A little over two weeks since FC St Helens clinched promotion to the North West Counties Premier Division but the magnitude of the feat still hasn’t set in.
Michael Smith’s side got their hands on the First Division North trophy after brushing aside their competition to scoop the title. Their outing on Good Friday was far from plane sailing as they needed a penalty 14 minutes from time to pick up a hard-earned 3-2 win.
Their gruelling campaign has them 10 points clear with one game remaining after a formidable season. Smith has an FA Vase triumph on his CV, from his time with Warrington Rylands, and experience at the likes of Skelmersdale United but never had a spell as manager.
After toiling for a shot as a head coach, he was afforded the opportunity at Windleshaw Sports when the joint-management of Jack Graham and Oli Macbryde ended due to opportunities higher up.
And in his debut season, he earned a winners medal with preparations for their Premier Division campaign. But for chairman, Steve Leather, the continuous work has not allowed the chance to take stock of the achievement.
“It’s been nothing but non-stop ever since and the realisation hasn’t kicked in quite yet,” he told Off The Park. “I don’t think it will until the start of next season, it’s busy at the moment sorting everything out, it’s a tough time at the moment.
“I genuinely don’t think I’ve sat back and thought about it, I was emotional after the game but we’ve still got the season to finish.
“We still got a game this Saturday and the Champions Cup, I’m fiercely proud of what we’ve achieved but we won the league today, what are we going to do tomorrow? That’s my attitude.”
Promotion to the North West Counties Premier Division has been 10 years in the making. Leather made the decision to create FC St Helens after becoming frustrated at the lack of opportunities at neighbours St Helens Town.
Leather organised Town’s junior football section in 2006, at a time when his son needed a club. However, as the years passed, the opportunities to play open age football dried up prompting him to transfer his work to the newly-founded FC umbrella.
During that time, FC tasted success in the Cheshire Football League, winning the title twice during the COVID years before they were awarded upward movement for the 2022/23 season.
They were one penalty kick away from promotion in their first season, losing on penalties to Chadderton in the First Division North playoff final – despite only setting ambitions of securing their place in the division for another season.
Leather explains: “There was mixed emotions in that game, while I was devastated that we lost the game to get promoted, in hindsight it was probably a blessing for us. I’m a big believer that it was too much too soon, we learned a lot and I think that was a good foundation for us to go into the second season.”
However, Good Friday was almost a full circle moment for Leather and those players who followed the journey from 16 years of old. Thomas Scarborough and Josh Hall were on target against Runcorn Town but it was all the more fitting when Jack Ball scored the winning goal.
As Ball converted his spot-kick, the moment was all too much for Leather. He said: “I missed most of the celebrations because I was a mess in the changing room because it was the realisation of 10 years coming to fruition.
“I’m not one to show my emotions publicly but behind the scenes it got to me a little. It’s a long season, it just came to a reflection of the challenge that we had 10 years ago, there was people dismissing how I wanted to run the football club and that’s what motivated to do FC St Helens in the first place.
“The lad that scored the penalty to secure the 3-2 win to send us into the Premier Division after 10 years was one of those players that was the 16, 17-year-old and that sent me over the edge a little bit. That was the very reason why I did it in the first place, an emotional rollercoaster for me personally.”
The season draws to a close with a trip to Darwen on Saturday before a Champions Cup clash on April 20. Work will continue on their ground to ensure it meets ground gradings for the Premier Division, with the deadline in March, but there is a feeling of confidence that with the work done previously, they can meet the requirements in good time.
The time to take stock of this season’s achievement and the highs and lows of the last decade are on hold in WA10 but the magnitude of their achievement cannot be overstated as they embark on a new historic chapter next season.
