The Southampton and England U17 attacker made his first appearance for the Young Lions against the Dutch in the Algarve Tournament back in February – and capped a fine performance with a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory.
The 17-year-old has continued that form and is now part of the squad that is preparing to face Holland in the final group match of the European Championship in Malta on Thursday – a tie that will see the winners secure top spot.
Holland v England
UEFA European U17 Championship
The Finals
10.15am, Thursday 15 May 2014
Hibernians Stadium, Malta
Live on Eurosport
Recalling memories of that day in Portugal, Sims told TheFA.com: "The Holland fixture brings back a lot of memories for me. I made my debut against them in the Algarve and it has been a whirlwind experience since then.
"If I am selected, I’d love to recreate that. I was so nervous before the game as it was my debut, but I was so excited. Looking back on it now, it was a great moment and the best possible way to start my England career.
"It would be amazing to get another goal or to grab another assist – especially if it helps us to finish top of the group.
"Not only would it be good for me, but it would for the team as well and continue our momentum into the semi-finals."
Despite qualification being already assured, Sims says he and his team-mates are keen to impress on the big stage and will be going all out for victory at the Hibernians Stadium.
Josh Sims in training with England Under-17
Sims added: "It’s going to be a hard game as Holland have made a fantastic start too – but we want to continue our 100 per cent record.
"We have been working hard on the training ground building up to tomorrow as we really want to top the group.
"It’s great for the team that we’ve secured qualification with a game to spare – we could not have asked for a better start, but we want top spot."
Sims says the whole experience of playing in his first major international championship has been “unbelievable”, and the messages of support from back home only encourage him to perform even better.
"The opening game was very similar to the test we faced in the Czech Republic in the Elites with us facing the home nation first. It was a great experience to play in it and to get the win.
The Young Lions celebrate one of their goals against Turkey
"By far it’s the biggest stage I’ve played at. Even in the Elite Round, it was a different level to what I’m used to.
"With all the matches being shown back at home live on Eurosport, it just adds that extra bit to it.
"I’ve never been involved in a game that has been televised live, so it’s great for us and all my friends and family back at home to be able to watch me and the team.
"I’ve had a lot of good luck messages from back home and they have all commented on how well the team has been playing – it’s quite inspiring."
England have had a fantastic record throughout qualifying and the tournament so far, recording eight straight wins and conceding only two goals.
For the first time during the campaign John Peacock’s youngsters found themselves behind against Turkey earlier this week, but the fightback to claim a 4-1 victory epitomised the character within the team according to Sims.
He said: "We got told by the manager that the ‘93 group who won it [in 2010] had suffered setbacks along the way. They went behind three times on their way to lifting the trophy, so this shows that we have similar characteristics to that group.
"It was always going to be a difficult game, but to bounce back after falling behind, it shows the spirit of the squad and it was a great comeback.
"We had not been in that situation before this year, but we showed everyone what we are about and that we have the strength to come back from a goal down. We need to continue that now and try and go all the way."
England face Holland at Hibernians Stadium on Thursday live on Eurosport at 10am. Follow @FA on Twitter for updates.
