Andy McCann has only just returned to work.

By day, he works as an assistant headteacher at Great Sankey High School in Warrington. The summer holidays have come to a conclusion and the school year is back in full swing.

But he is about to take eight days off in order to become England manager... sort of.

That's because McCann is also the manager of the Cheshire League, a representative team made up of the best players from the Cheshire League Premier Division.

His side won the FA Inter-League Cup by beating the Herts Senior County League at Leicester's King Power Stadium on May 9 - and, in doing so, earned the chance to represent England in the UEFA Regions Cup.

So, first things first, what is the Regions Cup?

It is an amateur tournament founded in 1996 and held every two years since 1999 - barring 2021 due to Covid.

Teams from the nations taking part either qualify or are nominated, before entering the intermediate round, where they are split into eight groups. The winners of those groups then progress to the finals.

Spain have won it four times, Italy three, Poland two, and the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic once each.

On Sunday September 6, McCann and Co fly out to Sweden for three games and the chance to become the first England team ever to progress to the finals.

"During the Inter-League Cup, the chairman Rob Goodwin-Davey - who is Mr Cheshire League - kept saying to me there was a chance we could go and represent England, but I wasn't really thinking about that. I was purely focused on trying to win the cup," he tells Sky Sports.

"As a management team, we met up a few times to go through final details, tactics, set-pieces and it was then we started to realise it was quite big.

"But once we won it, people in the pub were saying to me: 'Once the World Cup's out the way, you're England manager!'

"Without wanting to compare it too much to 'real life', this job is a bit like being an international manager, albeit a much lower level.

"I'm sure it will dawn on me when we board the flight, but it's a real privilege and an honour to be England manager for a week, at whatever level. We've worked out we're the England D team, so we'll take that!"

They are not just England by name, though.

"When we get to the airport, we get the full England kit. So whatever you've seen England wearing at the World Cup, it's exactly the same. The boys get a full tracksuit, three t-shirts, three training shirts, three pairs of shorts, three pairs of socks - and we will play in the full England kit.

"A lot of the lads are buzzing for that alone. You have your captains and drivers who are keeping everyone focused on winning the competition, but for some of the lads, just being able to pull the shirt on in a competitive game is massive."

What differentiates the Cheshire League from their professional counterparts, however, is that they are all amateur players with day jobs.

Among them are captain Tim Kinsella, who is an electrician, and vice-captain Liam McDowell, who is a quantity surveyor. Two members of the squad are qualified PE teachers, others are studying PGCEs to become teachers.

"Some lads are having to take unpaid leave, but the majority are taking it as normal leave and just treating it as an opportunity to have eight days off and enjoy it," McCann adds.

"We haven't had any issues with anyone not able to travel, but it was a concern.

"In the preparation for the final, as a bit of a motivator, I guaranteed the final squad that if we won, they would be the squad I'd take to Sweden. I felt it was right and I've stuck to that.

"The only one missing is Juliano Rosa Silva, who played every minute of the cup, but is injured. He is heartbroken he can't play."

The reality of football at this level is that scouting the opposition is tricky at best.

"For the first game, we've got an FA-registered coach who will be helping out, but his main priority is watching the other teams, so when we play on Monday, he's going to go and watch the other two.

"For the second and third games, we'll know a lot more, as I'm sure they will too, and we'll be a lot more prepared. For the first game, we'll be focused on what got us to the King Power and what helped us win it.

"We've built a team that we feel is quite unique in the way we approached it. Without giving too much away, there are probably more technical players in the Cheshire League than what we've picked, but we've picked a team that is to our strengths and we've got a lot of power and pace in the team."

Laying in wait for McCann's side are representative teams from Finland (Jarvenpaa United), Portugal (Algarve) and Sweden (Gothenburg). Of the 34 teams taking part, they are ranked 11th, 7th and 30th respectively; Cheshire League are ranked 17th.

This may be an amateur team, but the preparation for this adventure has been as professional as possible.

"We're just very focused. For now, that's the next step," adds McCann.

"We've done everything we can. We've got the full eight days planned down to the hour. Rest, recovery, recuperation, we've got down the times we're eating, we've mirrored training with game times. If you're going to do it, you do it to the best of your ability.

"In the build-up to the final, Rob got three of the Mid-Cheshire team that won the Inter-League Cup in 2004 to do a speech after the last training session, which was really nice. I met two of them over the summer holidays and asked them about what they felt was good about the trip and I've listened to them and put some things into place.

"We're not going just to enjoy it and be England for seven days, but get beaten. The focus is winning all three games and getting to the finals, but I also see this as a chance to raise the profile for the next generation. It's massive."

Once the trip to Sweden is over, McCann will be back up at the crack of dawn, teaching the next generation - and, all being well, it will be as an England hero… sort of.​​​