ANTHONY JOHNSON is determined to bring the excitement back to Chester Football Club.

The Blues are yet to find out whether they will be involved in the National League North play-offs after the 2019/20 season was ended abruptly.

Regardless of whether the play-offs go ahead, Johnson and joint-boss Bernard Morley are looking to get the feelgood factor back at the Deva Stadium.

Stuart Murphy’s proposed takeover of the Blues fell flat, but the fact that some sections of the supporters wanted an end to the fan-owned model, means Johnson and Morley have work to do.

“What happened 10 years ago with the demise of the old club and the start of the new, there was a real sense of excitement, and when we first came in two years ago it felt like that,” Johnson told The Friday Night Football Show.

“I can’t say it felt like 10 years ago, but it felt like there was a little bit of excitement, we’d just been relegated, but for me and Bern walking through the door it didn’t feel like a club who had just suffered relegation.

“There was plenty of excitement on the back of mine and Bernard’s appointment, but we need to get back to that.

“Over the last couple of weeks, and I’ve read different opinions on what people wanted - and I think that’s an important issue.

“Although Stuart’s takeover didn’t go to plan for him, there was a proportion of the support that were talking about wanting private ownership.

“I think what we’ve got to understand is why. Why did they want that? Is that because of previous successes in the Football League?

“We’ve got to assure that proportion of supporters that the club can somehow be successful and still have that excitement from 10 years ago. That’s vitally important.

“What we don’t want to do, and again it’s a word I’ve seen used quite often, is return to apathy and people that wanted private ownership are thinking ‘that’s me done’, because I don’t think it needs to be anything like that.

“I think we need to create that buzz and excitement of this is our football club.”

With Murphy walking away from the Blues there are concerns regarding the playing budget for next season.

Johnson and Morley are ready for the challenge of trying to get Chester up the pyramid, regardless of spending power.

“It’s all about expectation ultimately. It doesn’t matter what happens next season if our budget is £150,000 less, or £150,000 more than it was, because the supporters still expect to win,” said Johnson, who has the likes of Joel Taylor, Kevin Roberts, George Glendon, Brad Jackson and John Johnston under contract for next season.

“Nobody will change their opinion just based on budgets. Supporters want to see winning football and see hard-working players playing for the shirt, and if they don’t see that, they won’t come and watch - that’s from top to bottom anywhere throughout world football.

“It’s alright talking buzz words and cliches and saying ‘we want to win the league’, but if they don’t see it on the pitch or see the results, they aren’t going to come and watch and none of it works.

“We’ve got to find a way and plan towards finding that right balance.”