Thursday 29 May 2014 14:50, UK
Forward Alastair Brogdon believes England have a great chance of claiming a medal at the Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague.
England get their campaign underway with a Pool A clash against Spain on Saturday, a game which can be seen live from 4pm on Sky Sports 3HD.
Brogdon, who has a combined total of 92 international caps for England and Great Britain, offers a wealth of experience to Bobby Crutchley’s side having won a EuroHockey Championship gold with England in 2009, as well as claiming silver at the 2010 Champions Trophy.
The 26-year-old has battled against a series of injuries in recent times but has made his way back to full fitness for the tournament , which he believe England can make progress in.
“We’ve got a great chance,” he told the official website of England Hockey. “We’ve shown previously we can win against the best teams so we’ll be aiming to do that when we get there.”
“I played in the last one out in Delhi and this is going to be a similar environment. It’ll be a big stadium with big crowds which we’re very excited about.
“Playing in front of big crowds brings the best out of us. I’m personally very excited about it but everyone else in the squad is too. Hopefully we can put in some good performances.”
Prior to returning to England to join Wimbledon, Brogdon spent time playing with Belgian side Waterloo Ducks and believes his time on the continent has developed his all-round game.
They will be a team who is pushing to win the World Cup. Their attacking style of play and the ability to score goals is something everyone will need to watch out for.
“Playing in different environments and different competitions is always good for you,” he claimed.
“In Belgium there was a slightly different style of hockey and you play with a lot of different nationalities who you can pick up and learn things from.
“It’s one of the reasons I went in the first place, to learn as much as I could and bring that back to put into my game when I play for the national team. The English players who have played abroad have certainly benefitted from doing so.”
England will face Belgium in their final Pool A match on June 9 in what could turn out to be a decisive clash and Brogdon understands the challenge they will face.
“They're a very driven side and very quick on the counterattack,” he said. “They score a lot of goals and at the other end their goalkeeper, Vincent Vanasch - who I played with at Waterloo Ducks - is an outstanding ‘keeper.
“They will be a team who is pushing to win the World Cup. Their attacking style of play and the ability to score goals is something everyone will need to watch out for.”
You can see England's opening match against Spain on Sky Sports 3HD from 4pm on Saturday
