Courtesy: The FA.com


Lions ready for Montenegro

Thursday, 19 May, 2011

Head Coach Peter Sturgess feels team on right track ahead of weekend games.

England v Montenegro
International Futsal Match
20-21 May 2011
The Point 4, Hereford
Call 01432 376376 for tickets

Tickets for those games are also available by calling 0114 2565567 or clicking here.

England’s Futsal squad are back in action this weekend when they host Montenegro for two games on Friday and Saturday in Hereford.

It will be the first matches that the group have played since their European Futsal Championship qualifying games in Macedonia, which saw England lose to their hosts and Georgia before ending the trip on a high with a 3-2 victory over Estonia.

They have since held a number of training get-togethers in preparation for the summer’s games which also includes two fixtures with Greece in June and Head Coach Peter Sturgess feels they are heading in the right direction.

“We need this kind of challenge for two reasons: we are in the preparation phase for the FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifying games in October of this year and, more importantly, we want to see how much progress we are making as a Futsal nation,” he explained.

“This will only be possible if we play teams with the experience and pedigree of Montenegro.

“I have the utmost respect for Montenegro and I know they will provide a real test for our squad.”

Since Sturgess took over the Futsal team two and a half years ago, he has tried to keep a real togetherness within the squad, coupled with regular meet-ups for training and the development of Futsal philosophy to take into their matches.

And he believes that England are on the right tracks too, with the game still in its infancy in this country as opposed to many of the rivals they come up against from around Europe.

“We are working very hard to improve our standard of Futsal and the signs are good,” added Sturgess.

“The squad met up recently for a three day camp and the level of commitment and the quality of our play was as good as I have seen since I became involved.

“Two years further on and with a number of trips and qualifying games under my belt, I believe the opposition we can provide now will prove much tougher.”


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com