As sad it is for a long standing club like Chester to disappear from the record books, Preston won't be too disappointed as they are the main beneficiaries of City's removal. Even Carlisle, who were scheduled to play Chester just the once on the 17th April, have moved up a place in the table due to Bury's 1-0 win at home to City earlier in the season being chalked off the boards.
As we stand now then, Preston's excellent 2-0 win at Stockport at the weekend means they are now seven points clear in the revised table, Walsall now jumping above County and into third thanks to a 5-0 home hammering of rock-bottom Accrington Stanley. Into the mid-table reaches and Tranmere and Rochdale fought out an entertaining 3-3 draw on the Wirral, while Wigan took Lancashire derby honours in a 2-1 home victory over struggling Blackpool.
Burnley have been picking up form, bar defeat against Port Vale last week, since the start of the season and they came back from North Wales with all three points thanks to a 5-1 win at Wrexham, while down at the bottom end of the table Port Vale defeated Morecambe 3-0 at home. The final game played coming in the league cup where Macclesfield put a horrendous week for the club behind them with a 3-0 area semi-final win over an in-form Shrewsbury side.
Two more league cup games take place this afternoon, while Carlisle are back in league action tomorrow as they face a tough trip to fifth-placed Rochdale, who are the first club to have a blank weekend now in a 17 team division with the removal of Chester. United though then playing their second match of the week on Saturday morning when they take on Tranmere in an 11am kick-off at Creighton Rugby Club.
Result in the division on Wednesday 3rd March
Macclesfield Town P-P Stockport County (2pm)
Results in the division on Saturday 6th March
Chester City P-P Bury
Port Vale 3-0 Morecambe
Stockport County 0-2 Preston North End
Tranmere Rovers 3-3 Rochdale
Walsall 5-0 Accrington Stanley
Wigan Athletic 2-1 Blackpool
Wrexham 1-5 Burnley
Result in the Youth Alliance League Cup Semi-Finals on Saturday 6th March
North
Macclesfield Town 3-0 Shrewsbury Town
Fixtures in the Youth Alliance League Cup Tuesday 9th March at 2pm
North Quarter-Final
Preston North End v Doncaster Rovers
South Semi-Final
Queens Park Rangers v Exeter City
Fixture in the division on Wednesday 10th March
Rochdale v Carlisle United (2pm)
Fixtures in the division on Saturday 13th March
Accrington Stanley v Macclesfield Town
Blackpool v Port Vale
Burnley v Shrewsbury Town
Bury v Stockport County
Carlisle United v Tranmere Rovers (11am)
Morecambe v Walsall
Oldham Athletic v Wigan Athletic
Preston North End v Wrexham
Fixture in the Youth Alliance League Cup Monday 15th March at 2pm
North Semi-Final
Preston North End v Stockport County
Youth Team Results : Click here
Youth Team Squad : Click here
Youth Team Table : Click here