After Kane Richards nodded home Chester's third goal against Wrexham on Saturday, chants of 'can we play you every week' could be heard ringing around the Lookers Vauxhall Stadium.
And while the 2-0 derby triumph at the Racecourse in 2013 and last season's dramatic 2-1 home success over the old foe may take some beating, the manner in which Chester swept aside one of the league's hot promotion favourites was, arguably, their finest performance against the Dragons in many a long day.
There was none of Wrexham manager Gary Mills' usual 'are you not entertained' tub thumping to the Dragons fans post game, but the visiting boss gave an honest and frank assessment of the game, stating that his side were simply second best.
That is what made Saturday's success so sweet. Ever since Chester FC rose from the ashes in 2010, Blues fans have had to endure plenty of jibes from some Wrexham fans. But on Saturday there were no jokes about Chester being a 'pub team' that were commonplace before the first meeting of the two in non-league football's top tier two years ago. A record of three victories, one draw and one defeat from their five encounters since 2013 mean the bragging rights well and truly belong to the Blues.
Look: Action from Chester's derby win over Wrexham
Can we play you every week?
So, what if we were to play Wrexham every week? To highlight just how dominant Chester have been over their cross-border rivals during the past two years, if the above record were to carried out over a season the Blues would have amassed 90 points to Wrexham's 36. Such a points haul, based over 45 games (although the league season is 46), would likely see Steve Burr's side celebrating a return to the promised land of the Football League and Mills' Dragons heading to the Vanarama North.
Of course this is all chest-beating bravado in the wake of yet another derby success, but a performance such as the one given on Saturday has breathed new life into a campaign that had been in jeopardy of floundering following a series of bad results and wasted opportunities in recent weeks.
Setting the tempo
From the moment ex-Wrexham man Johnny Hunt steamed into a 50/50 challenge and came out on top you just knew that it was going to be Chester's day. They wanted it more, they rolled up their sleeves and they never took their foot off the gas. It wasn't even as if the visitors were poor and were simply having a off-day, they were just outfought and outclassed by a Blues side determined to restore their fans faith in them in the wake of the losses at Welling United and Bromley.
To a man, Chester were excellent. Whereas in the past two games it was difficult to pick out a man-of-the-match for the Blues, Saturday was the flip side of the coin, with every player having an excellent game.
John Rooney, whose unstoppable 30-yard free-kick opened the scoring, was excellent. He showed he is more than just a set-piece maestro, he worked tirelessly, distributed the ball superbly and the play never bypassed the midfield where he and Tom Shaw, scorer of the Blues' second, dominated. And the decision to play Ben Heneghan, who persevered despite six stitches in a calf injury, paid dividends, with the England C international helping to protect the back four and break up play.
Watch: John Rooney on Chester FC's derby triumph
New signing James Roberts was a real handful, with Ross Hannah playing much more freely and looking far more threatening as a result. Very much in the Matty Hughes mould, Roberts looks a real talent and it will be interesting to see how he fares against Barrow tomorrow night.
Veteran skipper Ian Sharps used all his experience and never put a foot wrong while Michael Kay, who has sometimes come in for criticism for his displays when played out of position, shone in his favoured role of centre back. Everything that came his way was snuffed out with minimum fuss and he looked a calm and composed figure at the back. Ryan Higgins and Hunt gave the Blues width and Hunt looked determined to prove their were no divided loyalties on his behalf when facing his former employers.
Richards is right on time
And Richards rounded off a crazy seven days, which began with him missing the team bus to Bromley last weekend, with a goal that his hard work and attacking endeavour deserved after he was introduced at half-time. It is hard to imagine Richards being flavour of the month at training last Monday, fast forward seven days and how the tables have turned. Here's hoping he can kick on and produce some solid form on a more regular basis and deliver on his undoubted talent.
But it's important not to get too carried away with this result, after all, the Blues have a strong record against the top sides in the National League this season, but it was certainly a performance to give hope to Chester fans that, if they can avert any injury crisis, the play-off push that had seemed so possible in August can still be a reality.
