Sunday 21 October 2018 13:13, UK
England’s amputee footballers hope more success at the World Cup in Mexico will increase the profile of their hugely-successful team and potentially help them secure vital funding.
The squad, coached by Owen Coyle's son - also called Owen - head to Mexico on Tuesday for a tournament they are one of the leading contenders for behind favourites Turkey, who beat them 2-1 in last year's European Championship final in the last second of added time.
But despite their success - they are unbeaten in 2018 and have since won the Amp Futbol Cup - they had to raise all of the £70,000 they needed to get to Mexico through sponsorship and donations from the public.
Players have dubbed themselves the "forgotten team" and are thankful to their generous sponsors, although they hope the Football Association will start to provide funding for the team in the future.
England's Ray Westbrook told Sky Sports News' James Cooper: "There's a lot better staff than we used to have but everyone has sacrificed a lot in their own lives through work and family to raise money to be here, have time off and push for that dream.
"It's been a massive effort. You feel like you are asking the same people all the time to donate but we've got to do it. Sometimes it feels like you are begging in a way. Simply Business help us out and the Premier League have stepped in and finished our fund-raising total off."
Team-mate Mickey Chambers added: "A lot of people wouldn't have expected us to get to the final but we believe in ourselves and the coaches believe in us as well.
"Who knows how far we can go - we're only getting better and better, and if we can come back with the World Cup then it's been a fantastic year for us.
"We've got a junior talent programme now and it's all thanks to our sponsors and other people getting involved in fundraising. It shows how professional we are now as a charity and as an England team.
"There's no arrogance about it, but we go there fully expecting to come back with that trophy."
Head coach Coyle Jr said: "My dad is a huge ambassador for the charity and he has done a lot of good work around supporting the EAFA (English Amputee Football Association) so he has been down to join in a couple of sessions.
"We've got a much stronger squad than last year, and that experience last year in front of 42,000 people will stand us in good stead even though it was a tough one to take."
The seven-a-side game features rolling substitutions over two halves of 25 minutes - outfield players must be missing at least part of a leg while goalkeepers must be missing at least part of an arm.
Outfield players are on crutches and should the ball hit one it is deemed a similar offence to a regular handball.
