Warrington Rylands are one step away from creating their own history, as the face Hednesford Town on Monday (May 4th) in the play-off final for a chance of promotion to the National League North for the first time ever.
Rylands finished the Northern Premier League season in 4th place, setting up a play-off semi-final away at 3rd place, FC United.
Second-half goals from Clive Smith and George Waring meant Rylands came from behind in the semi-final to win 3-2, booking their spot in the final at Hednesford.
The history of Warrington Rylands
In 1906, the club was founded by the Rylands brothers as a local works team whose clubhouse and ground sat on the eastern side of Warrington.
Rylands are known as the most successful team in Warrington, having won the Guardian cup (five times), Liverpool Challenge Cup, Mid Cheshire League and Cup and the North-West Counties Division 1 West to name a few.
Ahead of the 2019/20 season, the club changed its name to Warrington Rylands 1906 FC, ensuring the Rylands name remained synonymous with the club.
In the 2020/21 season, the club made history by winning the FA Vase at Wembley, beating Binfield FC 3-2.
The following season was also a successful one, with the club gaining promotion to the Northern Premier League at the first time of asking, currently the highest level they have competed at to date.
On Monday, they have the chance to make history again, by gaining promotion to the National League North.
Play-off Semi Vs FC United
Rylands had a disaster start at Broadhurst park, going 1-0 down after just three minutes as Jan Palinkas put the hosts ahead.
After Ben Hardcastle had equalised, the visitors were dealt another blow as Declan Evans put FC United ahead in the fifth additional minute of the first half.
However, quick fire goals from Smith and Waring in the second period were enough for Rylands to make the final.
Rylands manager Neil Reynolds, who spent six years at FC United between the 2018/19 and 2024/25 seasons, admitted that, despite happy memories at the club, it was nice to get the win.
He said: “They feel like I wasn’t the right man to take them forward any longer after six years, which as a guy you respect.
“There’s always a couple of idiotic fans that say things, which is fine.
“But in terms of people behind the scenes at the club, they’re all good people.
“So for me, it wasn’t about the satisfaction of going to FC United and winning.
“It was whether or not we could get through to the final and be 90 minutes away from National League football.”
Reynolds acknowledged that his former club went into the game as favourites, but praised the character shown by his squad to overcome the setbacks.
Hear what he had to say below:
Preparing for Hednesford
Rylands head to Keys Park to take on Hednesford Town at 3pm on Monday.
Looking ahead at the final, Reynolds admitted that something has got to give from previous results against Hednesford but insisted that preparation will remain the same.
He said: “It’s A one-off game.
“But you can’t set up for a draw because it’s a one-off game and whatever happens, there has to be a winner or a loser on Monday. It’s not like a league game. So it is different in that respect.
“How do we prepare? We prepare exactly the same.”
Despite the common phrase, “enjoy the occasion,” the Rylands boss is unsure as to whether that’s possible for a manager.
He said: “People say enjoy the occasion. I don’t know if you can enjoy a playoff final.
“You might be able to if you’re a neutral, but I don’t think their manager or myself or their players or mine are going to go, oh, this is a really enjoyable occasion.”
However, the boss admitted he will feel immense pride, despite any final nerves.
“It’s a proud moment to get there, but there’s going to be nerves, there’s going to be mistakes, there’s going to be tension around the ground, there’ll be a lot of nerves from their fans, from our fans.
“But whatever happens, we’ve now proved that we are one of the top three sides in the NPL in the season 25/26. So I am a proud manager from where we were when I took over the club to where we are now is beyond our wildest dreams.”
The power of the fans
Reynolds praised the Rylands support after their semi-final win and hopes the fans can “recharge their voices” ahead of the final.
Hear what he had to say below:
What does promotion mean?
Despite having a lot of success during his managerial career, such as making the FA Cup first round on TV and winning European cups with FC United, Reynolds insists that winning promotion with Warrington Rylands would top the list.
He said: “There’s loads of memories, but I think promotion to the National League just sounds like something really special.
“I think guiding a team, a community club, a family club of Warrington Rylands to the National League would be, I don’t think I could top it. I’m being honest.”
However, the boss does not want to take the limelight in the event of promotion, and believes everyone, including the staff, the players, and the fans, have played their part in reaching this stage.
He added: “It’s not about me; it’s about everybody connected to the club.
“I’m hoping that we can do that for everyone because I’m only as good as my staff, they’re only as good as the players, they’re only as good as the support that’s behind them, but I’ve just got a feeling that everyone’s going to give everything they can on Monday.
“And let’s make our dream come true, hopefully.”
(Featured image free to use under Alamy Licence)
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