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 now over the new academic year is in full swing. Yet, in just a few days he will be stepping away from the classroom for an eight‑day stint that will see him take on the role of England manager – albeit in a very specific context.
McCann also holds the position of manager for the Cheshire League representative side, a squad assembled from the top players competing in the Cheshire League Premier Division. This 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 represent England at the UEFA Regions Cup.
The Regions Cup is an amateur competition that was launched in 1996 and, after a trial period, has been staged every two years since 1999, with the 2021 edition cancelled because of the pandemic. National amateur sides either qualify through regional tournaments or receive a nomination, after which they enter an intermediate stage divided into eight groups. The group winners advance to the final tournament. Historically, Spain have dominated with four titles, Italy have three, Poland two, and the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic have each lifted the trophy once.
On Sunday 6 September, McCann and his squad will fly to Sweden to play three matches, aiming to become the first English team ever to reach the Regions Cup finals. "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 thinking about winning the cup itself," McCann told Sky Sports. "Our management team met a few times to hash out tactics, set‑pieces and final details, and that’s when the scale of it really hit us.
After we won, the lads at the pub were shouting, ‘When the World Cup is over, you’ll be England manager!’" He added that, while the comparison to a full‑time international job is tongue‑in‑cheek, the experience does feel like a miniature version of managing a national side. "It’s a real privilege and an honour to be England manager for a week, at whatever level. We’ve decided we’re the England D team, and we’ll wear that badge proudly," he said. The team will not just carry the name England – they will be dressed in the official England kit.
"When we get to the airport we receive the full England kit – the same tracksuits, training shirts, shorts and socks that you see on the World Cup stage. The players are buzzing just to pull that shirt on for a competitive match," McCann explained. What sets the Cheshire League side apart from professional national squads 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 physical‑education teachers, and several others are studying for PGCEs to become teachers themselves. Because the players are not full‑time footballers, many have taken unpaid leave or used regular holiday time to join the trip.
"No one has had any travel issues, though it was a concern initially," McCann noted. He promised the squad that if they won the Inter‑League Cup, they would be the ones to travel to Sweden – a promise he has kept. The only absentee is Juliano Rosa Silva, who played every minute of the cup run but is sidelined with injury and is understandably disappointed. Scouting opponents at this level is a challenge.
"We have an FA‑registered coach whose primary job during the tournament will be to observe the other teams. For the first match he’ll watch the two remaining opponents, and for the second and third games we’ll have more information to work with," McCann said. He emphasized that the team’s identity is built around strength and pace, even if there are technically gifted players elsewhere in the league.
Their group in Sweden includes representative sides from Finland (Jarvenpää United), Portugal (Algarve) and Sweden (Gothenburg). Of the 34 teams in the competition, Finland are ranked 11th, Portugal 7th, Sweden 30th, while the Cheshire League sit at 17th.
Despite being amateurs, the preparation has been as professional as possible. "We have the entire eight‑day itinerary planned to the hour – 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 asserted. He also arranged for three members of the Mid‑Cheshire team that won the Inter‑League Cup in 2004 to give a motivational talk after the final training session, incorporating their advice into the current squad’s preparation.
McCann is clear that the goal is not simply to enjoy a week wearing England colours, but to win all three games and secure a place in the finals. "It’s also about raising the profile of amateur football for the next generation.
That’s massive," he said. When the Swedish adventure concludes, McCann will be back at the crack of dawn, back in the school corridors, shaping the next generation of learners – perhaps now with a new nickname among the students: England hero, at least for a week.