Disappointment for Chasetown as Chorley celebrate their late equaliser. Pic: Dave Birt
Disappointment for Chasetown as Chorley celebrate their late equaliser. Pic: Dave Birt

Chasetown FC came close to ending Chorley’s unbeaten start to the Evo-Stik Premier season but a last-minute equaliser rescued a point for the visitors.

After a fairly slow start the league leaders won a corner in the sixth minute which was headed clear by Matty Cohen, while Gary Birch had the first chance for the Scholars but his shot from a through-ball by Malachi Farquharson was beaten by a diving Russ Saunders in the Magpies goal.

Steve Foster blasted high over the bar for Chorley on 23 minutes as chances continued to be few on a slippery playing surface thanks to earlier showers, while Chasetown’s next chance saw Mark Branch’s free kick from a tight angle on the right punched clear by Saunders.

Chorley had a great chance to take the lead on 28 minutes but Andy Russell headed Foster’s dangerous cross over the bar, but five minutes later Birch found space on the edge of the 18-yard box and hammered a powerful shot past Saunders to put the home side ahead.

Farquharson thought he had made it two on 39 minutes after his low shot beat the Magpies defence but the flag was up for offside, and Chasetown continued to enjoy the better of the first half with some fine positional play.

Chorley had the first chance of the second half with Steve Flitcroft curling a shot over Price’s bar while Wayne Maden headed wide under pressure from Birch.

A foul by Maden on Lee Parsons on the edge of the 18-yard box on 55 minutes earned a dangerous-looking free kick for Chasetown but Saunders plucked Jake Sedgemore’s kick out of the air.

Substitute Simon Whalley sent the visitors’ next effort wide with Russell then intercepting Birch in space on the left. Chorley looked more determined as the half progressed with Cohen heading out a Tom Ince corner on 67 minutes, but it was the Scholars who would go close next with debutant Alex Melbourne firing left-footed over the bar.

Whalley tried again on 72 minutes but his shot would once again go wide and Price was equal to Foster’s shot three minutes later following a Matt Jansen cross, the stand-in Chasetown skipper then catching Ince’s corner.

Melbourne was having a fine Scholars debut and he and Sedgemore teamed up to set up Ben Jevons but he mis-kicked his shot wide, while an attempted clearance by Saunders under pressure from Gary Hay saw the ball find Farquharson but he fired over the bar.

Action from Chasetown FC v Chorley. Pic: Dave Birt
Action from Chasetown FC v Chorley. Pic: Dave Birt

Hay and Farquharson made much of the running in the closing stages, the former denied by the offside flag as he and Mark Branch broke through on 80 minutes while Farquharson squared the ball to Melbourne under pressure from four defenders but his shot was again too high.

Just as it looked as though Chorley’s unbeaten run was about to be ended, Matt Jansen popped up in stoppage time to head Ince’s free kick in at the far post and steal a point for the Magpies.

Chasetown can at least take pride in keeping their own unbeaten record for the season, and will aim to extend it further at local rivals Rushall Olympic today (August 29), kick-off 3pm.

Chasetown: Price (c), J Branch, M Branch, Slater, Cohen, Farquharson, Melbourne, Sedgemore, Birch, Parsons, Jevons. Subs: Perrow, Hay (Birch 73), Turner, Peel, Westwood.
Chorley: Saunders, Russell, Walker, Maden, Teague (c), Vermiglio, Whitham, Flitcroft, Williams, Foster, Ince. Subs: McEvilly (Vermiglio 62), Whalley (Williams 53), Fairhurst, Jansen (Walker 71), Howarth.

Click to see more of Dave Birt’s pictures from the game.