By the summer of 2009 and after rumbling from one crisis to another, Chester City Football Club was sliding out of the Football League.
Troubles continued off the field as the club entered administration during a depressing summer break. Financial difficulties grew exponentially and the club’s final demise began when they failed to fulfil a fixture away at Forest Green Rovers in January 2010. The club soon found themselves inevitably expelled from the Football Conference.
The club’s league records were expunged and despite a last ditch attempt to apply for a place in the Welsh Premier League, the final nail in the coffin arrived weeks later when the club was officially wound up in the High Court for failing to pay a £26,125 tax bill.
Supporters group City Fans United had already begun preparations to form a phoenix club for the following season and from the ashes of the old club Chester Football Club was officially reborn on Thursday 21st May 2010 and now look’s forward to starting life in the Evo-stik Division 1 North, step four of the National League System.
The new club received another welcome boost when Cheshire West and Chester Council granted the lease of the Deva Stadium, Chester City’s former ground, to the supporter owned club.
Neil Young was appointed the club’s first manager with former Tranmere Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Grimsby Town player Gary Jones as his assistant. Young has acted quickly to assemble a competitive squad of players as the new club looks forward to progressing back up the non-league pyramid.
