The Three Lions will be playing two back-to-back friendly matches against the Montenegrins on Friday and Saturday, and will be eager to start their season on a positive note with two good performances.
Montenegro are ranked 61st in the world, nine places above England so the Lions will be heading into these matches as underdogs.
Montenegro v England
Futsal Internationals
Friday 24 October & Saturday 25 October 2014
Montenegro
By Simon Walker
And Sturgess’ men will be hoping that they can continue the positive momentum that they generated in their last outing, when they won a home Four Nations tournament against higher-ranked nations in June, and cause an upset in Montenegro.
The last occasion that these two nations faced each other was in Hereford in 2011, and the honours were shared with Montenegro winning the first game 4-2 only for England to bounce back and claim the second match 2-1.
England have made significant progress since 2011 and will now be a much tougher, but similarly Montenegro have chalked up some impressive recent performances on the international stage. It all suggests that next week’s matches should be riveting.
These games start a busy period over the next few months as the squad prepares for the UEFA Futsal Euro qualifiers in January.
The squad take on Latvia in two home matches at St. Georges Park next month and then head to Andorra for a double-header in December.
To add a further twist, Latvia and Andorra were recently drawn in the same Euros Qualifying group as England. So nothing like having a dress rehearsal prior to the big performance in January.
Head coach Sturgess has picked a 14-man squad for the trip
The team will therefore be extremely keen to start their campaign with two positive performances and results to match. Sturgess’s squad includes two debutants in Richard Ward and Toluwa Sotonye, who will be eager to impress and cement their places in the squad.
Dave Jennings misses out after failing to recover from a recurring injury in time to make the trip.
Other notable changes to the squad include Sturgess’ recent decision to award the England captaincy to Ben Mortlock.
The Sheffield player has been an integral member of the England set-up since 2008 and recently achieved his 50th international cap.
He replaces the respected and much-liked Luke Ballinger, who has captained the team admirably for the past six years, leading from the front in becoming England’s most capped Futsal player and highest-ever goalscorer.
Ballinger has played a pivotal role in helping to transform the fortunes of the international team in recent years and importantly for England, Ballinger will continue to use his wealth of experience in continuing to represent his country.
Watch highlights of England in action against USA in the Four Nations Tournament in 2014
Mortlock and Sturgess will undoubtedly benefit from Ballinger’s leadership qualities and support during the tough qualifying campaign that lies ahead.
"Luke became England captain at a remarkably young age but he really grasped the opportunity and right from the start he has led from the front," said Simon Walker, head of futsal at The FA.
"He shows passion, commitment and quality both on and off the court, he has been and continues to be a figurehead for young players to admire and strive to emulate.
"People will talk about Luke having the most caps and the most goals for England, but his leadership qualities over the years have been fundamental in helping the England squad to develop.
"Luke will continue to be a vital member of the England squad, and knowing Luke he will offer tremendous support and encouragement to the new captain Ben Mortlock."
Tickets for England’s next home games against Latvia at St Georges Park on 7 and 8 November can still be purchased by clicking here.
The squad
1. James Dalton - Baku United Futsal Club
2. Ben Mortlock - Sheffield Futsal Club
3. Agon Rexha - Baku United Futsal Club
4. Doug Reed - Baku United Futsal Club
5. James Webb - International Futsal Academy
6. Ian Parkes - Bristol City Futsal Club
7. Toluwa Sotonye - Reading Futsal Club
8. Luke Ballinger - Bristol City Futsal Club
9. Will Rooke - Loughborough Students Futsal
10. Richard Ward - Sheffield Futsal Club
11. George Nash - Bristol City Futsal Club
12. Stuart Cook - Manchester Futsal Club
13. Jordan Parker - Manchester Futsal Club
14. Guillermo Wallace - Real Betis FS Nazareno
