the chance to cross from a dangerous position but his effort scooted along the floor and was cleared by Niven.

Lester broke on 35 and looked to get the ball over the defence to Ward, who timed his run well but was judged to be offside. The margin of success for Chester's defence was diminishing all the time, though. As half-time approached the game entered a quieter patch. Murphy chested Wilson's cross down for Partridge and Kovacs cleared as the homesters shouted for handball.

As the game warmed up again Ward got through onto Leven's ball but went wide in doing so, and could not convert from the narrow angle. Niven found the lively Ward again and he sought Lester, but Butler cleared the danger.

Grant's through ball found Murphy on the stroke of half time but his shot could only find the side netting from a tight angle. Ellison had a shot after good work by Partridge but scuffed his effort to the left of the goal.

Halftime: nil-nil

As in the first half, Chester started the second period brightly ands should have claimed the lead on 50, but Lowndes' shot was poor. Ward broke through but had his shirt pulled by Vaughan, yet the ball came through to Winter, who shot wide from 25 yards.

Murphy got his head to a cross on 55 but Roche took it well; still, Chester were getting closer to that first goal. Ward was denied at the second attempt by Danby after the keeper fumbled a cross on 56. Chester won the first corner of the second half on 57 and Murphy and Ellison came in; the ball was bundled home by Murphy but an offence was spotted and the goal disallowed.

Robertson began to struggle to control Partridge playing on him in the second half, and Leven wasn't able to offer much assistance; accordingly, Smith replaced Leven on 59; Winter moved over to the left of the midfield three and Smith took up station on the right.

Butler fouled Ward on 62 and Robertson took a free kick that Fletcher flicked on to Kovacs; the Hungarian's effort was wide, just, but offside too. Chester's second corner of the half was taken by Ellison on 65 but Kovacs cleared at the back post.

Niven jarred his ankle in tackling Grant but recovered after treatment. Grant's lovely through ball found Ellison on 68 and his first-time shot flew well over the bar. The pass deserved a better finish.

Smith's 70^th-minute cross deflected off Wilson and Danby did well to flick it over the bar for a corner, Chesterfield's first of the half. The deep corner went over Kovacs at the far post and out.

Butler was booked after bringing Lester down on 71 after the Chesterfield man slipped his opponent cleverly. Wilson brought Smith down in a dangerous position on 73; Robertson's kick found Kovacs but play broke down and ended with Ward's shove on Butler.

The former Lincoln frontman Simon Yeo replaced Lowndes with fifteen minutes to go. Ward attacked the defence and the ball came to Winter, whose 77^th minute shot went wide. A foul gave Chesterfield a chance to cross but Kovacs headed clear; Picken carried it into the Chester half and Ward crossed; it ran through to Smith, who found winter, and his cross was headed over by Fletcher.

Jamie Lowry came on for Lester on 80, going to right midfield in a 4-4-2. Holroyd replaced Murphy for the home side at the same time. Smith was fouled and Winter's kick looked for Downes but had too much on it, and it drifted out.

Ward finally got through the defence onside on 81 and bore down on Danby, who did very well to turn the ball away. Chester broke from that and Partridge found Holroyd, who moved the ball on to Yeo, but he wasted the opportunity.

Ward and Lowry exchanged passes on 87 as the Spireite full-back advanced into the box but a fine tackle produced a corner. Grant made way for Hand before it was taken and nothing came of the corner kick. Yeo should have given Chester the points at the death; he took it round Roche but was forced wide and shot so poorly that it almost went for a throw.

Full time: 0-0