What a strange feeling it was walking out of the ground.

Desperate disappointment that Wrexham had left the Deva with the three points for the first time in nearly 10 years.

But also pride and encouragement from the fight and performance that Chester FC produced.

And, with the dust settling on the first cross-border derby of the season, we look at four key talking points from the Blues' cruel 1-0 loss.

The referee

As is so often the case in matches of this magnitude, the referee was thrust into the spotlight - and, with some justification, Chester supporters will feel Thomas Bramall got the big decisions wrong.

The man in the middle handed out a harsh early booking to Jordan Archer that left the raw but highly promising striker walking on a tightrope that he did well not to fall off - particularly given one or two players in yellow and red were not averse to going down a little bit too easily.

Bramall was right to punish Sam Wedgbury for a poor challenge on Blues substitute Paul Turnbull - but could it have been a red and not a yellow? In Wedgbury's defence, his feet did not leave the ground, but it was late and another referee may well have sent him off.

Instead the official's biggest blunder came seven minutes before Shaun Pearson scored what proved to be the winner for the Dragons. Lathaniel Rowe-Turner's header clearly hit the hand of former Chester City striker Chris Holroyd in the box with BT Sport pundits Michael Owen and Dean Saunders both agreeing that Bramall should have pointed to the spot.

Wrexham AFC beat Chester 1-0 at the Deva Stadium
Lathaniel Rowe-Turner battles for the ball for Chester FC

Lady Luck

As the game wore on there was a nagging belief that this just wasn't going to be Chester's night.

Along with not getting the rub of the green from the officials, they saw two efforts hit the woodwork, through Lucas Dawson and James Akintunde, during a second half that they started slowly in but eventually went on to boss.

That was impressive enough given the players Marcus Bignot did not have his disposal - and particularly given the departure of the player who was one of their biggest threats in their impressive opening to the contest.

Reece Hall-Johnson's pace was sorely missed and while Blues boss Bignot was right to stick to the system that Wrexham initially struggled to get to grips with, Kingsley James, quite understandably, is not a wingback.

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Sour grapes

Blaming the referee and cursing your luck after a derby defeat can lead your rivals to accusing you of sour grapes and, to his absolute credit, Bignot refused to offer any excuses in his post-match interview.

While certain incidents went against Chester, their defending for the goal was slack and, for all their dominance, can you remember Chris Dunn having a serious save to make? The under-worked Dragons goalkeeper should have been given no chance by substitute Harry White late on.

There were also moans and groans about Wrexham players feigning injury and timewasting. Was it nice to see? Of course not. But let's play devil's advocate. You could also call it streetwise; tactics of an experienced team who will do anything to close a game out.

A passing football fan watching on BT Sport would never have guessed which team had just gone joint top of the table and which team remained in the bottom four. The Dragons are neither pretty or entertaining but they have found a way to win football games and it is a gut-wrenching lesson the Blues must learn from.

Ryan Astles goes close late on for Chester FC

Warrior Ryan

That Wrexham managed to record their eighth one-goal victory of the campaign owed much to the magnificence of their captain Pearson and his centre-back partner Manny Smith.

But you should not overlook Ryan Astles' display. Ultimately, it was one which was marred by the only goal of the game, as the big Chester defender was the man down to mark Pearson on set-pieces.

But that should not detract from the bravery Astles showed to still be on the field after he sustained a gash to the foot that required eight stitches. Bignot said any other player would have come off while the player himself said he would have stayed on even if he had broken his leg .

The memorable quote underlines Astles' commitment to the cause and means, as he bad as he will feel at letting Pearson escapes from his clutches, he should take pride in the way he performed.