The 2001/2002 season had started off in miserable fashion for Chester City.

With the bizarre reign of Terry Smith in full swing following Blues legend Graham Barrow’s departure at the end of the previous campaign, Chester started off the season with a pitiful 2-0 home defeat to Woking.

Just 745 fans turned up to watch their beloved side, wearing a horrendous sky blue and black strip and featuring Sunday league footballer in waiting Sam Hill in the starting XI, limp to a painful loss.

It was a season of tremendous upheaval and one that brought about the arrival of the then lauded Stephen Vaughan. A knight in shining armour, or so Blues fans thought at the time.

Despite the lows that accompanied the beginning of the campaign, a campaign that threatened relegation for much of it, Mark Wright rode into town and took the Deva Stadium hotseat, sweeping away the deadwood just in time to save the Blues from the dreaded drop.

Chester’s safety had been assured before Saturday, April 20, 2002, but this week we revisit the 5-1 triumph over Stevenage to remind ourselves of the last time that, despite facing the abyss, the Blues managed to save themselves from relegation trouble. Something that the current Chester outfit could achieve with two more wins.

The victory over Stevenage almost 12 years ago was the Blues third win in a week and was a performance that augered well for the following years campaign when they were beated in the play-offs by Doncaster Rovers.

Wright ‘s men demolished FA Trophy finalists Stevenage, who included controversial striker DJ Campbell in their squad that day, with a fine display over the Hertfordshire side, now an established force in League One. How the sands of time can alter fortunes.

Just 10 days prior to their game against Paul Fairclough’s Boro side, the Blues had been relegation candidates but their excellent run of form had pushed them into qualification contention for the following season’s LDV Vans Trophy. Remember when that used to happen?!

The victory was pleasing, not just because it was City's biggest of the campaign, but because it saw a number of the club's fringe players breaking through to show Wright and his management team exactly what they were capable of in a match situation.

Diminutive winger Stuart Whittaker was the man of the hour, bagging his first-ever senior hat-trick in a career that had included stops at Bolton Wanderers, Macclesfield and Southport prior to arriving at Chester.

After surviving some early pressure from the visitors the Blues took the lead on 30 minutes when Whittaker fired into the roof of the net after David Brown had seen an effort blocked by ex-Chester stopper Dean Greygoose.

Going in 1-0 at half-time few would have expected such a rampant City showing in the second period, but it was truly breathtaking.Chester totally ran the show.

On the hour, Whittaker scored the goal of the game when he latched onto a short pass from the impressive substitute Jimmy Haarhoff, jinking inside before firing an unstoppable shot from 20 yards past a helpless Greygoose. Six minutes later, the former Liverpool trainee completed his hat-trick with another close range effort, this time latching onto a Brown cross.

A minute later ex-Manchester United and Hull City man Brown made the score 4-0 when he shot high into the net and on 72 minutes it was five as substitute Carl Ruffer headed home from close range.

Substitute Kirk Jackson registered a consolation goal for the visitors five minutes from the end, but it was far too little, far too late.

After the match the City supporters, who had suffered so much during a traumatic season, headed onto the Deva Stadium turf to acknowledge their heroes in this, their final home game of the season.

It marked a stunning turnaround in fortunes from a club who at Christmas were languishing at the bottom of the table and staring relegation square in the face.

As it happened, the Blues won the staring contest and ended up in touching distance of a top-half finish.

Not to put any undue pressure on the current Chester squad but the Blues won four out of their last five games in that season to secure safety. How Chester fans would love to see that form repeated for the Blues final four games.

CHESTER CITY: W Brown, Lancaster, Brabin, Williams, M Rose, McGorry (Ruffer 61), Carey (M O'Brien 70), Blackburn, Whittaker, D Brown, Collins (Haarhoff 54).

Subs (not used): Spink, Woodyatt.

STEVENAGE BOROUGH: Greygoose, Sodje, Goodliffe, J Campbell, Fraser, Fisher (Evers 45), Wormull, McMahon, Williams (Hamsher 77), Armstrong (Jackson 46), D Campbell.

Subs (not used): Midson, Wilkerson.

REFEREE: Mr M Atkinson (Leeds).

ATTENDANCE: 1,866