Pic: Will Kilpatrick
DELIGHTED Colne FC boss Steven Cunningham says securing the North West Counties Premier title was so good, it was better than his wedding day!
The Reds kept their nerve on Saturday as Daniel Boyle’s 83rd minute winner at 1874 Northwich secured the league title, just edging out Runcorn Linnets.
Left playing catch up after a number of postponed games, Colne won eight of their final ten matches to lift the trophy and earn promotion to the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League.
Cunningham, appointed in November 2013, had predicted in pre-season that his men would win the league and they did it in style, compiling 100 points, scoring 105 goals and losing just four of their 42 league matches
Despite missing out on a league and cup double after losing 5-1 in the Men United Cup final to Atherton Collieries on Tuesday, Cunningham says Saturday’s success was one of the best days of his life.
He told the club’s website: “Saturday was unbelievable, it was better than my wedding day and the only day that beats it is the birth of my two children. I’m still in dream land!
“We took 250 fans to the game which in itself is incredible, the emotion showed by the players and their families really showed the significance of the occasion and I’m delighted now to be an Evo-Stik manager.”
The Reds will be competing at Step 4 next season for the first time in the club’s 20-year history and are ahead of schedule according to boss Cunningham.
“This division is the toughest to get out of in the Non-League game due to the fact that only one team can go up,” he added.
“I said from day one that I’d win the league in three years and I’ve done it in two. When I saw the team I’d assembled in the summer I had no doubt that we’d be champions come May.
“On Saturday all of my talking was backed up. Losing four from 42 says it all and before postponements kicked in over Christmas we were top and rarely moved from the summit. We were playing catch up in terms of fixtures but in my eyes it was always in our hands.”
