Evan Horwood says that he is now a Chester FC fan having left the Blues for pastures new.

The 31-year-old mutually agreed to terminate his six-month deal at the club last week , allowing him to pen a longer term deal with Welsh Premier League side Bala Town.

And just days after leaving Chester, Horwood was facing his former teammates for his new club as the Lakesiders were beaten 3-1 by the Blues on a glorious summer’s evening in the picturesque surroundings of Maes Tegid, nestled in the stunning hills of Gwynedd.

While admitting it to be a surreal experience, Horwood is already focused on his new challenge but had nothing but praise for the club, manager Jon McCarthy, and the volunteers who keep everything ticking over day to day.

“It was a bit (surreal) but at the end of the day I’m getting paid by somebody else now and I’m there to do a job, and that’s what I tried to do,” said Horwood, who played at left back for Colin Caton’s side.

“I told the gaffer early doors that I was thinking about doing this and it’s given me the opportunity now to have a new challenge, not train as much, have one game a week and get another career under my belt. I know it’s only early doors but in the next couple of years I think I’ll look back on this as one of the best decisions I have ever made.

“I loved it (at Chester), especially with the staff and that. There is a small army of people there who work for nothing who I absolutely love and you know how much I enjoy the community. The gaffer has been class for me and I wish I would have had him 10 years ago as my manager. I am actually a fan now, I really am, because of the background that goes on at the club, it’s fantastic.”

Horwood, who also worked with the University of Chester’s football teams as part of the Blues’ community programme, took the decision to leave the Blues having signed only a six-month deal with the club earlier in the summer.

With a young family to support and keen to carve himself a new career away from the pitch in the coming years, former Hartlepool United and Northampton Town man Horwood, who made 22 appearances for Chester in the National League last season, believes the time was right to make the move to Bala and believes it will help him prolong his career.

He said: “If I would have left after six months where would that leave me? I have the opportunity now to go and get a job, but more importantly I’m looking forward to maintaining my career and keep going. It’s not step back, it’s so I can maintain my career and go longer, really.

“I am really impressed (with Bala). There are a lot of characters in that dressing room and I think we have a real chance of doing something.”