On a Thursday in May 2010, the historic Guildhall in Watergate Street was the scene for a night Chester FC fans will never forget.

Just a couple of months earlier, Chester City had been dragged through the gutter as the once-proud club was expelled from the Football Conference and wound up at the High Court in London.

But that was not the end, merely the beginning for the supporters who'd could stand no more broken promises or lies.

City Fans United (CFU) resolved to collect the ashes of the club and bring it back to life, and the Guildhall was the culmination of those efforts.

Click through the gallery above for a reminder of the night

One of the most memorable parts of the night was the speech Blues legend and current club chairman Grenville Millington gave.

Millington, speaking as chairman of the Chester Former Players' Association, rubbished the idea the reformed club was not a continuation of Chester City.

"Somebody said that we haven't got a past, but we actually have because you're not taking my 345 games away from me," he declared to cheers.

Millington then put £20 people had given him earlier that night on the top table, demonstrating his belief in the supporter-owned model.

"I'm putting in on this table because I can give it to anyone of them in the full knowledge they're going to spend it to the football club," he told the fans.

"Unfortunately it's not 200 quid or two million but, listen, if it had haven been I would have still done the same thing in the true knowledge that these guys would spend it how we all want them to spend it."

Watch Grenville Millington's famous speech below

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How The Chronicle reported the rebirth at the time

More than 500 Blues supporters crammed into the Guildhall last night to bring about the rebirth of Chester FC, wrote Paul Wheelock.

There was not a spare seat in the house as club officials unveiled their ambitious and exciting plans.

Amid euphoric scenes, all those who attended the public meeting were left in no doubt the success of the resurrected club is now in the hands of its owners – the fans.

Chris Pilsbury, chairman of the City Fans United (CFU) group which owns the Blues, said: "This is your club. The fans now own this football club. Everything is yours and without you it won’t work."

CFU, which was handed the keys to the Deva Stadium by the council earlier this month has raised £48,400 so far and is aiming to double that figure by the start of the season through donations, loan notes and the Seals Lottery.

CFU continues to grow, with 100 new members signing up on the night. That means there are now more than 1,800 members, a figure which amazed one of the meeting’s key speakers.

Andy Walsh, general manager of the fan-owned FC United of Manchester, said: "The number of members you have is incredible as you have only supported an idea – you have not even kicked a ball yet."

Outside investment, through sponsorship, is also key with a number of impressive commercial partners set to be announced in the coming weeks.

All monies coming into the club will stay in the club as it is a not-for-profit organisation, and supporters were assured by Chester’s chief executive Steve Ashton that the club will have the means to enjoy success on the field.

Ashton, whose role is being funded by his employers Bank of America, told the audience that the Blues’ first manager could be appointed as early as next week and that he would boast the talent and experience to lead the club out of the Vodkat League Premier Division.

Chester had earlier in the week learned that the FA has recommended that they start lower down the non-league pyramid than expected in step five, alongside the likes of Winsford United and Runcorn Linnets. But the initial disappointment that accompanied the shock news was washed away as more of the club’s plans were announced, including how it will integrate itself back into the community through the Seals Foundation.

But the biggest cheers of the night were saved for when Blues legend Daryl Clare was inducted into the CFU Hall of Fame and when the club’s new badge was put on show for the first time.

How The Chronicle reported the official launch of Chester FC at the Guildhall
How The Chronicle reported the official launch of Chester FC at the Guildhall