Cooking up a speciality

Chester 1 Exeter City 0

Chester who made £300,000 when they sold young striker Ian Rush to Liverpool at the end of last season, could have found another starlet in 19-year-old midfield player Terry Cooke.

He took less than 30 minutes to score his first League goal, after coming on as a second half substitute, to win the match for Chester and end Exeter City's unbeaten record. Cooke beat two Exeter defenders in a dazzling 84th minute run and beat goalkeeper lan Main with a fierce shot into the corner of the net. He came into the side after a brilliant midweek performance in a Floodlit League fixture and manager Alan Oakes said after the match: "We have had high hopes of Terry tor some time, and his goal proved just what he can do."

But, judging by the attendance of only 1,974, Chester could soon be forced to sell again to make ends meet and, if Cooke, can quickly establish a regular first-team spot, he could be the next to go. But Oakes warned: "I will probably have to ease Terry into the side gradu- ally because. although he has plenty of talent, he is not yet strong enough for regular Third division football."

Cooke's goal failed to disguise desperate finishing problem as they missed a number of chances in the second half after Exeter had dominated the first session. The visitors always looked more dangerous before the interval and went close to opening the score when Peter Harch hit the bar from 25 yards. But they failed to make their superiority count, and Chester gradually took control midway through the second half after Cooke had come on in the 57th minute to replace Steve Ladiam, who had a facial cut.