Keeper Helps England Win The World Cup

He describes the experience as “amazing, a cultural experience with a lot of travelling, but well worth it, especially with the end result”.

The competition helps to promote Thailand, following the events of 2006, and Phillips says that not enough exposure was given to the event beforehand. All games were streamed live on the internet.

The England squad in Thailand is technically known as Harrogate Veterans FC, which has been chosen by the Football Association for the past ten years to represent the nation in the tournament.

The squad was made up of Harrogate regulars, but bolstered by a whole host of ex-professionals, including Jamie Cureton, Lee Trundle and Andy Hessenthaler, and Phillips.

The tournament began with a 7-0 demolition of the USA before a 2-1 win over New Zealand and a 2-2 draw with Scotland concluded the group stage.

In the semi-finals, the Three Lions defeated Australia 2-0 before seeing off Iran on the Saturday to lift the trophy again.

The tournament was first played in 2006 following the devastating tsunami that hit the country.