Chester put successive league defeats behind them as they battled to a gritty 2-1 win over Blyth Spartans at The Deva.

Played in windswept conditions, a game sorely lacking in quality was settled by goals from Akwasi Asante and James Jones, with Olly Scott bagging a late consolation for Blyth who had earlier been reduced to 10 men.

Bosses Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley made three changes to the Chester side defeated at York last weekend, with Kev Roberts and Jones drafted into defence and Matty Hughes deployed up front with Asante.

Neither side's form augured well heading into the clash, with the hosts looking to avoid a third successive defeat and Lee Clark's Blyth on a three-game losing sequence.

A bright start from the home side yielded an early corner, with Joel Taylor's delivery punched clear by Spartans keeper Zach Hemming before the ball fell to Brad Jackson who blasted over from the edge of the box.

Jackson tried his luck from a similar range soon after, firing wide of the target after George Glendon gathered the ball in midfield and found his team-mate 20 yards out.

Asante went close on eight minutes, the Dutch striker's header pushed around the post by hemming after a smart delivery from the lively John Johnston.

There was no denying Asante four minutes later when Taylor's corner reached him at the far post and he drove a left-footed strike into the roof of the net via a deflection.

Frustratingly for the visitors, the corner that led to the goal was needlessly conceded by Hemming who had palmed away a cross from Taylor that was drifting well wide.

Blyth showed little attacking enterprise in the blustery conditions but threatened briefly on 17 minutes when Lewis Hawkins' cross from the left was glanced wide by the head of Robert Dale.

The winds that swept continually throughout the ground diminished the quality of football on show and hampered the passing game of both sides.

Despite the disjointed nature of the game, Hughes conjured a rare moment of quality as he beat darted down the left flank before cutting inside and seeing his drilled shot deflected behind.

The final chance of note before the interval came down the Chester right as Roberts smuggled the ball beyond Scott near the touchline before finding Asante, who muscled his way past Shane Blaney before blasting a deflected shot over the bar.

Chester were well worth their slender lead at the break, but quality on the ball had been largely absent in the opening 45 minutes.

But, with the prevailing wind now at their backs, it was Blyth who pressed forward after the restart.

Blues stopper Russ Griffiths had to make his first meaningful save of the afternoon when he thwarted Jack Sanders' header from a corner.

Having emerged for the second half with more urgency, Blyth's hopes of a comeback were dented on 51 minutes when Blaney was shown a straight red for a reckless tackle on Glendon.

The Spartans full-back appeared to go over the ball and catch Glendon just below the knee, with referee Richard Holmes left in no doubt about his decision.

Buoyed by their numerical advantage, Chester pursued a second goal with vigour as Taylor surged beyond Tom Devitt and cut the ball back for the unmarked Johnston whose low strike deflected wide of the post.

The lead was doubled two minutes later when Taylor's whipped left-footed corner found Jones who rose to power a header into the far corner of the net.

Seemingly in control of the game and containing Blyth comfortably, Chester were pegged back on 81 minutes.

After initially failing to clear their lines, the Blues' back line allowed a smart low cross from Macauley Langstaff to reach substitute Michael Sweet whose shot was repelled by Griffiths but was bundled home by Scott.

With the game now finely poised, Chester substitute Anthony Dudley twice went close to a third for his side - first with a glancing header that was well-saved by Hemming, and then with a low drive hit straight at the keeper.