WHILE for many people in the UK, April 29, 2011 conjures up memories of a Royal wedding, for Chester FC fans there was something far more important going on.

It was on that day that more than 2,000 Chester FC fans made the trip up the M62 to what was then known as the Genix Healthcare Stadium, the home of Garforth Town, for what should have been a straightforward crowning occasion.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Some context: Chester FC, the reformed phoenix club rising from the ashes of the ruined Chester City Football Club in 2010, had already had an unforgettable season. From having no squad, manager or even a league to play in, the Blues were top of the Evo-Stik Division One North with one game left to play on the bank holiday Friday.

Led by manager Neil Young, the man who this year took his current side Marine to face Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup (and – ahem – defeating Chester FC along the way), Chester FC's well-arranged squad had a crucial three-point gap over the hard-charging rivals Skelmersdale United, who were in red-hot form as the season drew to a close.

Chester FC also had the luxury of a goal difference which was eight superior than that of Skelmersdale. Remember that – it will come up later.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

In the previous match, Chester had come from behind to record a vital 3-1 win at AFC Fylde. My colleague Gary Porter was at the time, like myself, working at The Other Chester Publication, and unfortunately said publication's website did not have the technical ability back then to cope with regular match updates, meaning the site stubbornly claimed Chester were losing 1-0, despite having taken the lead.

For the final match, therefore, a new 'live blog widget' was installed on to the website, meaning this would be the website's first ever functional live sports blog. And due to staff absences, it meant that I, the self-confessed third-choice goalkeeper of sports journalism, would be using it to report from the game that day. Still, what could possibly go wrong?

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

As it was, that sunny albeit slightly blustery afternoon saw Chester – playing in that magnificent purple kit – take the initiative in the first half, with Michael Powell giving the Blues a 1-0 lead just before the half-time break, drilling home a looping cross from Neil Aspin, and delighting over 90 per cent of the 2,428 crowd by doing so.

All seemed to be going smoothly so far – Chester would end the season with 100 points, and Garforth, with nothing to play for in mid-table, would at least console themselves with an attendance larger than all their other home league games put together that season.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Meanwhile, chasers Skelmersdale were doing everything they could against already relegated Ossett Albion, but were a long way short by half-time.

Crucially, this was the era of Twitter's infancy, meaning live score updates were not easy to come by, especially in non-league clubs which had yet to set up official accounts of their own. Couldn't rely on Ceefax either, that had long since bitten the dust (not that they ever tended to cover many live scores from the Evo-Stik Division One North).

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

As I'm sure Chester fans don't need reminding, things changed in the second half. A rejuvenated Garforth equalised with their first meaningful shot on target, Darren Kelly firing home from close range on 55 minutes, seconds after Garforth had rattled the crossbar.

News also reached fans on their phones that Skelmersdale were now 5-1 up, thanks to an early second-half charge, and there was a distinct tension at the stadium.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Not so for Garforth who, literally seconds after their stadium announcer sat next to me turned and said: "Wouldn't it be interesting if Garforth scored now?", that Matt Dempsey fired a 25-yard effort past Chester goalkeeper Richard Whiteside to put the hosts 2-1 up.

So Garforth now lead, there are still 25 minutes to go, and suddenly goal difference becomes a factor. The previously unlikely scenario of Skelmersdale overturning an eight-goal deficit becomes a distinct possibility.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Not that Chester are seemingly in a position to do anything about that. The frayed nerves of the fans have spread, somehow, to the Chester squad, and what follows is 25 minutes of panicked, scrappy, dreadful football, with the visitors barely able to keep the ball on the pitch, despite knowing that all they needed was an equaliser to make everything right.

At the full-time whistle, some fans cheered with delight, while others, nerves totally shredded, yelled to wait until there was confirmation of a final score at the Skelmersdale game, where the rumour mill had gone into overdrive on what that score actually was. 7-1? 7-2? 8-2?

Dressing room scenes.

Dressing room scenes.

After six agonising minutes, the message got through, as Blues fans roared on to the pitch. Skelmersdale had got the seven goals they needed – but crucially conceded two thanks to Albion player Dan Toronczak, who was aiming to make that match his final career game.

Toronczak would go on, of course, to become something of a Chester FC cult hero, invited to a hero's reception the following season at the Deva and playing with Michael Owen in a friendly fundraiser when Chester later encountered financial difficulties in 2018.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

As the crowd cheered with players and club staff, the Evo-Stik Division One North trophy was paraded around the pitch.

Speaking to the Standard in 2018, manager Neil Young said of this momentous day: “I still wake up having had nightmares about Garforth!

“We went 1-0 up but Garforth brought some senior players on at half-time and they changed the game.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

Jubilant scenes of Chester FC in 2011, having clinched the Evo-Stik Division One North title - just - on the final day of the season. Pictures: RICK MATTHEWS.

“I had to disappear into the dressing room – with the game still going on – to ring my mate at Skelmersdale. We then had a decision to make: go for more goals - and risk conceding more – or shut up shop. We went for the latter and thankfully it worked out for the best.

“It was an unbelievable day, but it was incredibly draining for me. I didn’t really enjoy it, it was only a couple of weeks later when we realised what we’d done.

“It’s never easy winning titles, but what that group of players did, having never played together and brought together at the last minute, was just fantastic.”

Michael Wilde.

Michael Wilde.

Fortunately, and perhaps scarred by that experience, Chester made sure the following two title-winning campaigns were much more straightforward.

In 2012 they won the Evo-Stik Premier, romping to a 17-point title win over nearest rivals Northwich Victoria, who were later barred from playing in the play-offs for breaching league rules.

And in 2013, the Blues were never seriously threatened, taking 107 points out of a possible 126 en route to the Conference North title.

The club has had more than its fair share of ups and downs in the years since then – relegation back into the Conference North in 2018 and near-financial collapse each bringing a sharp wake-up call that the club was not to be taken for granted.

George Horan with the trophy.

George Horan with the trophy.

Fortunately, in recent seasons, and despite the chaos caused by the Covid crisis and the National League's bungled handling of the situation, the community spirit is still strong at the club, with fans, staff – including current managers Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson – and players working together to ensure strong results on and off the pitch.

And it's heartening to see that two of the squad from that day – Michael Wilde and George Horan – have shown they still have that magic, each of them continuing to score goals for their current club Connah's Quay Nomads as recently as last week, as their club look to win back-to-back Cymru Premier titles. Their champion spirit is here to stay.