Craig Mahon is hoping his fifth season at Chester FC will be a landmark one for both himself and the club he has taken to his heart.
It is now four years since the winger walked through the Deva doors on a free transfer from neighbours Vauxhall Motors.
That makes him the club’s longest serving player and the only one to have played in each and every one of the club’s Vanarama National League campaigns.
But never before has Mahon been quite excited for a season as he is for this one.
That is a result of Blues boss Jon McCarthy’s summer transfer business - and a desire to make up for lost time.
A troubling muscle injury restricted Mahon to just three substitute appearances in the second half of the rollercoaster 2016-17 campaign.
That robbed the fan favourite of the opportunity to become Chester FC’s record appearance holder.
Mahon (150) is nine appearances behind the holder of that record, legendary treble title-winning captain George Horan (159).
But the 28-year-old is looking forward to writing his name into the history books in what he believes is a season full of possibility.
“It will be a massive honour if and when I get there,” said Mahon, who signed a new two-year contract with the Blues in May after turning down approaches from a host of clubs.
“It might sound cheesy but to say I’ve played 150 games for Chester FC is a real honour. I’m very grateful and to get the all-time record would be a fantastic achievement.
“All I want to do is win games for Chester. That’s how I repay the fans, helping give them wins and giving them a good show. That’s what I want to do this year.”
With Mahon cutting a frustrated figure on the sidelines the Blues managed just four wins - all away from home - after the New Year.
That ensured they slipped from seventh place and seven points behind the play-offs on Boxing Day to 19th position and two points above the relegation spots come the campaign’s end.
But Mahon has no doubt Chester will enjoy a better season in 2017-18 given the calibre of the players McCarthy has recruited.
And, with six play-off places up for grabs, the Irishman is not ruling out a promotion push.
“The lads we’ve brought in are not only fantastic lads to play with but fantastic lads to be around, too,” said Mahon.
“The whole feel of the place is great and when you look at the lads we’ve got here now, you do think, ‘we could so something this year’.
“We’ve got some key players in the squad who could kick us on that little extra bit and, you never know, we could surprise a few teams.
“Some clubs have struggled to get close to the budget of the play-off teams but, now that there’s six places, it does give other teams with smaller budgets a chance.
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“Don’t forget last December we were in seventh position so a play-off position is something to aim for and, in many ways, I think this will be the best chance we’ve had since we got promoted.
“I enjoyed the lads last season, they were a great bunch of boys, and some fantastic players, but the gaffer has gone out there and made the team and squad stronger.
“The likes of Kingsley James and Ross Hannah coming back, Paul Turnbull... it’s fantastic, and we’ve kept some of the top boys from last year like Ryan Astles.
“We’ve got more depth now and hopefully we can go through the season without worrying about injuries and, if we do get some, we’ll have the cover there.”
That certainly applies to Mahon himself.
He was eased into pre-season training last week after reporting no reaction to the injury that has effectively ruled him out for half a year.
And this week he is aiming to join in with the rest of the squad as they prepare for the friendly opener at Runcorn Town on Monday week (July 10).
“I’m dying for it as I was enjoying last season so much,” said Mahon.
“I went for a run the other night and did three and a half miles in 22 minutes. I hadn’t ran for six months so I felt lucky I didn’t have any reaction.
“All I need now is that little bit of sharpness, and when I get back in with the boys, I’ll start to get that, and I’ll be ready to hit the ground running.”
