ARE SLEEPING GIANTS NOW AWAKENING?

FOR joint bosses Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley, Tuesday night’s late drama could well prove to be a pivotal moment.

- Matt Badcock

Playing well against their National League North title rivals King’s Lynn Town, it looked like their Chester side might have to settle for a point after twice pegging back the Linnets.

But, in the 93rd-minute, Simon Grand stuck in a dramatic winner to make it 3-2 and send the Deva Stadium wild.

There are tough challenges to come between now and the season’s end – not least yesterday’s game with Brackley Town – but Johnson feels it was a big step.

“It’s a building project at Chester,” Johnson tells The NLP. “After being relegated it takes time to get back to where you need to be. It’s not just a case of winning promotion, there needs to be a real structure in place. We’ve put that down.

“On Tuesday night we felt it was the first major step in terms of, ok, we’ve put our roots down and got everything in place, now it’s time to go and beat one of the big teams in a big game.

“To do it in those circumstances you could just sense the confidence was there from the players and that they believe they can do something pretty good this season.

“But I believe it needed Tuesday to happen to get our confidence right up there to believe how good we can be.”

Johnson and Morley arrived at Chester last season off the back of three promotions in four years in the glaring spotlight of Salford City. They’d just led the Ammies to the National League North title before going in a different direction from the Class of 92 powered club.

But they took a job at a club reeling from relegation knowing the remit was exactly the same.

“We sat in the office (after King’s Lynn) – me, Bernard and the two coaches Harty and Callum – and I said to them all, ‘This is why we came here. That noise’,” Johnson says.