Tomkins hopes for more
By Jamie Bradbury
Sunday, 27 March, 2011
West Ham defender is looking to earn a place at Euro 2011.
Become a fan of England U21s on Facebook
See England's next home game against Iceland in Preston on 28 March
Watch the FATV interview with James Tomkins
West Ham United defender James Tomkins hopes his first appearance for the Under-21s in nearly 18 months will help spur him on to a place in the squad for this summer's UEFA European Championship.
Injury and form has kept Tomkins out of Stuart Pearce's side in recent months, since their 6-3 win against Macedonia in qualifying, but a return to the squad has coincided with an upturn in fortunes at Upton Park and he now says he wants to impress the Coach and earn a place at the Finals.
Tomkins came on after just five minutes in Thursday's victory in Dennmark, following an injury to Micah Richards, to claim his eighth cap. With Iceland at Preston North End on Monday evening (click here for ticket details), Tomkins has another opportunity to show he ready's to represent England Under-21s at a second major tournament.
"I felt good. It was nice to be back as I haven’t been in there for a while," he said when he spoke exclusively with FATV (click to watch the interview). "To be part of the squad again and come on so early (against Denmark) has done me good and hopefully there’s more to come."
He continued: "Things are coming along and we’re putting the sessions in. The lads are looking sharp and are full of confidence with their form at their clubs. We’re all just looking to play well ahead of the Championship.
"Iceland will be good, they’ll be a big team, but playing at home with a few thousand there supporting us will be nice. We’ll see what happens and hopefully we’ll get another good result.
"I’ve played there before, when I was on loan at Derby, Deepdale’s a nice stadium and the pitch is good and hopefully it'll help us."
Tomkins was in the 23-man party who travelled to Sweden for the Under-21s Championship two years ago and wants to be a part of another Finals campaign.
England came close to winning the title before losing in the Final to Germany, but Tomkins believes the players in the current squad are good enough to go one better.
"The team is picked on how you are doing with your club and I’ve been playing at West Ham, enjoying it and gaining experience. I think I’ve been playing well and hopefully I can take it to international level.
"Everyone’s looking to impress, we all want to be a part of the Championship. I was part of the squad a couple of years ago. Hopefully I can keep impressing and show what I can do."
He added: "I think it was a good experience being as young as I was. We’ve got so many good young players here. With the team we’ve got we stand a good chance.
"I think they’ll see a lot of players who are playing week in week out for their clubs, not just in the Premier League, but the Championship as well. They are a good bunch of lads and the team that we have we’ll definitely be in with a shout."
Tickets for the game at Deepdale are priced at £10 for adults and £5 for children.
To buy visit the ticket office at Deepdale, call 0844 856 1966 or online at www.mypne.com .
Charter Standard school/club application form click here .
Group booking form click here