Over the years the stadium continued to take shape, with improved cover stands helping Chester win election to the Football League in 1931.

[2] Floodlights were installed in 1960, the 126 ft (38 m) lights being used for the first time in a 2–2 Football League Cup draw with Leyton Orient in October 1960.

Chester suffered a major blow in August 1989, when it was announced the club had been refused a safety certificate for its away standing areas.

Chester made approaches to numerous clubs including Manchester City, Wrexham and Tranmere Rovers in a bid to arrange a ground-share scheme for the next two seasons.

This led to Sealand Road being the venue for a League Cup semi-final on 15 January 1975, when Chester drew 2–2 with Aston Villa in the first-leg in front of 19,000.

The first Football League match at the stadium saw Chester thrash Wigan Borough 4–0 on 29 August 1931, with Frank Cresswell scoring the first goal.

In 1935, the stadium famously staged an England amateur trial match involving two referees – an experiment that was largely not considered to be a success.

Big-name opposition to visit Sealand Road included Middlesbrough, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sunderland, Sheffield United and Birmingham City.

The stadium was finally demolished in 1993 and the site now houses the Sealand Road shopping park, which has nearly 740,000 square feet (69,000 m2) of retail space.