Manager Neil Young and his assistant Gary Jones have committed their futures to Chester FC by signing new contracts. We spoke to Young this week about his ambitions for the Blues – this season and beyond

You must be pleased that your future has been resolved and that you are staying at the club.

It’s good to know that we are going to be here for at least another year. It has been an eventful 20 months so far and we now look forward to the rest of this season.

Hopefully we can bring another promotion to the football club.

This contract potentially ties you to the club until 2014. What are your short and longer-term aims?

Our short-term aim is obviously to try and get the club promoted this season. If that was to happen then I believe as a football club we would have our biggest challenge yet in the Conference North and everything that brings.

The longer-term aim is to keep improving both the team and the football club.

Hopefully within my time here we can put in all the foundations for the club to be in a position to compete in the Conference Premier.

You are chasing your third successive Evo-Stik Northern Premier League promotion with two different clubs – are you confident you and the team can achieve it?

We are very confident. We have the best squad in the division and I believe the most focused and hardworking one, too. So with those ingredients and a little bit of luck I don’t see why we can’t achieve our goal.

Chester are top of the league with a substantially better goal difference than their rivals. But do you think there is more to come from your team? And are there areas in which you think they can improve?

I definitely think we can improve but we must remember we have been severely hit by injuries over the season to key players, which I think people tend to forget.

The lads have been fantastic this season and although we have not been at our best in some games, I could not have asked for much more from the players.

The Blues saw off a late challenge from Skelmersdale to win the league last year. Do you think you and the team are stronger for that experience?

Don’t remind me – I still have nightmares about that day at Garforth!

We must remember that most of the current players were not part of last year’s squad and most if not all of the players we have brought in have great experience in either winning leagues or playing in big games. That experience at Garforth probably played a major part in me reshaping the squad in the summer.

Finally, after 20 months, are you still enjoying it?

I love football and I love my job at the football club. The expectation is very high at the club but so is the support.

Over the 20 months we have been here the support for myself and the players home and away has been unbelievable.

Football gives you many highs and lows and if there is one thing I have not improved at, it is dealing with losing games.

In fact I am a nightmare to be around when we lose but I try my best for my family’s weekend, although I’m not very good at hiding my emotions.

On the plus side seeing people’s faces after winning the title last year both at Garforth and on the parade around the city and seeing how much it means is priceless.