Chester:2 U's:4 - Goals glorious goals

I take it everyone has viewed Chrissy Holroyd's spectacular second in our 4-2 win at Chester on Saturday. Even if you've already seen it, watch it again, because it's pretty damn sexy.

I wasn't at the game so don't have too many comments to make, other than that I won't be getting too excited about our early season form just yet. We've seen off two fairly shambolic teams in the last couple of games, and our match tomorrow night against Steve Evans’ Crawley Town will give us a more realistic picture of where we’re at.

So in the absence of any match analysis, and in honour of Super Chris’s wonder strike, here are the best five United goals I’ve witnessed live. When I say best I’m talking in terms of individual technique and/or team play, rather than importance.

5: Trevor Benjamin v Brighton (A). March 21 1998. Poor old Trev, now reduced to trekking around godforsaken non-league outposts such as Tamworth to get a game. He’s capable of so much better, as he showed with this goal. Taking the ball on his chest just outside the area, he span and volleyed past the unsighted keeper. Sadly I don’t think any footage of it exists, but trust me, it was a thing of great beauty.

4: Mark Beesley v Rushden and Diamonds (A). April 8 2008. An awesome team goal started by Courtney Pitt on the edge of his own box. He ran practically the entire length of the pitch before offloading to Boylan, who in turn helped it on to Wolleaston. His superb first time pass put Beesley in, and the ex-Forest Green man finished with aplomb, chipping the ball across the keeper into the far corner. Cue a massive mental in the United end.

3: Tes Bramble v Wycombe (H). March 19 2005. There wasn’t much to remember about the relegation season of 2004/05, but young Tesfaye’s goal would have graced any game anywhere in the world.

2: Dan Chillingworth v Brentford (H). December 26 2001. The goal which probably formed the highpoint of Chilli’s United career. During most of his apperances he seemed incapable of doing more than one thing (ie moving and controlling a football) at once, yet for this goal he someone managed to combine all the attributes of a top striker, culminating in a great finish on the run to secure a boxing day triumph for John Taylor’s team.

1: Alex Russell v Port Vale (H). September 12 2000. Has there ever been a better week to be a United fan? Probably, but it didn’t feel like it at the time. After a 6-1 win over Rotherham on the Saturday, Roy Mac’s men demolished Port Vale 4-0 on the Tuesday, with Russell’s goal the pick of the ten. Following a Vale corner, Perez bowled the ball out to McAnespie, whose pinpoint crossfield pass found Russell rampaging down the left. Cutting in from the flank, he curled a beauty from outside the box over the keeper and into the far corner. It doesn’t seem to be on YouTube, but I have it on video somewhere for posterity.