A turning point for football in Warrington?

Of course, nobody wants to get carried away, but Rylands’ promotion to the North West Counties League could act as a watershed moment.

Rylands accepted into North West Counties League

This is a club, remember, that has risen through the Warrington and District Football League. Six times they were champions of that league in the 1950s.

Six is also the number of times they have won the Guardian Cup, the most recent of those being in 2015.

However, that is a chapter of their history they will now leave behind.

Taking away the threat of relegation gives Rylands a chance to build. A chance to lay down foundations at this higher level.

It will take time and there may be some struggle involved, but this club has plans to move even further still.

At the helm is Paul Stretford – a former Blues player from the 1970s and 1980s – whose Triple S Sports agency’s clients include former England captain Wayne Rooney.

How Wayne Rooney's agent is helping shape Rylands' future

From speaking to him earlier this year, I could immediately sense his passion for the club and his desire to see it progress.

This is not a vanity project for him. This is real.

Let us look at the logistics for a second. Some simple number crunching shows you the extent of the adjustment Rylands must make.

They played 28 league games in the Cheshire League Premier Division in the season just past. In the next campaign – at a higher level with a higher calibre of opposition – they will play 38.

Then you have to consider the away trips. Their away trips in this year’s Cheshire League totalled just over 273 miles. Next season’s will total 608 miles. More than double the distance.

Their shortest away trip last year? A short hop of less than a mile to Greenalls PSO across town. In the NWCFL Division One South, their nearest neighbours will be Northwich side Barnton.

Of course, this will all have been factored into the discussion of whether the step up would be feasible. Nevertheless, it is still an adjustment to make.

If they can make this step up work, they may eventually work their way up to form a cross-town rivalry with Warrington Town.

That is still some time off, with Yellows four leagues higher than Blues at this current stage.

There can be no doubt, however, that Rylands’ elevation has the potential to be a major boost for the game in this town.

As a genuine football fan, I really do hope it works out for them.