James Hill's selection for the England squad shows the effectiveness of Fleetwood Town's youth development. The defender, who is 24 and progressed through the club's system, has been chosen by coach Thomas Tuchel for the forthcoming matches.

Tuchel included Hill, who is from Lancashire, after an injury to Arsenal's Ezri Konsa required a change. Hill might be only the second player from Fleetwood Town to play for England, after Jamie Vardy. This news arrives with Fleetwood Town positioned 16th in League Two on 17 points after 14 games, with four wins, five draws and five defeats. They are 14 points behind the league leaders, Salford City. Their next game is at home versus Tranmere on Saturday 14 November, and they aim to better a recent record of mixed results, having taken just one win and one draw from their last five matches.

The team's recent form includes a 1-2 home defeat to Rochdale last Saturday, where Ronan Coughlan scored a 74th-minute penalty. Prior to that, they secured a 3-1 victory over Bristol Rovers, with goals from Aaron Loupalo-Bi, R. Bennett, and Josh Robertson. Hill first played for Fleetwood's senior team in 2018 and was with the club for several seasons, playing in dozens of matches. His form led to a significant transfer to Bournemouth at the start of 2022, and he has been a regular player there under manager Marco Rose. Hill has been a constant starter in the Premier League this season for Bournemouth, who are in the top half, and has also played in their European games. He has been on the pitch for many minutes for Bournemouth this season.

Family football heritage

The selection extends a family link to the team. Hill's father, Matt Hill, previously played for Blackpool and had a brief spell at Fleetwood Town over a decade ago. Matt Hill moved to Preston in the mid-2000s following a long period with Bristol City.

Hill's progress offers encouragement for Fleetwood fans in a difficult season where the team has scored 18 goals and conceded 18. The club may find motivation from his national team inclusion for their own efforts to climb the standings as they prepare to face 11th-placed Tranmere.

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