Head coach Colin Gordon believes England’s Powerchair team have a bright future after securing third place in the FIPFA World Cup in Florida earlier this month.
England successfully navigated their way through the group stage as runners-up in Pool B to eventual champions France.
And, though they suffered a semi-final defeat, Gordon's men bounced back to beat Australia 3-0 in the third-place play-off.
Gordon said: “We’ve come out of the tournament with a lot of credit from other teams for our style of play, effectively changing the face of the sport to a more open and dynamic approach that resembles the able-bodied game.
“We are all very driven to go forward and be successful.
“It’s not a case of being disappointed that our style of play hasn’t won this time, it’s made us want to go away and work harder, not only to change the face of the game but to win trophies doing it."
After successfully navigating a difficult group, which included Ireland, France, Canada and Australia, a resounding 4-0 win over Uruguay set the stage for a semi-final showdown with defending champions USA. Ultimately the hosts prevailed 2-1.
But one of the team’s leading stars Chris Gordon, son of head coach Colin, feels England have shown they can be a match for any of their rivals.
The West Bromwich Albion PFC man said: “The World Cup has left me with a mixture of emotions. I’m immensely proud to have competed in such a prestigious event and to have shown the world the England brand of football. But I can’t help feel if it wasn’t for a few nerves we could have returned home as champions.
“The boys proved that we could outshine the world’s best.
“As a squad we’ve learnt a lot and we have all come back prepared to work hard to be ready for our next international competition.”
England: Kyle Alexander (Sevenoaks), Jon Bolding (Aspire), Edward Common (Northern Thunder), Matt Francis (Brighton & Hove Albion), Chris Gordon (West Bromwich Albion), Marcus Harrison (West Bromwich Albion), Charlie Kitcher (Aspire), Sam Smith (Northern Thunder).
To learn more about international disability football tournaments, please visit the England Disability Teams' page.
