Blyth Spartans boss Alun Armstrong felt his side could have scored even more than the eight they managed against Chester FC on Saturday.

The Blues were demolished at Croft Park as their unbeaten start to the National League North campaign came to a staggering halt.

The hosts put three past Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley’s side in the first half through Dan Maguire, Kieran Green and Jamie Holmes.

The Spartans added to their lead after the break through Sean Read, before Blues midfielder Gary Roberts was dismissed and Steve Howson put the ball through his own net to add a fifth for the home side.

Substitute Adam Wrightson scored Blyth’s sixth, before Gary Stopforth netted what would prove to be a consolation for the Blues, with Nathan Buddle adding a seventh with around 15 minutes remaining and Maguire notching his second of the game before full-time to cap a miserable afternoon for Chester.

Before the clash against the Blues, Armstrong had criticised his own players for their first half performance last week in the defeat to Bradford (Park Avenue) as ‘disgusting’ and ‘unacceptable’.

But the Spartans responded to the slamming from their own manager, something Armstong gave his players full credit for their performance and believed the scoreline could have been a greater one.

He told the club’s YouTube channel: “I expected a reaction after Tuesday, especially after the rollicking we gave them at half-time against Bradford.

“But then you’re looking at title favourites in the next game and the game after that, you’re looking at promotion favourites and it was never going to get any easier.

“But the lads did exactly what I asked of them in that first 20 minutes and put them on the back foot. Some of it was ugly and that’s what we’ve got to start doing.

“We’ve got to earn the right to play football, we’ve said that time and time again. I think what they’ve done today should set the tone.

“The first 20 minutes we’ve turned them, got in behind them, caused them all kinds of problems.

“I’m not being disrespectful, but it could have been a lot, lot more, I think everyone could see that.

“I don’t think you’ll believe it, but I was absolutely fuming that we conceded. We should never had conceded a goal, we got sloppy.

“But I’ve got to give the lads full credit, they reacted to what was said on Tuesday night and they’ve took everything on board and I’m over the moon with them. We’ve just got to make sure that it continues.”

The result dropped Chester down to 12th in the National League North table as Blyth now sit just one place behind them after getting their first points on the board.

Despite the heavy loss his side inflicted on the Blues, Armstrong believes the Swansway Chester Stadium outfit will ultimately be at the top end of the table.

He added: “I know what we’re capable of football-wise. You look at their team and they’ll be up there without a shadow of a doubt because the three centre halves that they’ve got, they’ll defend ever so well.

“They’ll defend better than what they did today, but they’ll not come up against players like what we’ve got and that’s really good technical footballers and when we play like that, there’s not many people that can stop us.

“We’ve just got to keep that belief and keep doing the things at the right time, the ugly stuff at the right time and just being dominant with the ball.”