Anthony Johnson admitted he was 'embarrassed' with Chester FC after their 8-1 thrashing at the hands of Blyth Spartans and told one or two of the Blues' players to 'rip their contracts up' following the performance.

After starting the National League North with a draw against Spennymoor Town and a win over Curzon Ashton, Johnson and fellow co-manager Bernard Morley's Blues were routed in the North East by Alun Armstrong's side.

The hosts put three past the visitors 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 before Maguire scored his second of the game before full-time to cap a miserable afternoon for Chester.

And Johnson said the eight goals conceded was something he has never been involved with during his time in the game, with one of the few positives being the result may put feet back on the ground.

“I’ve never been involved with anything like that in my life. The supporters probably never had, for all the bad results that they’ve had through the years. What can you say except for embarrassing?" he said.

"I’m shaking, I’m that mad. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.

"It’s important that they understand what’s just happened. We conceded seven against Liverpool’s first team and we’ve just conceded eight goals, and it could have been more in actual fact.

"We’ve got a game on Tuesday, but one or two need to understand what’s happened. I’ve just gone in there and I’ve said to one or two of them ‘rip your contracts up and leave the football club’ because after that performance, I wouldn’t dare turn up again.

"I feel the same about myself, to be honest with you. I’m embarrassed to be able walk out there on Tuesday night in front of however many people are going to be there – I feel embarrassed about it, so God knows what one or two of them are thinking.

"In a frightening sort of way, it’s a decent thing it’s happened so early in the season because the one thing if nothing else that it’ll do is put lads’ feet back on the ground, because to get beat and concede that many goals at this level of football is not right.

"It’s difficult to put into words what to say about it apart from getting personal with one or two players. I’m not going to stand here and do that, but to say I’m embarrassed is me being nice and kind and trying to bite my tongue a little bit with one or two people. I’ve never known anything like that before."

The Blues are back in action on Tuesday evening at the Swansway Chester Stadium against Kidderminster Harriers.

Johnson felt the Blues were worse in the opening 45 minutes against Blyth than in the second half, which they had to play a large of with 10 men, adding that he hopes the performance and result are a one-off.

“I actually think we were a lot worse in the first half than we were in the second. There were one or two little mitigating circumstances in the second half," he said.

"The first half, I’ve not seen stuff like that before. Everything that they seemed to put into the box seemed to land to one of their players, they seemed to have an age, it was easy for the opposition.

“You’d like to say it’s a one-off, the proof’s in the pudding over the next couple of games. When there’s no build-up to that happening and then it slaps you, there’s a lot of things you could put it down to, but I’ve never seen nothing like it."