Hockey star Iain Mackay is ready to fly the flag for Braintree at this summer’s Olympic Games.

The former Braintree Hockey Club junior, from Stisted, is in the final 16 for Great Britain’s men’s team that will compete in London.

And as he prepares to live out his dreams by playing on sport’s greatest stage, Mackay says he “owes a massive debt of gratitude” to everyone at Braintree.

“I do think back a lot to my time there,” said the 27-year-old, who now plays his club hockey for English Hockey League premier division champions Reading.

“My parents still live in Stisted and I regularly get back to the area, so it’s very fresh in my mind.

“I personally think the first five years of a young player’s development is the most important and all those years for me were at Braintree."

Read more in the Olympic supplement in Wednesday's Times.