“I was devastated I didn’t want to talk about it, I didn’t even want to think about it. But when you go down onto the pitch and you see a little fan sobbing his heart out and saying please don’t leave it really does hit home. What do you do in that situation. Even talking about it now brings a lump to my throat and makes the hairs stick up on the back of my neck. The fans have been absolutely brilliant since I’ve been here and with that kind of fans’ base, then you’d like to think We can come back again next season.” – Stuart Hicks

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a loan player or not, you get a feel for a club you play 15 games for. Nobody’s more disappointed than me at going down and it’s an embarrassing tag to players who have to say they’ve played in a team that has been relegated from the Football League. If Ian Atkins is staying at Chester then I’d love to stay but I’ve still got another year to run at Wigan and I’ll have to see what happens there. All I want now is to forget about this because it’s happened to me before in my Port Vale days and it’s not a nice experience. The worst thing about the game was at the end when news filtered through that Exeter had equalised. That got through to the players on the pitch and we thought we were safe. But it wasn’t to be.”– Andy Porter

“I wasn’t concerned for Chester and I didn’t have any sympathy for them. I’m playing for a play-off place.” – Posh scorer Richie Hanlon

“It was a great day, and if you think that York player who scored the own goal (against Chester) took a bung then you should have seen the Exeter keeper - he threw the ball in his own net!” – Kevin Ratcliffe

“What upsets me more than most is that the worst team in the league has not gone down. And to go down on goal difference is sickening. But we could not have done anything more and we could not have givenanything more. I was just overwhelmed bu the fans after the game, They were coming up to me and hugging me and asking e to stay on. I’ve loved every minute of it here and if a plan is put in place then I’d love to stay but the next 48 hours will be crucial.” – Ian Atkins

“He (Smith) is someone who likes to interfere and lead things. He likes to get himself heard that�s one thing for sure. I have had to put up with a lot in the last few months that few people will realise. I am going to sit down, and think about my future in the next few days. But, a lot depends on who is going to be running the club in the future.” – Ian Atkins

“What upsets me more than most is that the worst team in the league has not gone down,” said Atkins today. “And to go down on goal difference is sickening. But we could not have done anything more and we could not have given anything more. "I was just overwhelmed by the fans after the game. They were coming up to me and hugging me and asking me to stay on. "I’ve loved every minute of it here and if a plan is put into place then I’d love to stay but the next 48 hours will be crucial.” – Ian Atkins

“There’ll be a mass exodus.” – Tony Hemmings, on the players.

“I’m still very disappointed that I didn’t start the game never mind come on as a substitute. Being the club’s longest serving player and a player who will be playing for Chester next season, I wanted to do something to help the club out but I’m no good to anyone just standing on the touchline. The fact that I couldn’t do a thing to help saving this club will rankle with me for a long time. You only have to look what Shrewsbury sub Mickey Brown did when he came, set up one and scored the winner to keep his club in the Football League.” – Nick Richardson

“No one else connected with Chester City Football Club have ever won a European championship.” – Terry Smith

“There was six month’s of pure circus.” – Wayne Brown

“I’ve kept quiet because I didn’t want to rock the boat. All he ever wanted to do, was to be able to manage the team again. He wanted to do it all himself, yet when I arrived I found a team in complete disarray. His hair style makes him look like Coco the Clown and at times I am afraid he has acted like a clown. The reason the club find itself in the Conference is down to him.” – Ian Atkins

“People look for a scapegoat and being American, from an American Football background, I fit the bill.” – Terry Smith

“It hurts me because Chester is the first team I’ve played league football for and to play in a side that drops out of the Football League is not a nice feeling. I drive home on my own to Sheffield on Saturday night and when you’re on your own you have a lot of time to think about things. We knew that we had two hard games but all we needed was just one point but I never ever thought at any stage during the season that we would go down. We put ourselves in a great position and although a lot of people can point the finger of blame at certain individuals, I think the players must take the blame. We’ve known what we’ve had to do and we haven’t acchieved it. I just feel so sorry for the supporters because the fans have really shown their true colours this season. I just wish we could have got a draw and everything would have been alright.” – Luke Beckett

“The club has spent massive amounts of money signing 12 players since January, doubling our player wage bill.” – Terry Smith

“We haven’t spent a penny and resources have been tight.” – Ian Atkins

“I think they are in for a nightmare next season because I know that there are a lot of rich clubs and a lot of well run clubs in the conference. If anyone thinks it will be an easy then they are in for shock. It will be an absolute nightmare. This should have never have happened. It was obvious in September when Mr Smith started playing with a toy, that he was playing with something he never knew anything about. Not only was I a player for them but when I was a youngster living in Saltney I was a fan, even though I went on to play for Wrexham. I am just stunned. I think it is going to be very difficult for them. The standard in the Conference is very high but I hope I am wrong. I cannot imagine Chester City without a football club.” – Harry McNally