David Forsyth lauds Scotland promotion to EuroHockey Nations Championship

David Forsyth playing for Scotland in 2014

David Forsyth says Scotland's promotion to hockey's top tier is an "incredible milestone" for the country.

Forsyth featured as Scotland beat Russia 4-3 in Friday's Championship II semi-final to secure a place in the 2019 EuroHockey Nations Championship.

It is the first time Scotland's men have achieved that feat since 2005.

"It's amazing - there's no-one in our current team that's played in the A division top tier hockey," Forsyth told BBC Scotland.

"We got a bit of a taste of it at World League in June when we got to play against teams that are in the top 10 in the world.

"We're currently 23rd but we've proved we can compete with these teams.

"This is just an incredible milestone for Scottish hockey."

Forsyth's brother Alan scored in Scotland's victory over Russia, which the Scots led 4-0 at one stage.

It means the squad can go into Saturday's final against Wales knowing their mission of promotion is already complete.

"We've sometimes complained about funding and felt hard done by, but we've gone out and worked really hard and finally got the results we deserve," added Forsyth.

"With the Commonwealth Games next year and then the European A division in two years' time, it's going to be a really exciting time for the whole squad going forward."