Moore’s late screamer helps Chester bounce back from cup thrashing

Sunday 11 October 2026 · By Rhodri Bellamy

Chester have responded to their FA Cup humbling in the best possible way. A week after a 4–1 defeat at Spennymoor Town, Phil Parkinson’s side beat Bedford Town 1–0 in the Enterprise National League North on Saturday thanks to an 89th-minute winner from Kofi Moore.

Moore’s strike was worth the wait. He let fly from 25 yards with a minute of normal time remaining, and the ball flew in for his first goal for the club. It was Chester’s second home league win in a row and lifted them to fourth in the table on 20 points.

Parkinson was delighted with the response. Speaking to Chester FC TV, he said: “The over-riding feeling is really pleased for the players, because we’ve had one or two games where we played really well and we haven’t got over the line.” He added: “It was so important that we bounced back after last week.”

Last week was the FA Cup third qualifying round tie at Spennymoor on 3 October. Danny Johnson scored a hat-trick for the home side, with goals on 25, 35 and 56 minutes, and Glen Taylor also scored. Billy Waters got Chester’s only goal two minutes after Johnson’s third. It was a heavy defeat, especially against a side who are bottom of the league, but Saturday’s win showed the squad’s character.

Chester’s record now reads six wins, two draws and three defeats from 11 games. They have scored 14 goals and conceded nine, and only Hereford and Oxford City have conceded fewer. Their last five league results read drawn, lost, lost, won, won, so they have turned a tricky spell around.

Parkinson, in his first season at the Deva Stadium, is well placed to build on that. Chester sit four points behind leaders Macclesfield and are level on points with South Shields, so a place in the top seven looks well within reach.

Being out of the cup does mean a break. Chester’s scheduled league game at Spennymoor on Saturday 17 October has been postponed because Spennymoor are still in the competition, so they will have no game that weekend.

Their next outing is a trip to South Shields on Saturday 24 October. Shields are also on 20 points and are in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round on the 17th, so it is a meeting of two sides fighting for the play-off places. Chester then return home to face Marine on Tuesday 27 October.

The timing of the winner made it all the sweeter. With a minute of normal time left, the game looked to be heading for a goalless draw until Moore stepped up. Bedford had drawn with Hereford in their previous league outing, which underlines the value of the three points for Parkinson’s side.

There was no injury or squad news from the club after Saturday’s game, which suggests Parkinson can approach the break with a settled group. If Moore can produce more moments like Saturday’s, the fortnight off could be the springboard for a strong run before the winter.