Marcus Bignot reckons Chester FC 's fight for Vanarama National League survival will go down to the wire.

Chester head into tomorrow's BT Sport live home clash with high-flying Dagenham & Redbridge (12.30pm kick-off) three points adrift of safety.

That is in spite of a series of improved performances under Bignot who took over a confidence-hit team that had gone nine months without a home win.

Bignot insisted after Tuesday's 2-2 draw at fellow strugglers Leyton Orient that the Blues were getting better by the game.

But, in a straight-talking interview with the National League's official website , he accepts the climb to survival will be a long and hard one.

Bignot, however, believes accepting the fact that Chester face 'a huge fight' will only make his players more battle hardened.

The Blues boss said: “We're going to be in the scrap all season, we're aware of that. We're not deluded. There's none of this four or five game winning run; no, that's not likely to happen.

"We're not going to float off into the top half of the table and live happily ever after. If we are going to be safe it is going to go down to the last month and last games of the season.

Video Loading

"We know that. There will be other clubs who think they'll be okay, but we aren't one of those. It's not a confidence thing, it's reality.

"We know we're in a relegation battle all the way through to the end of the season. What we're creating in our dressing room is a process of getting them ready for that, getting the players battle hardened for what's ahead - a huge fight."

Chester were fourth from bottom and on the back of a run of 21 defeats from 32 matches when Bignot replaced the sacked Jon McCarthy in September .

The former Solihull Moors and Grimsby Town boss has been unable to haul the Blues out of the bottom four so far after taking 10 points from a possible 30.

But, in the interview , he again stressed that they are moving in the 'right direction'.

Bignot said: "I honestly believe I will bring success. I have a vision, I know where I see the club going, but it's going to be really difficult.

"Some teams are starting to really pick up results near us, but some clubs just above us aren't. For us to be just three points away from Leyton Orient, it just shows how ridiculously competitive this league is and the size of the task we face.

"The right here, right now is that we're still in the bottom four and in my 10 games I haven't yet managed to push us out of it.

"But the results and the performances are there, we know that if we continue this then I believe we will only get better."