KNUTSFORD collected a point at Whaley Bridge on Wednesday night to win the Cheshire League’s Premier Division title for a third time in five seasons.

In the end, a 1-1 draw was more than enough.

Defending champions Linotype, who started their clash with Crewe FC three points adrift of Reds following a run of five successive wins, went down 2-1.

It means the men from Manchester Road finish top of the pile for the first time since 2013.

“This one’s been hard-fought, but still well-deserved,” said chairman Jimmy Evans.

“The ability of this group has never been in question, but they’ve proved they also have the right attitude and a ‘refuse to lose’ mentality.”

A 1-0 win against Garswood a fortnight ago left Knutsford 15 points clear of their closest rivals.

However Linotype scored 19 times in wins against Poynton, Rudheath (both 5-1), Denton (5-0) and Rylands (4-0) to keep alive their hopes of repeating last season’s feat.

But goals from captain Nathan Southern and Pawel Abramowicz for Crewe ended meant Knutsford could have lost their final fixture and still ended the campaign as champions.