Chester 1 Walsall 2 - Report

The 16-year-old academy product drilled home the winner from close range just minutes after coming off the bench at the Swansway Stadium.

Luke Leahy had put the Saddlers ahead in the first half after Simeon Jackson saw an early penalty saved.

Substitute Nyal Bell fired the hosts level at the start of the second period and a draw looked the most likely result before Candlin struck with just eight minutes remaining.

His goal was enough to earn the Saddlers a first victory of pre-season and give boss Jon Whitney a boost after a performance which, while organised, lacked a little in attacking flair.

Having given the younger members of his squad a chance against Stafford in midweek, Whitney reverted to a more experienced line-up against the club he once played for.

Liam Roberts was given the nod to start in goal while there were also places in the team for Liam Kinsella and Reece Flanagan, with Jackson starting up front.

Other than an early strike from distance from Maz Kouhyar there were no efforts on goal from either side until Jackson had the chance to put the Saddlers ahead from the spot.

The striker won the penalty himself after being brought down while trying to get past Lathaniel Rowe-Turner but his low spot-kick was saved by Chester’s trialist keeper low down to his right.

Four minutes later the visitors did go ahead, albeit in scrappy fashion. Joe Edwards’s corner looked set to be cleared with ease by Chester’s Andy Halls but the defender miscued and the ball fell invitingly for Leahy to sweep home from six yards out.

Walsall skipper Adam Chambers drove over from distance, while Jackson saw an effort deflected wide before the half was out.

Chester never seriously threatened until the closing seconds of the half when a swift counter set Harry White away down the left. The striker rode a James Wilson challenge as he advanced into the box but saw his shot at goal deflected behind by the recovering Kinsella.

As it turned, picking the ball out of the net was pretty much Walsall keeper Roberts’s first task of the afternoon as the hosts suddenly found a cutting edge five minutes into the second half.

Bell’s shot was the National League North outfit’s first effort on target but a special one, with the striker latching on to a through ball before blasting a fierce left-footed volley past Roberts from the edge of the box.

Walsall looked for a quick response and almost found one when Erhun Oztumer worked space on the left but his cross was nicked off the toes of Jackson by centre-back Ryan Astles.

A heavy rain shower which obscured the view of the distant Welsh hills did little to help the attacking quality and neither keeper could claim to have been over-worked.

Roberts, however, was lucky to escape twice in the space of 30 seconds as the game ticked into the final 20 minutes.

A mis-hit clearance was fired straight back at him by Chester substitute Liam Davies, before a miscommunication with centre-back Jon Guthrie almost allowed Bell to steal in only for Roberts to recover in time and clear.

The game looked to be drifting towards a draw until Candlin showed quick reactions to bag the winner, drilling home into the bottom corner after Kieron Morris’s shot had been blocked.

Teams:

Chester: Trialist, Halls (Jones 78), McCombe, Astles, Rowe-Turner, Chapell (Waters HT), Turnbull (Dawson 64), James (Joyce 64), Mahon (Davies HT), Akintunde (Bell HT), White (Brown 66)

Saddlers (4-2-3-1): Roberts L, Kinsella (Devlin 73), Guthrie, Wilson, Leahy (Cockerel-Mollet 73), Chambers © (Sangha 83), Flanagan, Kouhyar (Hayles-Docherty 83), Oztumer (Bakayoko 73), Edwards (Morris 64), Jackson (Candlin 79) Subs not used: Roberts K, Peters.