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Cross-border derby

Football rivalry between Chester City and Wrexham A.F.C. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The cross-border derby is a football match played between Wrexham and Chester.[1] The clubs are 12 miles apart but are Welsh and English respectively (though Chester's Deva Stadium straddles the England–Wales border, and its pitch lies entirely in Wales).

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It was historically considered to be one of the biggest rivalries in the lower leagues of English football, due to the close proximity of Wrexham and Chester, as they are the largest settlements in the area (North East Wales/West Cheshire) and the only clubs in that area to have played in the Football League. The Welsh–English divide also makes it unique to other football derbies in Britain, as national identity is a large part of the two teams.

Wrexham edged the English–Welsh derby with 30 victories against Chester's 26 in Football League meetings. Between 1986 and 2005, the sides were in the same division for just one season (1994–95) but they were then Football League Two opponents in the three campaigns from 2005–06 to 2007–08. In 2009–10 the sides clashed again in the Conference National after Chester followed Wrexham out of the Football League (although they would only meet once with that game, a 0-0 draw at Wrexham, expunged due to Chester being expelled and going out of business midway through the 2009-10 campaign).

In the 2012–13 season, Chester won promotion to return to the Conference Premier three years after their previous club were expelled from the fifth tier, and played Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground, in a highly anticipated derby, as this was the first since Chester re-formed as a fan-owned club. All away fans had to travel to the match via coaches and a police escort and could not travel by train, unlike most years. Despite going into the game with a poor form in recent games, Chester won the match 2-0, recording their first win of the season.

The most recent meeting saw Wrexham win 2-0 in March 2018. The two teams are currently separated due to Chester's relegation from the National League at the end of the 2017–18 season, which sees them play in the National League North. As of 2025-26, Chester is four divisions below Wrexham, who gained promotion to the EFL Championship in 2024-25.

Games between the two are usually moved to Sunday, with a 12:00 kick-off, minimising time for alcohol consumption and the risk of the two sets of supporters clashing. The other cross-border derbies include Wrexham vs Shrewsbury Town and Wrexham vs Crewe Alexandra. Any match between any combination of these four clubs is considered one of the Marches Kite Derbies. This is because all four clubs have played against each other in the same league at some point, and the geographic locations of the towns form a kite or diamond shape on the map.

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Achievements

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Comparative table positions of the derby participants in the English league system.
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Head-to-head summary

Chester City vs Wrexham (1888–2009)

More information Competition, Chester wins ...

Chester FC vs Wrexham (2013–)

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Head-to-head fixtures

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Chester City vs Wrexham

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  1. After Extra Time

Chester FC vs Wrexham

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Notable fixtures

Below are the details for the first ever cross-border derby since Chester's reformation.

More information Wrexham, 0–2 ...
Attendance: 6,037
Referee: Wayne Barratt
GK1Cameroon Joslain Mayebi
RB14England Steve Tomassen
CB5England Mark Creightondownward-facing red arrow 40'
CB3England Neil Ashton (c)
LB16England Johnny Hunt
CM6England Joe Clarke
CM4Republic of Ireland Kevin Thorntondownward-facing red arrow 74'
CM21Wales Rob Evans
RF10England Brett Ormeroddownward-facing red arrow 58'
CF9England Andy BishopYellow card 27'
LF22Wales Bradley Reid
Substitutes:
GK13England Andy Coughlin
DF27Cameroon Junior N'Taméupward-facing green arrow 40'
FW11England Andy Morrell
FW15Wales Robert Oglebyupward-facing green arrow 74'
FW26England Joe Anyinsahupward-facing green arrow 58'
Manager:
England Andy Morrell
GK1England John Danby
RB2England Michael Kay
CB5England Paul Linwood (c)
CB17Gibraltar Danny Higginbothamdownward-facing red arrow 67'
LB14England Kevin McIntyre
CM12England Lewis Turner
CM6England Danny Harrison
CM15England Nathan TurnerYellow card 88'
AM24England Jordan Laidlerdownward-facing red arrow 46'
CF9England Ben MillsYellow card 90'
CF22Wales Alex Titchinerdownward-facing red arrow 69'
Substitutes:
DF4England George Horan
MF16England Ashley Williamsupward-facing green arrow 46'Red card 84'
MF25England Aidan Chippendaleupward-facing green arrow 67'
FW7Wales Jamie Reed
FW19England Gareth Seddonupward-facing green arrow 69'
Manager:
England Neil Young

Below are the details for the first ever cross-border derby to be televised since Chester's reformation. The game is also notable for its dramatic ending.

More information Chester, 2–1 ...
Attendance: 3,183
Referee: Ross Joyce
GK1England Jon Worsnop
RB22England Ben Heneghan
CB4England Michael Kay
CB6England Kieran Charnock (c)Yellow card 48'
LB3Wales Gareth Roberts
RM7Republic of Ireland Craig Mahondownward-facing red arrow 73'
CM8England Kingsley James
CM10England John RooneyYellow card 50'
LM15England Jadan Halldownward-facing red arrow 59'
AM16England Sean McConville
CF19England Craig Hobsondownward-facing red arrow 83'
Substitutes:
GK13Wales Connor Roberts
DF25The Gambia Ibou Tourayupward-facing green arrow 59'
MF17England Danny Harrison
MF18England Wayne Rileyupward-facing green arrow 73'
FW9Scotland Chris Iwelumoupward-facing green arrow 83'
Manager:
England Steve Burr
GK13Austria Daniel BachmannYellow card 78'
RB18Wales Ross WhiteYellow card 42'
CB5England Blaine HudsonYellow card 50'
CB4England Manny Smith
LB3England Neil Ashton (c)
RM7England Elliott Durrelldownward-facing red arrow 81'
CM15Wales Rob Evansdownward-facing red arrow 64'
CM6England Joe Clarke
LM16England Wes Yorkdownward-facing red arrow 76'
CF9England Louis Moult
CF24England Connor Jennings
Substitutes:
DF14England Steve Tomassen
MF11England Theo Bailey-Jonesupward-facing green arrow 76'
MF12England Dean Keatesupward-facing green arrow 64'
FW10England Andy Bishop
FW27England Dan Holmanupward-facing green arrow 81'
Manager:
England Kevin Wilkin
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Crossing the divide

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Chester City and Wrexham

The following players have played for Chester City and Wrexham. Footballers currently playing in one of the teams are marked bold. Appearances and goals include League only.

More information Player, Chester career ...

Chester FC and Wrexham

The following players have played for Chester FC and Wrexham. Footballers currently playing in one of the teams are marked bold. Appearances and goals include League only.

More information Player, Chester career ...

Chester City, Chester and Wrexham

The following players have played for Chester City, Chester FC and Wrexham. Footballers currently playing in one of the teams are marked bold. Appearances and goals include League only.

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Derby appearances and goals

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Chester FC vs Wrexham

Below shows the most appeared players and most goals scored within a derby match between Chester and Wrexham. Appearances and Goals include all competitions.

Top all time appearances

After the match played 11 March 2018.

More information Player, Years ...

All time goal scorers

After the match played 11 March 2018.

More information Player, Years ...
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References

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