Cheltenham's Darryl Duffy knows it is unlikely Jack Butland will feature at Euro 2012 but has backed him to be ready if called on by England.
Striker gets behind ex-Cheltenham team-mate after England call
Cheltenham striker Darryl Duffy knows it is unlikely Jack Butland will feature at Euro 2012 but has backed his former team-mate to be ready if called on by England.
The highly-rated 19-year-old was called up by England manager Roy Hodgson for the Ukraine & Poland-based tournament, which starts on Friday.
The Birmingham youngster will play understudy to experienced duo Joe Hart and Rob Green, having made a name for himself during two loan spells at Cheltenham last season.
Duffy told
Sky Sports: "I've got no worries about Jack at the Euros at all because he was fantastic whilst he was with us last season.
"He will just be third choice remember and I think that a lot of people are forgetting that fact.
"There would need to be injuries or suspensions to both senior keepers before Jack gets the nod, but it will be an unbelievable experience for him out there and all the boys here were buzzing for him when we saw the news."
Heartache
The Robins caused a stir last season by jostling for automatic promotion at times, but finished with heartache after losing at Wembley in the play-off final.
Duffy prefers to focus on the positives from a rollercoaster campaign.
"It did have a disappointing end, but it was still a very successful season for us and no one expected us to be anywhere near the play-offs never mind getting to the actual final," he said.
"We were tipped as relegation favourites at the start of the season, so overall it was a hugely successful season for us."
