HOMELESS people from across the city descended on Birmingham City Football Club in a bid to play for the England football team.

Around 40 men and women were put through their paces at Blues’s Soccerdome training headquarters to earn the right to represent the national team in the Homeless World Cup in Milan.

Ranked six in the world, the team’s head scout was looking for top quality players who could bring home the highly-coveted trophy.

And with more than half of last year’s squad coming from Birmingham, spirits were high among the homeless hopefuls.

Neil Heartland, aged 24, who lives in a hostel in Small Heath, said: “It would be my dream to get through these trials.

“I know it isn’t the real England team but it would still mean I get to wear the three lions crest and play for my country.

“I fancy myself as a cross between Ryan Giggs and Roberto Carlos so I reckon I’ve got a good chance.”

A squad of eight players will be taken to Italy for the tournament which will see around 50 teams taking part.

Only one person was picked from the trials in Bristol after just 11 people tried out.

Richard Brown, England team manager from The Big Issue in the North, which is organising the team, said: “We came back from the sixth Homeless World Cup in Melbourne at the end of last year and everyone involved had a brilliant time.

“Taking part in even the first round of trials is a fantastic opportunity.

“It’s a chance to meet other people, take part in physical activity, and it’s the first step towards being part of the England team, a journey which can be literally life changing for those taking part.”

The two-hour trials, hosted by Blues as part of their Our City, Our Vision community initiative, included skills sessions against defenders and “small-sided” matches.