‘We’ve come a long way. Our results are on Sky Sports now’

Prescot Cables were founded more than 140 years ago and is a focal point for the local community

It’s been another dramatic week in the world of elite football as Europe’s top teams competed for glory, wealth and glittering prizes. Nonetheless, the glories of the beautiful game are not the sole preserve of the richest clubs, they can be found in any number of places – including a small post-industrial town in Merseyside.

Prescot Cables was founded 140 years ago – six years after the inception of Everton FC and eight years before Liverpool FC – and is a club steeped in history. Originally called Prescot Town, the club took its Cables name after British Insulated Callender’s Cables (BICC) – at one point one of the largest cable factories in the world and the biggest employer in the area.

Located in the Joseph Russell Stadium on Eaton Street, there has been hundreds of talented and aspiring footballers who have represented the team. One of those players is current Cables chairman, Joe Gibiliru who joined the club in 1987. Since then, he has become a player-manger, a two-term outright manager and now sits in the boardroom.

For Joe, the best part of the job is match day as he is able to see all the good work come together, he said: “It’s nice to see smiling faces.

“It doesn’t matter here if you’ve got money, got no money, as long as you enjoy your life and that’s what it’s all about. We are close-knit as a club and we support each other whether we win, lose or draw.

“But the most important thing on match day is when you see families coming in and enjoying themselves. The value of the fans is tremendous and we need them big time.”

Asked to comment on the challenges faced by non-league clubs like Prescot Cables, Joe said: “It’s finance, because we haven’t got big money. What we do have is a hard work ethic. It took hard work to get to this division and now we want to stay in it.

“I’m happy now the way things are going and as you can see, the ground improvement is happening now which is going to be fantastic when it’s done. But I still want better for the club and the town and to make sure everything is secure going forward.”

At the heart of the community, the club has continued to welcome attendees through the turnstiles and has seen numbers double since before the pandemic. An entirely volunteer-led organisation, the team and its name continues to “carry on a legacy” in Prescot. There is no better example of the club’s community connection than that offered by their head steward and ex-youth team manager, Kenny Hunt.

Kenny, 64, is an Everton season-ticket holder but admits to being hopelessly drawn to the ‘magic’ of non-league football. He has volunteered in one role or another for the last twenty years and credits his dedication to the people at the club and what it represents, he said: “It’s really taken off now. People are coming to non-league football because the Premier League is so expensive.”

He added: “This place is here because of the staff and players but also the dedication of its volunteers. The people at the club love the club. The local community love it. Everyone knows each other, everyone greets each other and we’ve got a supporters group who travel all around the country.

“Getting that promotion was unbelievable because we weren’t ready for it, but we did it. There were 1500 fans here that day and it was just fantastic. It was unbelievable!

“We need all the support we can get and to push onto the next level. This club could go where Salford is. We just need more investment.”

As part of the club’s promotion to the Northern Premier League, Premier Division last season, several infrastructure upgrades were required to ensure compliance with league standards and to position the club for future progression up the football pyramid.

Last month, club received positive news regarding the proposed upgrade of their home ground after it secured more than £200,000 in funding from the Premier League Stadium Fund. The grant was supported by the stadium’s landlord, Knowsley Borough Council and will allow the club to make significant improvements to the facility.

After the announcement of the £200,000 grant, the Cables also started a crowdfunder to support to cover the additional costs associated with competing in a higher league of football. Kenny is fully behind the campaign and hope people will continue to rally around the club, he said: “We’ve come a long way. Our results are on Sky Sports now!

“We want to give the town high quality football and put the club on the map. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t see the Cables in the FA Cup. We just need to keep moving forward.”

Anyone wishing to get involved or donate to the Prescot Cables fundraiser can visit the crowdfunding page HERE.