CHESTER joint manager Bernard Morley admitted it was all about the result rather than the performance after his side scraped past basement dwellers Nuneaton Borough thanks to an injury time winner from central defender Danny Livesey.

Livesey's goal clinched a 3-2 victory after Chester had twice taken the lead, first through Akwasi Asante and then early in the second half thanks to another Livesey effort with the visitor's win condemning the battling hosts to relegation despite goals from Miles Addison and Mike Calveley twice bringing the Boro level.

Incredibly the victory was the first time Chester had notched up two consecutive away wins in the league for over two years and the scenes come the final whistle showed the fans are beginning to believe that a top seven finish is still achievable ahead of Tuesday's crunch meeting with Stockport.

"I don't even know how I can smile because it wasn't good enough again," said Morley. "I know I sound like a broken record but what we have watched today, in parts of that game, was just not us.

"But credit to the lads, they found a way to win in the 94th minute and it gets us that one step closer to what we are trying to achieve. Let's hope that takes us into Tuesday night's game now.

"The lads realised how poor we were first half and we started the second half with more energy and enthusiasm to our game. Danny gets us the goal and you think we'll push on and maybe get a third that will kill the game.

"We looked for that reaction straight away after Nuneaton's second goal and you could see heads go down but we've got the winner and that's the only positive to take from the game because it could have been really easy to just accept the draw and the season's finished."

Nuneaton had plenty of possession in the opening exchanges but when the opening came it was Chester who took advantage with an excellent breakaway goal. Dan Mooney did well to find Sean McAllister in the centre of the pitch with the midfielder using all his experience to calmly knock the ball forward to Asante who advanced into the area, twisted one way and then another before slotting home past Cam Belford.

The early goal should have been the cue for a dominant performance from Chester but with the prospect of relegation looming over the home side if they failed to win, Nuneaton responded well and just after the 15 minute mark the in-form Grant Shenton pulled off a great save in tipping away a shot from an offside looking Ryan Edmunds.

At the other end Asante continued to cause havoc as Chester looked to break but half-chances came and went until the Blues were finally punished in the 36th minute when a free kick was floated into the area only to deflect off Asante's head onto the post with the rebound falling at the feet of Addison who scored from close range.

With the scores level at half time, Chester needed to up their game and they came out for the second 45 with a renewed sense of purpose going forward.

It was the hosts though who had the first chance of the half when an almighty scramble on the edge of the area led to a shot from Edmund which was brilliantly palmed away by an unsighted Shenton.

Moments later Chester forced a couple of corners and it was from the second one that the Blues regained the lead as Danny Livesey threw himself at the incoming kick from Ben McKenna and forced the ball home from close range.

Again the Blues began to look comfortable and the visitors controlled the game for much of the second half until with just four minutes to go doomed Nuneaton grabbed an equaliser when another scramble resulted in a close range chance for Calveley who prodded home.

Three minutes of injury time were indicated by referee Amy Fearn and the Blues charged forward with substitutes George Waring and George Green both claiming penalties before the latter's brilliant corner was cleared off the line only for McKenna's follow up dead ball to find Livesey who powered a header via a deflection into the net to clinch a vital win that leaves Chester three points outside the play off positions.

"The season is done if we don't get that goal," added Morley. "We played so well against Chorley last week and we've come to Nuneaton who always want to upset people's parties which they tried to do today, but we've done it again and we're four unbeaten and we take that momentum into Tuesday night.

"We're hoping the supporters will really come out in force because I believe Stockport have sold 1,300 tickets and what we don't want is for them to have more supporters than us.

"It's a massive game and I hope the supporters realise how massive it is and get behind the lads. Today they've found a way to win so of course I've got a smile on my face because three points is everything and now it is all to play for."