Don’t take the Mickey

GLOVE STORY ... Butland says critics were wide of the mark

JACK BUTLAND claims Team GB have already achieved one big goal at the Olympics — by proving they are not a ‘Mickey Mouse team’.

The outstanding young keeper was stung by pre-tournament comments that they were a team of convenience, thrown together just because we were allowed an automatic Olympic spot as hosts.

But two wins and a draw in their qualifying matches saw Stuart Pearce’s side head into tonight’s quarter-final against South Korea as Group A winners.

Birmingham star Butland, 19, said: “We have come under the radar but we feel we have the players to do really well. Hopefully people realise that.

“We are here to do the business — we are not a Mickey Mouse team.

“It is understandable that the focus has not been on us. We have not played as a Great Britain team for some considerable time.

“The Olympics has solely been around other sports as far as Team GB has been concerned. But we are building momentum nicely.

“Most of the teams have had more preparation time. The South American teams have been in full flow, so we knew we would be behind when the competition started.

“Our target was to improve every game, which is what we have done. Our displays have shown that.”

No one has shown more improvement than Butland, who admits his rise to national prominence has been nothing short of meteoric.

He started the year on loan to League Two outfit Cheltenham. But outstanding displays at the Under-20 World Cup and then with the England Under-21 team last season marked him as something special.

He was drafted into England’s Euro 2012 squad when John Ruddy broke a finger in training but as he did not actually get a game he remained eligible for Team GB.

And, after a superb display as a second-half sub in their only warm-up match against Brazil, Butland has continued to earn rave reviews in each of the three Group A matches.

He added: “It has been meteoric, a fast roller-coaster ride. I had two spells at Cheltenham and they stood me in good stead for the Under-21 games.

“I would like to think that helped me get into the England squad. I really worked hard during the season.

“This tournament has been fantastic from day one. It has been a while since there was a major tournament here.

“The country has grasped that and looking forward to watching all these players play.

“Hopefully we can go a long way in this tournament and I can push on again.”