STUART PEARCE submitted his shortlist for Team GB's Olympics squad yesterday and Middlesbrough's Jason Steele is still dreaming of going for gold later this summer.

The Boro goalkeeper recently returned from a short holiday and is planning to keep himself fit before returning to pre-season training at Rockliffe Park on July 5.

The following day Pearce, Team GB's head coach, is due to reveal his final 18-man squad for the Olympics, which is likely to include two goalkeepers and Steele is among those in contention.

Pearce could still call on Jack Butland, the England Under-21s goalkeeper, if the Birmingham City teenager does not make an appearance during Euro 2012.

And beneath him there is Steele, Manchester United's Ben Amos, Huddersfield's Alex Smithies and Tottenham's David Button all holding hope of being involved in the Games.

It has emerged David Beckham and Craig Bellamy are two of the three players over the age of 23 who will be involved, with Ryan Giggs expected to be the other - and Steele is keen to join them.

"I will be starting pre-season with Middlesbrough regardless and I'm just going to keep myself right just in case I'm involved in the Olympics," Steele told The Northern Echo last night.

"If I go to the Olympics then I have got to be ready, so I'm just working on my fitness through June. I don't know whether I will be in or not, we will just have to see.

"Somebody told me that George Hardwick (the former Middlesbrough player) was the last player to captain a Team GB football team at the Olympics and that shows how long ago it was that Great Britain had a team involved.

"Stuart Pearce has a lot of options and I just hope I can be involved. It would be a fantastic honour to be involved, we can only wait and see."

Butland's surprise call-up to the England seniors Euro 2012 squad following the withdrawal of John Ruddy has been noted by Steele.

The two are colleagues on the Under-21s stage.

"Fair play to Jack," said Steele, knowing how last season Butland was on loan at Cheltenham. "His call up is a good advert for football outside the Premier League. It shows how quickly players can move up through the ranks."

Steele has his own long term goals to gain international recognition after successfully emerging on to the first team stage at Middlesbrough in the last two years.

The former England youth international has made 69 league appearances for the Teesside outfit since Gordon Strachan handed him his debut when Brad Jones headed for Liverpool in August 2010.

His development was restricted last season when he suffered a serious wrist injury in a training ground collision with Leroy Lita just days before the start of the campaign.

But he remains at the forefront of Tony Mowbray's plans, even if the boss is on the look out for a new goalkeeper to provide competition and back up to Steele.

"Connor Ripley is 19 now and at the age where he wants and should be playing more first team football to get experience," said Steele, at his nearby Newton Aycliffe FC to back their 'Give Us A Quid' fundraising drive.

"Connor needs some playing time somewhere to help him along, so if it's the case that the manager needs to bring in somebody to allow Connor to go on loan then that's great. The new goalkeeper will be there to push me and it will be for me to welcome him on board and enjoy the fight for a starting place."

* There are three easy ways to donate to Newton Aycliffe's Give Us A Quid. Go to paypal.com, click on send payment, and send payment to aycliffefc@hotmail.co.uk or email Newton Aycliffe FC Treasurer Paul McGeary for bank details to make a transfer, mcgearypaul@hotmail.co.uk. Otherwise send a cheque, made payable to Newton Aycliffe FC, to Paul McGeary, Treasurer, Newton Aycliffe FC, Aycliffe Sports Club, Moore Lane, Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham, DL5 5AG.