Chester FC chief executive Mark Maguire says Jon McCarthy's position is '100%' secure.

McCarthy has achieved the target set by the board of keeping the club in the Vanarama National League.

But the Blues boss admitted to being 'under pressure' going into the final game of the campaign at home to Boreham Wood.

Chester went down to a 2-0 defeat to Boreham Wood that means they finish 19th and two points above York City, who have been relegated along with Braintree Town, North Ferriby United and Southport.

The loss was the Blues' eighth in a row at home, equalling the club record set in the 2007-08 season, and their 16th in the last 21 matches of the campaign.

That has led to questions over McCarthy's future.

And Maguire, when asked about whether the manager's position is secure, said: "100%.

"The job here is for us all to be in a completely straight and honest position with each other, so when we sit and have conversations about the good, the bad and the ugly about the operations of this football club, then the honesty and the integrity of the conversations we have mean we all know where we are and where we're going.

"We know we've got the right plans in place and we know we have the right people to make the right decisions. Sometimes people say, 'oh, be strong and make a tough decision', but sometimes being strong is understanding what you've got and how good it is, and making sure you support that.

"And when I talk about that, I'm talking about Jon McCarthy. Support him and support that in terms of making proper plans for next season.

"So while I understand there will be frustration about his position, I think there are enough people who understand the good that he does, and there are enough people who understand how lucky we are to have somebody who buys into the club's ethos.

"He's protected the board and protected people like me this year by not putting pressure on for new players. Other managers, when they're down in terms of numbers and injuries, they come out and say, 'if only I had more money and a few more players'. Jon doesn't do that. He's got an integrity about him and that's to his great credit.

"So as long as we can sit round in a room and look at each other in the face, and understand we believe we're going in right direction, however frustrating runs of results come, then we're in the right place, and I think that's very much the case."

McCarthy, who had Chester as high as seventh and six points off the play-offs at Christmas, has operated with one of the lowest budget in the league this season.

And, in an interview that can be viewed in full on our Chester FC Facebook page, added: "This is something Jon would never say but we've been asking him to put a squad together almost with his hands tied behind his back and standing on one leg, if you compare the reality financially against other clubs.

"That's not a negative from my point of view, that's a reality, in terms of where we are, and I'm hugely positive that with the things going on off the pitch that we can be give him a more competitive budget, and that we can learn about the efficiency of the team, such as the way we look at the medical side to make sure we lose less time to injuries.

"We've lost 176 matches through injury this season to players and that's clearly something we need to look at because when you've got a thinner squad and thinner budget, then what you've got to do is be efficient.

"I'm really confident we can give him more support and be more competitive. So whilst it was survival this year, the ambition is to be more competitive in the years to come.

"We've got to be, and that's a challenge to me and the board, because what we can't do is rely upon a manager and a team pulling rabbits out of the hat every single week.

"So, when he's in a situation that he's got five, six or seven injuries, like he's got at the moment, and then let's say the players do or don't perform, then it's very difficult for him to make tough decisions in that situation.

"We need to provide financial strength to allow him to strengthen at crucial times and that's what we've not been in a position to do that over the course of this season.

"We've got to do that moving forward, and then you can be reasonable in judging him and the team on the basis of the performance."