Congleton looking forward to making big NSSCL mark

A NEW season brings plenty of excitement for clubs and players - and none more so than at Congleton as they embark on a fresh adventure.

- Chris Travers

The Booth Street club have made the decision to move from the Cheshire set-up to take their place in the North Staffs and South Cheshire League.

It’s a significant decision for Congleton as all three of their senior Saturday sides have made the switch.

And from a first-team angle, captain Jack Higginbotham is relishing the prospect of clocking up league points, rather than extra miles on the road.

“It was a collective decision between the players and we'd been in the Cheshire County League for a long time” he said.

“There has been a big shift in terms of teams coming into the Cheshire League and we've seen more sides enter from Manchester and Liverpool.

“From our perspective the travel gaps were getting larger in the season.

“It didn’t really affect availability, but it was harder for players with families.

“We played Maritime, which is on the Mersey, and the game went the full distance. We didn’t get back to Congleton until 10.20pm.