To do a 'Chester'. To give rise to hope before chokeslamming you back down to the ground.

For those who had the fortune to not have made the trip down to Hertfordshire it was as bad as all the various adjectives used to describe it.

I don't like the whole getting giddy thing when we win a game and I'm not for the end of days approach when we lose, but it's hard not to feel really let down by what happened at Garden Walk on Saturday.

First off I think that Royston Town need to be given all the plaudits that come their way. They played with a pace, purpose and desire that would have given them every chance of getting a result even if the opposition went at it full tilt.

Their number five, Adam Murray, was imperious and made mincemeat of Chester FC 's powderpuff attack. Then there was Josh Castiglione, Adam Watkins, Brandon Adams and Matt Bateman all shining and carving their way through the backline at will.

The celebrations at the end of the game showed how much progress meant and Saturday was up there with one of the best 90 minutes' that the Crows have ever enjoyed, another scalp taken after they saw of National League side Boreham Wood in the last round.

As Chester trudged off, humiliated, the ire was audible from the rightly angry away fans, fans who have travelled in good numbers and payed good money only to see their side, a league higher, completely outbattled.

I often find the notion of lack of effort a bit galling. The loss to Curzon Ashton last month wasn't lack of effort, it was lack of cutting edge. The loss at Spennymoor Town earlier in the season wasn't for lack of effort, it was lack of sense from the referee. The loss at Darlington wasn't lack of effort, it was just a bad day at the office.

Royston was different.

Arriving at the humble surroundings of Garden Walk, nestled in a well kept residential area, the sight of the undulating pitch, the old school wooden board at the entrance of the ground stating the next opponents and the tiny main stand barely three rows deep, it is easy to think that this should be a cakewalk for Chester.

But Royston, third in the BetVictor Southern Central Premier Division, were no mugs and had won their last seven, unbeaten in 11 in all competitions.

But we knew that. People accepted that. I didn't see any wild predictions of hammerings and easy progress to the last 16, if anything I thought the expectations were tempered. Much of the chat I heard pre-match was that a draw wouldn't be the end of the world and a replay wouldn't be so bad.

Royston Town celebrate knocking Chester out of the FA Trophy

The first half wasn't great and Royston displayed the qualities we expected. Talented, organised and full of endeavour and commitment.

Chester were below par but given the conditions and the magnitude of the game for the home side it was a half that could be expected. The Blues rode their luck at times but had Anthony Dudley, Matty Waters or James Jones buried their chances in the first half then it could have been oh so different.

They didn't, though, and what happened in the second half was nothing short of disgraceful.

Chester folded like an accordion as soon as the first goal went in, nearly all of them displaying the 'I'm a National League North player, get me out of here!' body language.

Royston piled on the misery and smelled the blood in the water, the weakness that pervaded through the Chester team. They didn't want to be there and when the final whistle sounded it brought joy for the hosts and despair and relief in equal measure for the Blues side and their terribly let down supporters.

The anger afterwards and on social media was real and much of it warranted. We brushed off the 8-1 at Blyth Spartans as a freak, the 4-3 at Dunston UTS as 'one of those days' and the 6-0 at home to Stockport County as a bridge too far in a bizarre campaign last season.

This was a catastrophe where the only thing to do was front up. Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley apologised for what happened on Saturday, Johnson stating how 'embarrassed' he was and how the fans 'deserve better' .

It's probably easy for me as a journalist who has the privilege of a press pass to say I don't believe in refunding fans after miserable defeats but I don't. I watched Chester up and down the country as a fan before I was a journalist and I didn't then. We know what football is, how anything can happen, good or bad, and we kind of have to roll with the punches.

Contrition isn't bountiful on social media when it comes to footballers after a heavy loss at any level. Win and it's flex arm emojis and 'fans were class', lose and it is radio silence.

Matt Bateman makes it 3-0 to Royston

The reality is there is no need for either.

Saturday happened, it's in the record books and it won't be forgotten in a hurry. In seasons to come we'll no doubt look back and say 'remember Royston?' with deep dread ahead of a cup game at a side we've never heard of.

The players and managers were criticised and rightly so. The steam was let off and now we move on. There are more pressing things that lie ahead that require support to be given to both if we are to achieve our aims.

This is the same team that blitzed a play-off chasing Southport side off the park on Boxing Day and New Year, we know there is something there, something positive, and I do think that this is one of the more likeable sides we've had for a good while.

We'll lose more games this season I expect and unless you are Liverpool then it is something that is par for the course. Chester are in Division Six of English football, that means that the players out there who suffer from inconsistency are doing so because they play at Division Six in English football. If they are consistently good then it is unfortunately au revoir before too long.

It's Leamington this weekend and it will be tough. This league has more strength throughout than it did when we won it in 2013, there are no Hinckley Uniteds, no gimmes here.

The best way to atone for what happened on Saturday isn't refunding petrol money, it isn't saying sorry on Twitter, it is forging a steely determination to make sure that kind of collapse doesn't happen again, that whatever the result they come off knowing they've battled and left it out on the pitch.

If that is done then we'll be close to our goal this season. We're too close to achieving something to tear it to shreds, but the onus is now on the players to instill that belief that it can be achieved.