Andy McCann has only 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 over, the new school term is in full swing. Yet, in a few days he will be stepping away from the classroom for an eight‑day spell to take on a very different role – that of England manager, albeit in a modest, amateur context. McCann also holds the reins of the Cheshire League representative side, a squad assembled from the top performers in the Cheshire League Premier Division.
The team clinched the FA Inter‑League Cup by defeating the Herts Senior County League at Leicester’s King Power Stadium on 9 May, a victory that earned them the right to wear the Three Lions in the UEFA Regions Cup. The Regions Cup is an amateur competition launched in 1996 and staged biennially since 1999, with the 2021 edition cancelled because of the pandemic. National associations either qualify or receive a nomination, after which the teams are placed into eight groups in an intermediate stage. The group winners advance to the finals.
Historically, Spain have lifted the trophy four times, Italy three, Poland twice, while the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic have each won it once. On Sunday 6 September, McCann and his colleagues will fly to Sweden for a three‑match mini‑tournament, hoping 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 essentially the head of the Cheshire League – kept telling me there was a chance we could represent England, but I was solely focused on winning the cup," McCann told Sky Sports.
"Our management team met a few times to fine‑tune tactics, set‑pieces and other details, and that’s when the magnitude of the opportunity sank in. After the win, people in the pub were joking, ‘When the World Cup is over you’ll be England manager!’" He added, "I don’t want to draw too direct a comparison with the professional game, but the experience feels a bit like being an international manager, just at a much lower level. It will hit me fully when we board the plane, but it’s a genuine honour to be England manager for a week, even if it’s the D team." The squad will be decked out in the full England kit – the same tracksuit, shirts, shorts and socks worn by the senior national side. "Seeing the lads put on that kit is massive for them," McCann noted.
"Some are buzzing just to wear the shirt in a competitive match." Unlike their full‑time professional counterparts, every player in the Cheshire League side is an amateur with a day‑job. The roster 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 squad members are qualified physical‑education teachers, and several others are studying postgraduate certificates in education to become teachers.
"Some players are taking unpaid leave, but most are using their normal holiday entitlement and treating the trip as a chance for eight days away from work," McCann explained. "We haven’t had any travel issues, though it was a concern initially.
I promised the final squad that if we won the Inter‑League Cup, I would take them to Sweden – I kept that promise. The only absentee is Juliano Rosa Silva, who played every minute of the cup but is injured and devastated to miss the tournament." Scouting opponents at this level is a challenge. "For the first game we have an FA‑registered coach whose primary job will be to observe the other teams.
He’ll watch the two opponents we don’t face on Monday. By the second and third matches we’ll have more information, and we’ll be better prepared.
Our focus for the opening game is on what got us to King Power and helped us win that final." McCann believes his side is uniquely built. "We may have left out some technically gifted players, but we selected a group that matches our strengths – we have plenty of power and pace," he said. Their group in Sweden includes representative sides from Finland (Jarvenpää United), Portugal (Algarve) and Sweden (Gothenburg).
Of the 34 teams in the competition, Finland, Portugal and Sweden are ranked 11th, 7th and 30th respectively, while the Cheshire League sit at 17th. Even though the team is amateur, the preparation has been as professional as possible. "We have every hour of the eight days mapped out – rest, recovery, meals, training aligned with match times.
If you’re going to do it, you do it to the best of your ability," McCann emphasized. He also arranged for three members of the Mid‑Cheshire team that won the Inter‑League Cup in 2004 to give a talk after the final training session, drawing lessons from their experience. The mission is not simply to enjoy a week in England colours; the aim is to win all three games, reach the finals, and raise the profile of amateur football for the next generation.
"We’re not just going to be England for a week and then get beaten. The focus is on winning and using this platform to inspire young players," McCann said. When the Swedish adventure concludes, McCann will return to Warrington at the crack of dawn, resume his teaching duties, and, if all goes well, be remembered by his pupils as a brief‑time England hero – a unique badge of honour for an assistant headteacher turned amateur national manager.