Andy McCann has just gotten back to his regular duties. By day he is an assistant headteacher at Great Sankey High School in Warrington, and with the summer break finally over the new academic term is in full swing. Yet, in a few days he will be stepping away from the classroom for eight days to take on a very different role – a temporary England manager, albeit at a modest level. McCann also holds the position of manager for the Cheshire League representative side, a squad assembled from the top players in the Cheshire League Premier Division.
His team captured the FA Inter‑League Cup by defeating the Herts Senior County League at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on 9 May, a victory that secured them a place to represent England in the UEFA Regions Cup. What exactly is the Regions Cup? It is an amateur competition inaugurated in 1996 and, apart from a Covid‑induced cancellation in 2021, has been staged every two years since 1999.
National associations either qualify or are nominated to enter an intermediate stage, where the entrants are divided into eight groups. The group winners then progress to a final tournament.
To date Spain have lifted the trophy four times, Italy three, Poland two, while the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic have each won it once. On Sunday 6 September, McCann and his squad will fly to Sweden for three matches, aiming to become the first English side ever to reach the final stage of the competition. "During the Inter‑League Cup, the chairman Rob Goodwin‑Davey – who is the Mr Cheshire League – kept telling me there was a chance we could go on to represent England, but I was only focused on winning the cup," McCann told Sky Sports.
"As a management team we met a few times to go over tactics, set‑pieces and final details, and that’s when we realised how big this could be. After we won, people in the pub were saying, ‘When the World Cup is over you’ll be England manager!’" He laughed that the role is akin to being an international manager, just on a much smaller scale.
"When we board the flight I’ll realise it’s a real privilege and an honour to be England manager for a week, whatever the level. We’ve decided we’re the England D team and we’ll embrace that," he added.
The team will not only wear the England name – they will be dressed in the full national kit. "When we get to the airport we receive the complete England outfit – the same tracksuit, shirts, shorts and socks you saw at the World Cup. The lads are buzzing just to pull that shirt on in a competitive match," McCann explained. What sets the Cheshire League side apart from professional outfits is that every player is an amateur with a day‑job.
The squad includes names such as AJ Atherton, George Anthony, Callum Burgess, Matt Dixon, Niall Dolan, Amir Hajri, Harry Johnston, Tim Kinsella, Harrison Mather, Liam McDowell, Rob Payne, Rhys Peers, Ben Powell, Matt Saunders, Bailey Sherlock, Lee Simmons, Walker Stone and Arron Woodward. Captain Tim Kinsella works as an electrician, while vice‑captain Liam McDowell is a quantity surveyor. Two members are qualified PE teachers and several others are studying PGCEs to become teachers.
Because they are amateurs, many will be taking unpaid or ordinary leave to join the trip. "Some lads are taking unpaid leave, but most are using normal holiday and treating it as an eight‑day break," McCann said. He added that no one has been prevented from traveling, though it was a concern initially.
McCann promised the final squad that if they won the Inter‑League Cup, they would be the team he would take to Sweden. He kept that promise.
The only absentee is Juliano Rosa Silva, who played every minute of the cup run but is now injured and “heart‑broken” to miss the Sweden adventure. Scouting opponents at this level is a challenge.
"For the first game we have an FA‑registered coach whose main job will be to observe the other teams, so when we play on Monday he’ll be watching the other two matches as well. By the second and third games we’ll have far more information and be better prepared," McCann explained. He emphasized that the team’s strength lies in its balance of technical skill, power and pace, tailored to the players’ attributes rather than a pure copy of professional tactics. Their group in Sweden includes representative sides from Finland (Jarvenpää United), Portugal (Algarve) and Sweden (Gothenburg).
Of the 34 teams in the tournament, the Finnish side is ranked 11th, the Portuguese 7th, the Swedish 30th, while the Cheshire League sit at 17th. Even though they are amateurs, the preparation has been as professional as possible. "We have the entire eight‑day schedule planned down to the hour – rest, recovery, meals, training matched to game times.
If you’re going to do it, you do it to the best of your ability," McCann said. He also arranged for three members of the Mid‑Cheshire team that won the Inter‑League Cup in 2004 to give a speech after the final training session, drawing lessons from their experience.
The aim is not merely to enjoy a week wearing England colours, but to win all three matches, reach the finals and raise the profile of amateur football for future generations. "We’re not going just to be England for seven days and get beaten. The focus is on winning and using this platform to inspire the next generation," McCann affirmed. After the Swedish trip, McCann will be back at the crack of dawn, back in the classroom, teaching the next generation – perhaps now with a slightly larger reputation as a one‑week England manager, albeit in the amateur ranks.