LIKE most Chester FC supporters, Chris Pilsbury can barely contain his excitement as the big kick-off looms.
Pilsbury, chairman of the re-formed club, is one of the driving forces behind the City Fans United group which brought the Blues back from the dead.
With Tuesday’s curtain-raiser at Warrington Town just days away, he said: “I think it’s very exciting. It’s quite literally the beginning of a new era.
“In a matter of four months we’ve come from absolutely nothing to playing a league game.
“This is beginning of a long journey to try to re-establish Chester as a successful League club.”
The progress CFU have made since Chester City FC was wound up in the High Court in March has been rapid.
A new club, owned by the 2,000-plus members of CFU, has been created from scratch.
The Blues may have dropped a couple of rungs down the non-league ladder, but they are the bookies’ favourites to top this season’s Evo-Stik Division One North table.
Pilsbury added: “The future of the club is a brighter one now it’s in the hands of the supporters, rather than the hands of others.
“It’s up to the supporters, as the owners of the club, to make sure it is as successful as it can be.”
He said he takes inspiration from clubs like Dagenham, Burton, Aldershot and Accrington, all of whom have made a success of life in the Football League with average crowds similar to Chester’s.
Pilsbury also wanted to thank the local council, Supporters Direct and fellow fan-owned clubs FC United of Manchester and AFC Telford United for their help in getting Chester FC off the ground.
As well as praising his colleagues on the CFU board, he said the real “unsung heroes” were the countless fans who had volunteered to help out at the Deva in a variety of roles this season.
