| Club: | Chester |
| Season: | 1978–79 |
| Manager: | Alan Oakes |
| 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 3 |
| Cup3: | Welsh Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Semifinal |
| League Topscorer: | Ian Edwards (20) |
| Season Topscorer: | Ian Edwards (25) |
| Highest Attendance: | 8,372 vs Bradford City (26 December) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,467 vs Torquay United (21 September) |
| Average Attendance: | 3,850 20th in division[1] |
| Prevseason: | 1977–78 |
| Nextseason: | 1979–80 |
The 1978–79 season was the 41st season of competitive association football in the Football League played by Chester, 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 1975. Alongside competing in the Football League, the club also participated in the FA Cup, Football League Cup and the Welsh Cup.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 August | Southend United | A | W | 1–0 | Edwards | 4,223 | |
| 23 August | Walsall | H | W | 2–1 | Phillips, Mellor (pen) | 4,257 | |
| 26 August | Exeter City | H | W | 3–0 | Mellor (pen), Edwards (2) | 3,431 | |
| 2 September | Hull City | A | L | 0–3 | 5,325 | ||
| 8 September | Peterborough United | H | D | 1–1 | Edwards | 4,506 | |
| 12 September | Colchester United | A | L | 1–2 | Phillips | 2,311 | |
| 16 September | Gillingham | A | L | 0–1 | 4,743 | ||
| 23 September | Swansea City | H | W | 2–0 | Mellor, Edwards | 8,583 | |
| 27 September | Swindon Town | H | W | 2–0 | Delgado, Oakes | 3,311 | |
| 30 September | Bury | A | D | 1–1 | Edwards | 4,056 | |
| 7 October | Watford | H | W | 2–1 | Edwards, Phillips | 6,468 | |
| 13 October | Tranmere Rovers | A | L | 2–6 | Edwards, Mellor | 5,587 | |
| 18 October | Plymouth Argyle | H | D | 0–0 | 3,921 | ||
| 21 October | Oxford United | A | D | 0–0 | 3,908 | ||
| 28 October | Brentford | H | W | 3–1 | Edwards (3) | 4,301 | |
| 4 November | Chesterfield | A | L | 1–3 | Raynor | 5,015 | |
| 11 November | Hull City | H | W | 2–1 | Edwards (2) | 4,249 | |
| 18 November | Exeter City | A | W | 1–0 | Mellor | 3,985 | |
| 9 December | Sheffield Wednesday | A | D | 0–0 | 8,872 | ||
| 23 December | Blackpool | A | L | 0–3 | 4,106 | ||
| 26 December | Carlisle United | H | L | 1–2 | Walker | 4,690 | |
| 13 January | Peterborough United | A | L | 1–2 | Edwards | 4,445 | |
| 17 January | Colchester United | H | D | 2–2 | Henderson, Phillips | 2,339 | |
| 30 January | Shrewsbury Town | A | L | 0–1 | 6,693 | ||
| 3 February | Swindon Town | A | L | 0–2 | 6,036 | ||
| 10 February | Bury | H | D | 1–1 | Henderson | 3,160 | |
| 21 February | Gillingham | H | D | 1–1 | Jeffries | 2,421 | |
| 24 February | Tranmere Rovers | H | D | 1–1 | Raynor (pen) | 4,375 | |
| 27 February | Swansea City | A | D | 2–2 | Henderson, Raynor (pen) | 7,983 | |
| 3 March | Oxford United | H | W | 4–1 | Oakes, Jones, Phillips, Edwards | 2,476 | |
| 7 March | Lincoln City | H | W | 5–1 | Henderson (3), Edwards, Phillips | 2,585 | |
| 10 March | Brentford | A | L | 0–6 | 6,420 | ||
| 14 March | Rotherham United | H | L | 0–1 | 2,473 | ||
| 21 March | Southend United | H | L | 0–1 | 2,108 | ||
| 24 March | Walsall | A | L | 1–2 | Oakes | 2,795 | |
| 28 March | Chesterfield | H | W | 3–0 | Jones, Livermore, Phillips | 1,804 | |
| 31 March | Mansfield Town | H | D | 1–1 | Edwards | 2,205 | |
| 7 April | Lincoln City | A | D | 0–0 | 3,489 | ||
| 13 April | Blackpool | H | W | 4–2 | Oakes, Phillips (pen), Henderson, Edwards | 4,439 | |
| 14 April | Carlisle United | A | D | 1–1 | Phillips | 5,309 | |
| 16 April | Shrewsbury Town | H | D | 0–0 | 6,249 | ||
| 21 April | Rotherham United | A | W | 1–0 | Edwards | 2,893 | |
| 24 April | Plymouth Argyle | A | D | 2–2 | Raynor, Edwards | 4,686 | |
| 28 April | Sheffield Wednesday | H | D | 2–2 | Mellor, Phillips | 4,200 | |
| 2 May | Watford | A | L | 0–1 | 12,167 | ||
| 5 May | Mansfield Town | A | L | 0–2 | 4,173 |
See main article: 1978–79 FA Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 25 November | Runcorn (NPL) | H | D | 1–1 | Phillips | 5,421 | |
| First round replay | 28 November | A | W | 5–0 | Mellor (2), Jones, Phillips, Howat | 4,441 | ||
| Second round | 16 December | Darlington (4) | A | L | 1–2 | Mellor | 2,491 |
See main article: 1978–79 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round first leg | 12 August | Port Vale (4) | A | W | 3–0 | Edwards (2), Phillips | 2,805 | |
| First round second leg | 16 August | H | D | 1–1 | Livermore (pen) | 3,741 | ||
| Second round | 30 August | Coventry City (1) | H | W | 2–1 | Edwards, Mellor | 8,598 | |
| Third round | 4 October | Norwich City (1) | H | L | 0–2 | 8,749 |
See main article: 1978–79 Welsh Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fourth round | 10 January | Bangor City (NPL) | H | D | 0–0 | 1,100 | ||
| Fourth round replay | 23 January | A | W | 1–0 | Edwards | |||
| Fifth round | 14 February | Oswestry Town (SFL) | H | W | 4–3 | Felix, Edwards, Phillips, Leggett (o.g.) | 438 | |
| Semifinal | 4 April | Wrexham (2) | H | L | 0–1 | 7,275 |
| Player | Total | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Welsh Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||||
| Brian Lloyd | 52 | – | 41 | – | 3 | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | ||
| Grenville Millington | 5 | – | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Field players | ||||||||||||
| David Burns | 8+2 | – | 7+2 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Bob Delgado | 21 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 2 | – | 4 | – | – | – | ||
| Ian Edwards | 47 | 25 | 39 | 20 | – | – | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| Gary Felix | 9 | 1 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | ||
| Peter Henderson | 27 | 7 | 25 | 7 | – | – | – | – | 2 | – | ||
| Ian Howat | 9 | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | ||
| Derek Jeffries | 50 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Brynley Jones | 31+4 | 3 | 26+3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0+1 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Doug Livermore | 49 | 2 | 39 | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | 1 | 3 | – | ||
| Ian Mellor | 28+3 | 10 | 21+2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0+1 | – | ||
| Mark Nickeas | 41+1 | – | 33+1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | – | 4 | – | ||
| Alan Oakes | 45 | 4 | 37 | 4 | 2 | – | 4 | – | 2 | – | ||
| Ronnie Phillips | 50+1 | 14 | 40 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 3+1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Paul Raynor | 45+1 | 4 | 36+1 | 4 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 2 | – | ||
| Ian Rush | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Trevor Storton | 57 | – | 46 | – | 3 | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | ||
| Peter Sutcliffe | 14+3 | – | 11+3 | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | – | ||
| Jim Walker | 38+3 | – | 31+1 | 1 | 0+2 | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | ||
| Own goals | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | ||
| Total | 57 | 75 | 46 | 57 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | ||
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.