England meet the Armed Forces
Tuesday, 24 March, 2009
England host the Armed Forces at London Colney training session.
England v Slovakia
International Friendly
5.15pm, Saturday 28 March 2009
Wembley Stadium
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England v Ukraine
2010 FIFA World CupTM Qualifier
8pm, Wednesday 1 April 2009
Wembley Stadium
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England began the preparations for their double-header against Slovakia and Ukraine on Tuesday morning with their first training session together at London Colney.
Prior to the session getting underway, the players were introduced to members of all three of the Armed Forces, who had been invited along to watch training.
Members of the Royal Air Force, Army and Navy, many of whom have just returned from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, later returned to the team hotel for lunch and the players were able to spend time with the brave men and women representing the group.
In training, the players were put through their early paces with a gentle jog and some stretches.
With Everton defender Leighton Baines involved in the squad for the first time and Tottenham Hotspur winger Aaron Lennon back in the fold, Manager Fabio Capello and his staff kept a close eye on proceedings, as preparations for Saturday's friendly game with Slovakia and then next Wednesday's World Cup qualifier with Ukraine got underway.