January 1st 1966 was not a happy New Year Day for Chester FC, when they entertained Aldershot in a Division 4 league game at Sealand Road. Both Chester full backs, Ray Jones and Bryn Jones (not related either)-ended up in hospital with a broken leg each, from separate incidents in the match. Chester won 3-2!!
The pair missed the remainder of the season as Chester fell out of promotion contention, coming 7th in the division, with Ray not returning to action until October. Ray remained at the club until the end of the 1968-9 season. That was to be the last FL match played by Ray Jones, as he joined non–league side Runcorn. He followed it up by playing for Oswestry Town, Bethseda Athletic and Colwyn Bay, where he became player–manager. He went on to have spells as manager of Rhyl, where he achieved three promotions and Connah's Quay, truly North Wales' clubs. Away from football he worked as an engineer- of course, many "lower" league players needed an alternative career. Jones died in July 2007 at the Hospice of the Good Shepherd, near Chester,
Bryn Jones played his first football for non-league side Holywell Town until joining Division Three side Watford in January 1963. However, he made just two league appearances before he returned north, joining Chester in August 1964. He made his Chester debut during the same month, but added just one more appearance during the season.
The following campaign saw him emerging as a regular at left back with namesake, Ray Jones, playing in the right back slot.
Bryn joined Chester as a schoolboy, making his first-team debut in a 1–0 win over Hartlepool Utd on 7 December 1962 in the number 2 shirt. By the 1964-5 season, Jones was a regular in the side, performing well especially when asked to mark George Best in an FA Cup tie against Manchester United on January 9th 1965.
40,000 watched Best and Albert Kinsey score a goal each in a 2-0 win. Kinsey, a forward, made his one and only appearance for United, after joining from school in June 1961. He moved to Wrexham in March 1966.
Chester went into their home game against Aldershot on 1 January 1966, in second place in the Fourth Division, but both Bryn and Ray suffered broken legs in the 3–2 victory (below). The pair missed the remainder of the season as Chester finished in seventh place. Bryn recovered to play 11 games the following season, before dropping out of the Football League and joining New Brighton.
On the same day, but in 2015, Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny was not very happy with his new year day's work when the Polish goalkeeper was at fault for both goals, in the Gunners 0-2 defeat at St Mary's in the Premier League. After the match he consoled himself with a ciggy in the showers, "teacher" found him and fined the naughty boy, £20,000....club rules! Ouch!
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