For Jarrod Bowen, the feeling of representing his country at a major international tournament, will never grow old.
The West Ham United forward is featuring at the first tournament of his career this summer, as England aim for glory at UEFA Euro 2024, and he has already made appearances from the bench in the Three Lions’ opening fixtures against Serbia and Denmark.
Last Sunday, he was called into action with 14 minutes to play as Gareth Southgate’s men defended a 1-0 lead against Serbia.
Bowen played his part in securing the three points, and came within a whisker of providing an assist, when Harry Kane headed his cross against the crossbar.
Then, four days later, Bowen’s moment arrived in the 69th minute as England sought a winner against Denmark with the scores locked at 1-1.
Although the Three Lions were unable to find the decisive second goal on that occasion, Bowen believes his team will continue to improve as the tournament goes on – starting with their final Group C assignment on Tuesday, when they face Slovenia in Cologne.
“For me, it’s an honour to play for your country in the first place, but to do it in a major tournament as well is another thing,” he said.
“The two games have been really good tests for me to come in – winning the first game and helping to defend the lead and trying to make an impact.
“I think that’s the main thing you can do when coming off the bench, bringing that energy, and for me it’s been a real confidence booster to be involved in both of the games.
“One of the main things the experienced lads have spoken about is being ready for the opportunity, because you never know when it’s going to come.”
Bowen will be hoping that chance will come from the start against Slovenia, after making those impressive personal cameos in the opening two fixtures.
While the team’s performance against Denmark drew criticism from some quarters, the Hammer of the Year says England are purely focused on growing with each time they step onto the pitch and building momentum throughout the tournament.
And he was keen to stress the point that, although two points might have slipped through their grasp against the Danes, the Three Lions remain in a strong position, knowing victory against Slovenia will guarantee top slot and a round of 16 clash against one of the third-placed finishers.
"The mood is really high and you try not to get involved in the outside world because what we’ve got is a really tight group, a real togetherness," he added.
"We’re sat here with four points – it’s not two wins, but it’s still four points and we’re top of the group. We’re still in control of our own destiny, and if we win Tuesday’s game we’re then going into the knockouts.
"There’s a lot to get to that win – Slovenia are a really good side and every game is so different. It’s my first tournament, but all the teams you come up against pose different threats.
"Serbia were very direct and put a lot of crosses in the box, and Denmark were a lot more technical I thought.
"I guess that’s tournament football and the teams are are really good opponents. We know Tuesday will be a difficult game, but. We know what we have to do and we’re calm about it.
"We’re in a really good position, so we’re looking forward to the game on Tuesday."
