Last updated 16:33, Wednesday, 23 July 2008

Chester 1 Carlisle Utd 3: The quality of Carlisle's men in reserve proved too much for Chester to handle at the Deva Stadium last night as late strikes by subs Gary Madine and Simon Hackney handed the visitors a battling pre-season win.

Friendly, v Chester City, July 22: Danny Livesey (centre)

The League Two hosts were the dominant force during the first period, but they ran out of steam in the final phase of the game as John Ward's side finished with a flourish.

With the contest deadlocked at 1-1, Ward made four substitutions on the hour mark. He kept tweaking his line-up with further changes until United finally grabbed the killer second goal.

Striker Madine was the man who got it, ghosting into the area to beat City keeper John Danby at his near post with a neat header from a Luke Joyce cross on the right.

With just four minutes left on the clock, Hackney rubbed salt into Chester's wounds - and put a slightly unfair gloss on the scoreline - with the away side's third of the evening.

He benefited from a bad mix-up between Danby and centre-back Paul Butler. As the two Chester players hesitated over which one of them should clear the ball, the alert Hackney stole in and netted with a simple finish from close range.

Chester, who narrowly avoided relegation to the Blue Square Premier last season but are hoping for better in 2008/09 under the leadership of former Manchester United midfielder Simon Davies, had been the better side during the opening period.

Experienced centre-forward John Murphy proved a handful for Carlisle centre-backs Danny Livesey and Josh Gowling, while out wide Richie Partridge and Kevin Ellison kept full-backs Darren Campion and Tyrone Cameron on their toes. It was just the kind of testing pre-season work-out Ward must have been looking for - although he will have winced at some of the heavy tackles put in by Chester's French trialist Damien Mokiza, who was clearly in no mood to hold back as he seeks a permanent contract at the Deva. In a first half containing few clear-cut chances, City looked the side most likely to break the deadlock.

Murphy headed just wide from a Kevin Roberts cross on 14 minutes following a driving run through midfield by the impressive Mozika.

The shaven-headed Ellison then sent a couple of fizzing left-footed efforts in on goal - the first just wide of the target following a Murphy knock-down and the second being comfortably held by Carlisle keeper Chris Howarth.

The first goal of the night arrived against the run of play in the 37th minute, Mark Bridge-Wilkinson playing in Scott Dobie, who raced clear of a static City back-line and beat Danby with a cool right-footed finish. But the visitors' lead lasted less than two minutes. When Ellison was upended on the edge of the area, the Chester winger took the free-kick himself - and curled a beautiful shot into the far corner of Howarth's net.

The second-half exchanges were more even, and Carlisle began to gain a foothold in the game as they were able to introduce quality players into the action from the bench.

With time ticking away, Madine and Hackney struck to steal a late victory - and send the 115 visiting supporters home happy.

Chester: Danby, Roberts, Wilson (McManus 73), Dinning (S Vaughan 60), Linwood, Butler, Mozika, Barry (Hughes 60), Murphy (Taylor 66), Partridge (Lowe 46), Ellison.

Carlisle: Howarth, Campion (Horwood 60), Livesey, Gowling, Cameron (Raven 60), J Smith (Hackney 60), Bridge-Wilkinson, Thirwell (G Smith 65), Taylor (Joyce 80), Dobie (Carlton 60), Graham (Madine 75).

Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire).

Attendance: 611