AFC Fylde earned a solid point at Chester in their first away trip of the new National League season.

The Coasters opened the scoring moments before half-time through summer signing Jack Muldoon, however were pegged back seconds later when Lucas Dawson slide the ball home.  

Both clubs had golden chances to take maximum points from the entertaining contest after the break, none more so than Sam Finley’s rasping volley that was clawed out of the top corner.  

Manager Dave Challinor made two changes from the opening day 2-2 draw against Boreham Wood with Henry Jones and Saturday’s goal hero Jonny Smith coming into the starting line-up.

Fylde flew out of the blocks and almost opened the scoring in spectacular fashion inside the opening six minutes. A corner was cleared only as far as Finley 25 yards from goal and the midfield man let fly with a dipping volley that landed on the roof of the net.

The hosts were enjoying some success down their left and a delightful cross from Craig Mahon was nodded just over by the Harry White lurking on the six-yard line.

Chester frontman White was looking dangerous early on and almost bundled his way clean through on the edge of the area only to see his strike blocked at the last by Jordan Tunnicliffe.   

The chances were flowing at either end and a pinpoint first-time ball into the box found Jones unmarked at the back post however he steered his glancing header wide.

White powered another header narrowly over Rhys Taylor’s crossbar as an entertaining start reached the half-hour mark.

The Blues were starting to dominate proceeding, with the visitors sitting deep, and went again close when James Akintunde nicked in front of Josh Langley to meet a low cross but flicked his effort wide of the far post.

White was becoming a real thorn in the side of the Fylde backline and Langley had Taylor to thank after the striker had out-paced the Fylde captain.

The Coasters broke away seconds later with the chance of the match so far. Muldoon flew down the left before picking out Smith in acres of space inside the area and whilst his low attempt to the far corner looked goalbound, it trickled agonisingly wide of the upright.

Fylde eventually broke Chester’s resilliance on the stroke of half-time and it was a first in Fylde colours for Muldoon. Finley was set free down the right and his ball into the near post was neatly slotted into the bottom corner by the former Lincoln man.

However, barely 60 seconds later and the hosts were level. Some neat play down the left saw the ball end up with Dawson and he stroked the ball low into the far corner from 12 yards.

Blues forward White picked up where he left off in the second-half and very nearly found the top corner with a sublime curling strike that whistled a foot wide.

Danny Rowe had his first sniff of goal ten minutes after the restart when Muldoon found him on the six-yard line but his first-time effort was blocked and cleared before Jones could follow up.

The host’s momentum was building with ball after ball into the Fylde penalty area but the Coasters were soaking up the pressure well.

The Coasters enjoyed a spell of pressure of their own as the clock wound down and Langley wasn’t far away after rising well to Zaine Francis-Angol’s left-wing cross.

Rowe was growing into the game and flashed one wide from 25 yards as the contest started to even out. Midfielder Lewis Montrose watched a fierce strike fly just over from the edge of the area with less than ten minutes remaining.

The Coasters would have won it late on had it not been for a stunning save from on loan goalkeeper Conor Mitchell. Finley snatched at the ball 18 yards from goal and hit sweetly stuck volley was acrobatically tipped around the far post by the young stopper.

 

Chester: Mitchell, Halls, Rowe-Turner, James, McCombe, Astles, Mahon (Chapell 80), Turnbull, White (Bell 72), Dawson, Akintunde (Hannah 65).

Subs not used: Lynch, Davies, Chapell.

AFC Fylde: Taylor, Bond, Langley, Tunnicliffe, Francis-Angol, Montrose, Finley, Jones, Muldoon, Smith, Rowe (Hardy 80).  

Subs not used: Lynch, Grand, Ezewele, Blinkhorn.

Att: 2,223

Ref: Daniel Middleton.