Marcus Bignot hailed his talented Chester youngsters after they ended a nine-game wait for victory against Bromley.

Having seen National League relegation confirmed after defeat to rivals Tranmere Rovers last weekend, the Blues raised some much-needed cheer at the Deva with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Ravens, teenage winger Nathan Brown bagging his first senior goal in spectacular fashion to seal three points in the final minutes.

Fellow teenagers Tom Crawford and Shaun Hobson also impressed, with Bignot admitting his players felt the ‘pressure’ had been lifted since relegation was mathematically confirmed.

“After Saturday, the boys came out and you saw the way they played first-half,” he said.

“No pressure. They’ve been in an environment where they’ve had pressure but with that pressure gone, and the environment not quite the same, there’s some good players in there and with time and experience they’ll only get better.

“This group have a tendency to revert to type and they’ve done that on occasion but I just told them to go and enjoy themselves and play with no pressure. Pressure and confidence are two key things in a game of football. Only results will give them confidence moving forward and it’s the players I’m especially pleased for.

“We played well and I’d have been disappointed if we didn’t come away with three points.”

Speaking about his 18-year-old match-winner, who came off the bench to snatch all three points, Bignot continued: “Nathan Brown knows how much I think of him and for long parts of this season I’ve not been happy with his development.

“Delighted for him and all the boys we’ve brought in, it’s not needs-must, we wanted to bring them in.

“Brown has earned his appearances and the trust and earned his way onto the bench. He’s following in the footsteps of James Jones and Tom Crawford now.

“I wish them all the very best and they’ve got some bright futures. I’ll watch their development closely, definitely.

“There’s not many coaches left now! But me and Calum (McIntyre, academy head coach) have a really good relationship. I’ve tried to integrate him and involve him.

“Not only is the academy key for development here but Calum is key too. Since I’ve been here I’m proud to say I’ve worked with him and helped him along the way.”

Bromley still harboured play-off hopes prior to last night’s encounter but Neil Smith’s outfit were outplayed for long periods by the Blues, who gave the club’s lowest crowd since reforming – a miserly 754 – plenty to smile about.

“This wasn’t just an end of season game, (Bromley) are going for the play-offs and have a Wembley final to come so a lot of players playing for the chance to play at Wembley. We went toe-to-toe with them and we got the three points,” Bignot added.

“The players have commented on how different the environment was and of course, the attendance played a part in that. But in terms of going out and playing, moving forward if the club are going to have a young team then they are going to make mistakes and lose football matches but they must do so in the right environment.

“It’s been great to talk just about football and I’m really pleased for all those first-team players and I hope whoever is watching, whoever the next manager is, every single one of them deserve an opportunity. It’s been a rough ride for them and they deserve the opportunity.”