There was little or surprise when Chester FC opted to make a clean break from last season's squad.

After a season of misery that culminated in relegation from the National League, eight players were told they would not be having their deals renewed as new managers Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson opted to piece together their own squad.

Lucas Dawson, James Akintunde, Andy Halls, Lathaniel Rowe-Turner, Jordan Gough, Harry White, Karl Cunningham and Dominic Vose were all told that they wouldn't be kept on for the National League North campaign. Only Gary Roberts and Nathan Brown were offered fresh terms at the end of the season by Morley and Johnson.

Gough has since joined Boston United while Hereford have snapped up striker White for next season, with both set to line up against Chester in the National League North next season.

And Johnson has explained why a fresh approach was needed.

Speaking on Radio City Talk, Johnson said: "We could have spoke to the players whose contracts were running towards the end but we felt that it needed a big brush to sweep out that losing mentality. Good players individually, very good players, but it almost becomes part of a team who are used to and accepting of defeat - and we didn't want that.

"We have had a big changeover in terms of players going out the football club and we targeted specific players coming into the club, and every target we have had so far on our list we have got through."

Chester are hopeful of adding another three players over the course of the next seven days, with verbal agreements in place. But with players away on holiday it means that they can't get their business over the line just yet.

And while conscious of the fact that no business has been done since the signing of Dominic Smalley on June 6, Johnson says that the club have to be patient and doesn't want to face the scenario that they had last summer under Jon McCarthy where the budget was spent well before the start of the season.

Johnson added: "It has been carefully planned and we are not rushing. I know there has been a couple of weeks since any news or activity but I can assure you over the next five to seven days the players who were on that initial list will start coming back off their holidays and we can start getting names on paper.

"You don't want to get your business done for the sake of getting it done. If a player becomes available it's easy to sign them and say 'Ive got 18 players now'. Actually, when you are a month down the line in mid-July and pre-season, players are still becoming available or still not tied up and you have almost used all your budget. That was something that Chester went through last summer when the whole of the budget was used before the season started.

"We are mindful of that and there has always got to be as much as possible left in the budget so you can make changes if and when needed."