England finish seventh at EuroHockey Indoor Champs
26th January 2014England came within a couple of goals of securing a place at the Indoor World Cup, but after the narrowest of defeats to Belarus this morning in their final game they had to settle for seventh place and relegation into the EuroHockey Indoor Division II for 2016.
England Head Coach Jason Lee’s inexperienced side went to the European Indoors for a development opportunity, and despite finishing seventh Lee has been really pleased with his team’s progress. Speaking after the final match he said: “It was obviously disappointing not to get the result today, and I am convinced if we came back next weekend we would be competitive at the top end of the competition, such is the progress we have made over the three days. Nevertheless this has been a useful experience for the players and hopefully they will transfer some of the lessons to benefit their outdoor game.”
England were left to battle it out in Pool C for fifth-eighth place at the 2014 EuroHockey Indoor Championships after finishing fourth in Pool A behind the Netherlands, defending champions Germany and hosts Czech Republic. The young side needed a top six finish at the tournament to maintain their top flight status and qualify for the Indoor World Cup.
England faced France and Belarus while other opponents in the pool, Czech Republic, carried across the three points they took against England in their Pool A game. After a 3-0 victory against France yesterday Lee’s side gave themselves a fighting chance of finishing sixth, but after a 3-4 defeat to Belarus earlier today their fate was sealed.