Match ends, Chester FC 4, Gateshead 2.
Chester 4-2 Gateshead
- From the section Football
Chester top scorer Ross Hannah struck twice to help his team come from behind to finish their season with a third straight win against Gateshead.
The Heed led when right-back Ryan Higgins failed to clear CJ Hamilton's cross and sub Rob Ramshaw tapped in.
Kane Richards nodded in to level before Higgins' low long-range shot gave Chester the lead two minutes later.
But Rooney teed up Hannah, who was set up by Tom Shaw for a second before Dan Johnson scored from Ramshaw's cross.
Following their season-closing three victories, Chester finish 17th in the National League table, six points clear of trouble.
Neil Aspin's Gateshead ended up in ninth, 13 points adrift of a play-off place.
Hannah's 22-goal tally was beaten by only three other National League strikers, Cheltenham's Dan Holman and Grimsby's Padraig Amond, who both scored 30, and Barrow's Andy Cook (24).
Chester caretaker manager Jon McCarthy told BBC Radio Merseyside:
"I'm really pleased for the players. They can go and enjoy their summer now and the club can get on with what they have to do.
"But I wanted it for the fans too. We wanted to thank them after a frustrating season. We wanted a performance, and it came in the end.
"We talked about having a little bit more desire than them. We were quite ruthless. There was no sentiment or young players and we kept the same team and we knew Craig Mahon and Ross Hannah would want to come on.
"It is just playing more 4-4-2 than 4-2-4. It's about bringing wide players into deeper positions which actually gives them more of the ball, rather than them going and marking the full backs. It just makes us so much tighter."
Line-ups
Chester
- 13Thompson
- 2Higgins
- 22Heneghan
- 8Shaw
- 3Hunt
- 17Astles
- 11ChapellSubstituted forMahonat 59'minutesBooked at 75mins
- 26Lloyd
- 10Rooney
- 15RichardsSubstituted forHobsonat 83'minutes
- 23AlabiSubstituted forHannahat 59'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Worsnop
- 5George
- 7Mahon
- 9Hannah
- 19Hobson
Gateshead
- 1Russell
- 2Baxter
- 14Holden
- 12MafutaBooked at 27minsSubstituted forChandlerat 37'minutesBooked at 46mins
- 29Whitmore
- 6ClarkSubstituted forCurtisat 6'minutes
- 10Gillies
- 3Pattison
- 28Hamilton
- 19BowmanSubstituted forRamshawat 37'minutesBooked at 75mins
- 20Johnson
Substitutes
- 4Chandler
- 5Curtis
- 8Ramshaw
- 13MacDonald
- 16Onovwigun
- Referee:
- Richard Wigglesworth
- Attendance:
- 2,323
Match Stats
Home TeamChesterAway TeamGateshead
- Possession
- Home60%
- Away40%
- Shots
- Home11
- Away8
- Shots on Target
- Home7
- Away4
- Corners
- Home2
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home6
- Away7
Live Text
Full Time
Second Half ends, Chester FC 4, Gateshead 2.
Foul by Josh Gillies (Gateshead).
Ben Heneghan (Chester FC) wins a free kick.
Offside, Gateshead. Danny Johnson tries a through ball, but Danny Johnson is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Jamie Chandler (Gateshead) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Goal!
Goal! Chester FC 4, Gateshead 2. Danny Johnson (Gateshead) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Rob Ramshaw.
Attempt saved. Ross Hannah (Chester FC) left footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Substitution
Substitution, Chester FC. Craig Hobson replaces Kane Richards.
Foul by Ben Heneghan (Chester FC).
Josh Gillies (Gateshead) wins a free kick.
Goal!
Goal! Chester FC 4, Gateshead 1. Ross Hannah (Chester FC) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Tom Shaw.
Foul by Kane Richards (Chester FC).
James Curtis (Gateshead) wins a free kick.
Goal!
Goal! Chester FC 3, Gateshead 1. Ross Hannah (Chester FC) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by John Rooney.
Foul by Alex Whitmore (Gateshead).
Kane Richards (Chester FC) wins a free kick.
Booking
Craig Mahon (Chester FC) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Booking
Rob Ramshaw (Gateshead) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Tom Shaw (Chester FC).
Rob Ramshaw (Gateshead) wins a free kick.
Attempt missed. Matty Pattison (Gateshead) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Corner, Chester FC.
Attempt missed. Ross Hannah (Chester FC) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Danny Johnson (Gateshead) left footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right.
Goal!
Goal! Chester FC 2, Gateshead 1. Ryan Higgins (Chester FC) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner.
Goal!
Goal! Chester FC 1, Gateshead 1. Kane Richards (Chester FC) header from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by John Rooney with a cross.
Substitution
Substitution, Chester FC. Ross Hannah replaces James Alabi.
Substitution
Substitution, Chester FC. Craig Mahon replaces Jordan Chapell.
Attempt saved. Josh Gillies (Gateshead) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved.
Corner, Gateshead.
Corner, Gateshead.
Attempt saved. Matty Pattison (Gateshead) left footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Goal!
Goal! Chester FC 0, Gateshead 1. Rob Ramshaw (Gateshead) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by CJ Hamilton with a cross.
Foul by Alex Whitmore (Gateshead).
Kane Richards (Chester FC) wins a free kick.
Attempt missed. John Rooney (Chester FC) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Booking
Jamie Chandler (Gateshead) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Jamie Chandler (Gateshead).
Kane Richards (Chester FC) wins a free kick.
