Older Chester supporters may remember the match adverts that used to appear on the maroon Corporation buses in the 1970s. I can remember the luminous green posters on the school buses and it was not unknown for them to end up in the hands of Chester supporting school kids. I managed to pick up a couple myself after they mysteriously worked themselves loose from the bus window. Larger versions of these garish adverts were also located on boards outside the Stadium. In the late 1970s it was possible to buy small card versions for 10p from the club shop which used to occupy the Georgian House on Grosvenor Road.
At a recent Senior Blues meeting I was talking to supporter Fraser Warburton who was telling me that these adverts appeared on buses as long ago as the early 1960s which surprised as I always thought they were a 1970s phenomenon.
The examples here are from the 1961/62 season when Chester played in green and gold and this is reflected in the colour of the posters although it looks the background may have faded slightly.
Fraser remembers cycling down to Stamford Road in Blacon where the buses used to wait before returning to the city centre, and asking the conductor if he could have the posters.
Games continued to be advertised until summer 1967 when the club objected to the council’s decision to charge £50 to continue with the arrangement.
The adverts re-appeared in the 1970s and my first example is from 1976 but I have a feeling they may have existed before this date. Does anyone know when and under what circumstances they came back? I’m wondering if it coincided with promotion in the 1974/75 season when the council were perhaps eager to cash in on the club’s success. The last dated poster is from 1978 but again they probably remained on buses for a short time after this as I have some of the cardboard adverts from the 1979/80 campaign.I’m not sure that these adverts would work in the present day with de-regulation and anonymity of current buses and I’m sure health and safety would have a say about sticking posters on windows. Nevertheless they were an extremely useful marketing tool for the era when there were far fewer media outlets.
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Chester Football History 
Great blog post Chas, I had forgotten all about these adverts. Brilliant!!
Think this deserves a mention in The Cestrian??
Rob. I’m working on an edited version for the Burscough programme.
I remember the match adverts on the buses well. I 1st went in 1976 when I was 9 and remember walking from Brook St to The Town Hall, then riding the top deck of the Corporation Bus, eagerly waiting to get a view of The Stadium. Great memories Chas!
I used to catch the match day bus with my Dad from outside the Co-op in Walker Street, Hoole. For some matches there would be 2 or 3 double deckers (Crosville) – I remember these adverts, incredible that some have survived.
What were the results of these games Chas?
Tony – The league games were:
Southport W 2-0
Northampton W 2-1 – I remember that one because Ian Edwards scored a terrific goal on his debut.
Wrexham D 1-1
Port Vale D 1-1
Walsall D 1-1
Cheshire County League games
Tranmere W 4-2
Oswestry D 1-1