Anthony Johnson insists he and Bernard Morley will create a 'winning mentality' at Chester, in their bid to turnaround a 'big club that has fallen by the wayside'.

The former Salford City duo were a surprise appointment at the Deva just over a fortnight ago, signing two-year deals and tasked with improving Chester's fortunes on the pitch, after a calamitous 2017/18 campaign which culminated in relegation to National League North.

The Blues have become accustomed to losing matches - 27 defeats last season tells its own story - with a major turnover of players expected this summer, as Morley and Johnson revamp the squad with a mixture of young, hungry players and experienced campaigners ready for the rough and tumble of English football's sixth tier.

“Me and Bern, we’re winners. We don’t settle for anything less,” Johnson said. "We don't do complacency.

“I’ve heard it said that we’re a coup for Chester bringing us in. I think Chester is a coup for myself and Bern in our careers. Now it’s our job to get this football club winning games again and getting back to where it belongs.

“It’s a new league and a new start for the football club. There will be a massive turnover of players, but the club needs its supporters more than ever.

“We need to put a stop to losing games. The club has become used to losing matches, so have the players, that’s not what we’re about. We will create a winning mentality around the club and sign players who are winners and will get on board with what we want to do.

“Of course, there was mitigating circumstances having left Salford, but when Chester was mentioned, our ears pricked up straight away.

“We spoke to a few other clubs at a higher level, but you have to take things into consideration and Chester felt like the perfect fit for us.”

Johnson believes Chester need to recapture the magic of Neil Young's spell in charge of the reformed club, who claimed three successive promotions to climb back into non-league's top tier. The 35-year-old highlighted both the results and attendances in excess of 3,000 during those seasons as reasons to be optimistic heading into the new campaign.

“We’ve been managers for nine years now, this will be our 10th season," he continued.

“The Class of ’92 were in their first season when we took over, people forget that. Salford were playing in front of 200 fans and when we left we were getting crowds more than 2,000.

“We’ve helped build two clubs up from the bottom. Now this is a completely new challenge as we’ve been tasked with rebuilding a big club that has fallen by the wayside.

“We knew Chester when they were coming up through the leagues and they were averaging 3,000 plus crowds. We want to get that stadium full like it was when Youngy was in charge.

“We get the situation; an apathy has been created but winning football matches will bring people back. The club were still pulling in crowds up to 2,000 last season despite being relegated, so the fanbase is there."

Both Morley and Johnson both appear keen to give the club's young starlets a chance to shine, and the latter believes the positive mentality created by the youth team's wonderfully successful season can be translated into first-team results next term.

He said: “What excites me greatly is getting to work with young, hungry players.

“Nathan Brown, Matty Waters, these are lads who make me excited about this club and the challenges ahead.

“We want to give young players an opportunity, and players whose first thought isn’t about money.

“The academy has that winning mentality. I mean look at the youth team, what they’ve done in the past 12 months, it’s been incredible, they’re the best academy side in non-league football across the whole country.

“So, if the academy can do it, why can’t the first-team have the same mentality?”