Building upon an excellent away 3-1 victory against Radcliffe, the Martyrs swiftly return to action this Tuesday night at Penydarren Park in a clash against 10th-place Chester. The visitors, Chester, also picked up a victory in their last fixture as they hosted Darlington FC, securing a 2-1 win after a 98th-minute winner from midfielder Finley Shrimpton. That victory for 'The Seals' now sees them sitting in 10th place on 53 points, just 3 points off the playoff places.

Previous Encounters:

The Martyrs have only faced Chester once in recent history, with the encounter taking place during the first half of this season at the Deva Stadium. Chester took a 2-0 lead in the first half, which could have been 3-0 despite a penalty save from Jamie Cogman on the brink of halftime. However, Merthyr heavily improved their performance during the second half and a stunning strike from Tom Handley in the 57th minute before a last-gasp goal from Cole Jarvis was enough to earn a point on the road, coming back from 2-0 down at the interval.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | SEASON SO FAR

Interim Manager | Connell Rawlinson

Assistant Manager | Colin Woodthorpe

Connell Rawlinson was announced as the interim manager of Chester until the end of the season following the departure of Calum McIntyre in February. Before becoming the interim manager of Chester, Connell Rawlinson had a somewhat impressive playing career, which saw him play professionally for the likes of TNS, Port Vale and Notts County. Rawlinson began his career at Chester City, where he made three Conference Premier appearances before the club faced liquidation in 2010. Following the liquidation of Chester City, Rawlinson decided to join TNS in the Cymru Premier division. The defender spent the next 8 years of his career at TNS, in which he made 142 appearances for the club, winning 7 Cymru Premier titles, 4 Welsh Cups and five Welsh League Cups. Also, during his time at TNS, Rawlinson was named in the 2017/18 season Cymru Premier team of the season. In May 2018, Rawlinson made the switch from the Welsh leagues to the English leagues as he signed for Port Vale. Rawlinson spent a single year at Port Vale, and he managed to appear 28 times for the club before he was the subject of a free transfer to National League side Notts County. He went on to stay at Notts County until 2024, and in this time, he made 141 appearances. Also, in his first year at Notts County, Rawlinson was named County's player of the season. After a 5-year spell at Notts County, Rawlinson departed in 2024 and returned to Chester. He played 39 times for the club before beginning his coaching career as the interim manager in March 2026.

Colin Woodthorpe joined Chester as assistant manager in May 2022 to partner with manager Calum McIntyre. Colin boasts a wealth of experience through his playing days, which includes more than 150 matches for Chester before being sold to Norwich City in 1990. He would feature for Norwich in the English topflight, before playing more first division football in Scotland for Aberdeen. He also went on to make over a century of appearances for each of his last two clubs, Stockport County and Bury, before hanging up the boots in 2008. Woodthorpe started his coaching career in 2010, where he was Assistant Manager at Colwyn Bay. Then, in 2012, he moved to AFC Fylde with Dave Challinor, and together they brought AFC Fylde up to the National League while also claiming the FA Trophy at Wembley in 2019. Colin Woodthorpe then linked up with Calum McIntyre in 2020 at Runcorn Linnets before they both joined Chester FC in 2020.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | SEASON SO FAR

Since the 2-2 draw with Merthyr in October, Chester have had a relatively decent season, which now sees them sit 3 points off the playoffs as they enter the tail end of the season. In their first league game after facing the Martyrs, 'The Seals' hosted Kidderminster Harriers and drew 1-1, claiming a solid point. They followed up the draw with Kidderminster with an impressive away 2-0 victory at Alfreton Town after a brace from Tom Peers. After a slight blip after a loss to Bedford Town, 'The Seals' found themselves on a good run of form which saw them go 7 games undefeated, winning 4 and drawing 3. Their promising run of form was brought to an end after a 3-1 defeat to South Shields at the Deva Stadium. 'The Seals' struggled to get back up to speed after their defeat to South Shields, as they lost 8 out of their next 10 games. However, in the 7 games before the away fixture at Merthyr, Chester have managed to improve their results, picking up 16 points out of a possible 21. In their most recent game before travelling to Penydarren Park, saw 'The Seals' host Darlington and pick up a hard-fought victory after a last-minute winner from Finley Shrimpton. The top goal scorers so far this league season for Chester are Dylan Mottely-Henry and Patrick Jones, who have both found the back of the net 9 times each.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | 2025/26 SQUAD

Goalkeepers | Bobby Jones, George Barlow

Defenders | Dion Kelly-Evans, Nathan Woodthorpe, Tom Leak, Tom Davies, Michael Kelly, Hayden Carson, Phil Croker, Isaac Burgess, Kevin Roberts

Midfielders | Declan Weeks, Jack Bainbridge, Iwan Murray, Fin Shrimpton, Lewis Leigh, Scott Burgess

Attackers | Tom Peers, Dylan Mottley-Henry, Connor Woods, Pat Jones, Oskar Rosenblatt, Zak Emmerson, Jaiden White, Fin Roberts

Match Details:

Date | Tuesday 10th March 2026

Competition | Enterprise National League North

Time | 19:45

Stadium | Penydarren Park