Shorey aims to make mark

Nicky Shorey is riding high on the crest of a wave at the moment and the tide shows no signs of going out.

The Reading full-back made his international debut in last Friday's 'B' international win over Albania and less than 24 hours later was called into the senior squad to face Brazil and Estonia.

An England debut at Wembley is within touching distance and to top it off, he's getting married on Saturday.

There's hardly time for the 26 year old to take everything in, but he's been in buoyant mood since being included in Steve McClaren's squad.

"I was over the moon," said Shorey, recalling the moment he found out he'd been selected. "To get the B call-up was something else, then to get the full squad and training with these sorts of players is a dream come true."

But the new face in the squad insists he's not just there for the ride.

"I'm not just here to take in the experience," he added. "I want to push on and hopefully stamp my authority and hopefully play. I know it's going to be tough, but just training with the players is going to take me up a level."

Playing against the likes to Ronaldinho and Kaka will be another step up the ladder, but Shorey says the camp are in a positive frame of mind.

"They are all great players but we are going into the game confident and hopefully we can get a positive result."

Shorey got his first taste of international football when he helped England 'B' to a 3-1 win at Burnley less than a week ago. The Reading man put in an assured display on the left flank, even getting involved in England's first goal when his pass to Gareth Barry was played into Alan Smith who hammered home.

"I really enjoyed it," he said. "It was a good game and a good result. I was quite happy with my performance but the most important thing was I really enjoyed it."

The left-back did notice a rise in the level of class compared to the Premier League. "The quality in the England ranks is really up there. To play and train with these players will only help me."

Perhaps the only black mark in recent weeks for Shorey was the postponement of his stag do!

"I did not want to get too intoxicated before I came and joined up with the England squad," he said. "You need to be firing on all cylinders to compete at this level. My brother understands and we'll have to do it after the wedding."

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