Shingles returns as England men prepare for EuroHockey Championships

Crutchley has named an 18-man squad for the tournament at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre from August 21-30 with just one change from the Great Britain team which finished third at the World League Semi-Final in Antwerp.

That switch comes in the form of Dan Shingles who has recovered from injury and comes in for Tim Whiteman – the Reading man set to win his 50th England cap in London.

Two other stalwarts of the side are set for personal milestones during the competition with captain Barry Middleton three goals shy of a century of international strikes while defender Dan Fox, currently on 95 England caps, could reach his 100th appearance in the final game if he features in every match.

"The squad is largely unchanged from the Great Britain squad that competed in Antwerp, except Dan Shingles has come in," said Crutchley.

"We're really excited about playing in front of a home crowd. The warm up tournament in Hamburg has given us some great preparation and now we're down to the last few sessions before we start the competition.

"There won't be huge changes to the way we play or approach games. We're in good shape and we're looking forward to what will be a tough tournament.

"The European Championships is one of the hardest competitions there is. You have four of the top five sides in the world and then some really talented teams such as Ireland and Spain. France, too have improved a lot in recent times.

"We'd love to win the tournament, of course. We have some players left from 2009 when England won the competition and their experience and the belief that it is possible will be a big help, but of course it is an extremely difficult competition to win. We're playing well and we're confident so fingers crossed we can emulate 2009."

© Sportsbeat 2015