After suffering crushing defeats against Pakistan at the Sydney and Athens Games, Great Britain's men will be hoping for a much improved display on Monday when they open their campaign against the three-times gold medallists. Watching the match from the BBC TV commentary position will be Sean Kerly, a member of the victorious 1988 squad who avoided a clash against the famous "Green Shirts" in Seoul.

Twenty years ago in the Songnam Stadium, Great Britain enjoyed their finest hour in the modern era. It was late afternoon and having just beaten West Germany 3-1, 16 young men threw their arms in the air to celebrate a thrilling victory and a wonderful achievement.

Their triumph did as much to revive Britain's fortunes as it did to restore faith in the Olympic ideal as the team, a blend of doctors, bank clerks, newsagents and teachers, completed a fairytale end to a journey that had started in Los Angeles four years earlier. They won the bronze medal in 1984 before losing in the World Cup final two years later - the foundations had been laid.

The media were alert to the fact something special might just happen in Korea and, in the age of full-time athletes, the guys who gave up their jobs to compete exceeded all expectations.

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If England football teams are tired of hearing about the 1966 World Cup triumph, so too are hockey players when it comes to 1988 and the pressure remains on the current generation to emulate these heroes.

Here, Sean Kerly, Richard Leman, Stephen Batchelor and David Faulkner recall a remarkable fortnight in Korea in 1988.

SB: When I first arrived in the Olympic Village I thought, "Oh my goodness, have I really got to spend two weeks with Russell Garcia. He was always doing his hair - he even went to the women's team to do theirs!"

Garcia, a trainee hairdresser, was a surprise choice and the baby of the squad, aged 18. He remains the youngest ever male hockey gold medallist (18 years and 103 days).

DF: On one of the first days in the village, I remember stepping off a pavement and nearly being run over by Steffi Graf who was riding a bicycle with a whole lot of tennis rackets on the front. We also received our accreditation at the same time as Ben Johnson - little did we know he would win the 100m and then be done for drugs.

SB: Going into the canteen was an amazing experience. There was always someone famous and I sat next to Boris Becker once.

RL: It was all the shapes and sizes of athletes that struck me - from tiny Angolan boxers to weight lifters and so on. It was just so lovely to be around everyone.

DF: And then we heard goalkeeper Ian Taylor had been chosen to carry the flag at the Opening Ceremony, so that was special. We also all remember him sitting on the balcony and smoking a pipe after matches. He always did that and we used to joke that it was a pity we never had a rocking chair too!