Ben Elliott has signed for Prescot Cables in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. The move is a jump of 2 divisions for Ben and sees him leave the club after scoring 80 goals in 145 appearances, making him our top goal-scorer in the NWCFL era.

Ben introduced himself to West fans in September 2020, making his first competitive appearance against Bury AFC in the FA Vase – running almost the full length of the pitch to score a memorable winning goal. He added 2 more goals in the abridged 2020/21 campaign, before fully hitting his stride in the 21/22 promotion season – scoring 29 times as we clinched the NWCFL First Division South title.

Ben’s goalscoring exploits naturally attracted the attentions of clubs higher up the pyramid, but he made the decision to sign a contract for West, making him the first contracted player in our history. He went on to score 32 goals in an injury disrupted 22/23 season and ended the season collecting the Supporters’ Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season & Manager’s Player of the Season awards.

He signed a contract for the 23/24 season, once again turning down interest from clubs higher up the football pyramid. He scored 17 goals in 39 appearances as the team went through some difficult spells.

Ben told us, “I want to say a massive thank you to all the fans who have supported me throughout my West career. The support never went unnoticed and it was the best introduction into men’s football I could have asked for. Without the fans - West wouldn’t be West.

I also want to say a huge thank you to Chris Rowley, Chris Adams and the management team as well as all the players who have supported me from joining at 17 to now.

Signing my first contract with West will always be one of my biggest achievements so I am grateful to the committee & Chris Rowley for giving me that opportunity.

The decision to leave was not an easy one but I feel ready to take on a new challenge at a higher level. West will always be a special club to me and I am excited to be involved as a fan and not a player.

Thanks again to everyone for all your support & encouragement over the years.”

Good luck Ben. We’re all proud of you.