NEIL Young said he was ‘gutted’ to leave Chester but only wished to remember the ‘wonderful memories’ he enjoyed during his trophy-laden time at the Deva Stadium.

The Blues parted company with the 39-year-old by mutual consent yesterday, more than halfway through a season that has seen the club stuck in the Conference Premier relegation zone.

Both parties felt it was ‘in the best interests of the club’ for a change in management and Young and club chairman Tony Durkin did not wish to go into the finer details of the decision.

But Young, who steered Chester to three successive promotions following their re-birth in 2010, said he was proud with his achievements.

“It’s been something that’s been going on for a couple of days and I knew was going to happen,” said Young.

“I am gutted because of the people I’ve left behind at the football club. But all good things must come to an end. I’m very proud and honoured to have managed such a great football club.

“To go from nothing to where we are now leaves me very proud and it’s hard to let that go.

“Results have not been great this season, of course, but I’ve had a fantastic time.
“I’ve been getting texts and calls all day, all complimentary, and I have to thank people for that.”

He added: “Nobody can take away the wonderful memories that I’ve had at Chester. Those memories will live with me forever.

“We had three successive title wins, we broke all the records in Conference North.

“One of my proudest moments was being recognised by the University of Chester and receiving an honorary degree. That was a real proud moment for me and my family.

“People may say we moved up the leagues too quickly too soon, but you always want to grasp promotion, whatever division you are in.

“For a club that is run by the fans and its legion of volunteers, who all work their socks off, it’s been a tremendous achievement to get to where we are.

“It’s been a massive project from day one. People can sometimes take for granted the work that volunteers have done, but they’ve all been brilliant, every one of them. I have had great banter with them every day and that is something I’ll miss.

“But I’ll miss everyone, the players, the coaching staff, the fans.

“I don’t think people quite realise how big an achievement it has been to get to the Conference Premier and have a fully-fledged youth system that is thriving, with lots of other things going on in the background.”

It has not been plain sailing for Young this season, however, with the Blues picking up just four wins in the Conference Premier.

Despite his earlier success at the Deva Stadium, Young had come under pressure due to a series of poor results.

But he maintains that the players he has left behind are good enough to avoid the dreaded drop.

Young said: “We’ve been a bit unlucky and had we took one or two chances in certain games, then I’m sure the club wouldn’t be in the position they are in the league. But that’s football.

 “I will always stick to the positives and I maintain that the squad is capable of staying in the division.

“I had a great rapport and understanding with the lads. What people see is what they get with me.

“I’m up front and honest and the players, I think, appreciated that. Of course, sometimes you have to make difficult decisions and it’s not always easy to keep everyone happy, but that’s the way it is.

 “Deep down, I know all those lads want to do well. There’s still 21 games of football left and plenty of points to play for.”

He added: “All managers will say they want a little bit more money to buy players.
But it’s tough because I’ve been competing for a small pool of players that are part-time and are of good enough quality.

“And the ones that are most difficult to buy are those that put the ball in the net.

“If you look at those clubs similar to ourselves that are doing well, they have someone that is scoring regularly, like Louis Moult at Nuneaton and Lee Gregory at Halifax.

“I think the difference has been that we’ve not taken enough chances and that we’ve conceded goals at bad times during games.”

Young said he will now relish the chance to spend more time with his young family and, while he could return to his former job at Merseyrail later this year, admits he may take the plunge back into management if an attractive job came on the table.

“I’ve have not been out of the game for 14 years now and I’ve made a lot of sacrificies, especially in the last three years, and it’s been to the detriment of my family life.

“It would be nice to spend some time with my family.”