Lions edge out Scots
Friday, 23 May, 2008
Steve Morison scored to seal England's second successive win in the Four Nations Tournament.
England C 1-0 Scotland
Four Nations Tournament,
Llanelian Road, Colwyn Bay FC
7pm, Thursday 22 May 2008
England C picked up their second successive win in the Four Nations Tournament on Thursday evening, by beating Scotland.
Stevenage Borough's Steve Morison netted the winner in the second half for Paul Fairclough's men after being introduced as a substitute.
He fired a stunning half-volley to secure the result after what was an impressive performance from the Three Lions.
England enjoyed plenty of possession and showed some good movement and interplay as well as creating chances.
The Three Lions attacked from the start and almost took the lead after five minutes when Shaun Harrad fired in a shot from 20 yards which Bennett in the Scottish goal fumbled away for a corner.
With Harrad and Jon Shaw both looking lively up front, England continued to push forward and on 22 minutes Harrad hit a tremendous shot just over the bar after a good interchange of passes with Shaw.
It was half an hour before Scotland managed an attempt on goal with Ross and Bain combining well, but the resultant cross-come-shot was easily dealt with by Scott Tynan in the England goal.
The final 15 minutes of the first half produced some excellent one and two touch passing movements from the English side, which pleased the appreciative Welsh crowd as the blue shirted Scots were unable to cope with this and appeared to be chasing shadows for long periods.
England almost took the lead three minutes before the break when Harrad again fired in a powerful shot which Bennett parried into the path of Dean Moxey, but his attempt on goal was blocked by a Scottish defender.
The second half continued in the same vein as the first, with England playing some really good football. The deadlock was almost broken on 55 minutes when Scottish defender Niddrie sliced a clearance onto his own bar.
With a win becoming more essential, Fairclough made two changes up front with Steve Morison and Mitchell Cole replacing Shaw and Gleeson respectively. The change paid off, as within five minutes Morison took a cross from Andy Burgess on his chest before smashing an unstoppable volley past Bennett. Morison almost added a second five minutes later when he glanced a header just wide of the post from another Burgess cross.
It proved to be enough though and Fairclough couldn't hide his delight at the final whistle.
"It was a great performance," he said.
"It was probably the best I've seen us play since I've been involved with the team and at times it was a joy to watch.
"We showed some great movement and team work, created chances and kept another clean sheet.
"We didn't get the goals though, but we have got the result against a determined and dogged Scotland team.
"There was an element of patience about the performance, but we tweaked the team in the second half with the substitutions and that was enough to tactically unsettle Scotland which led to the goal."
England will now face Wales on Saturday afternoon, knowing that if they can keep a clean sheet it will crown them as champions.
England: Scott Tynan (Northwich Victoria), John Brayford (Burton Albion), Michael Morrison (Cambridge United), Wayne Hatswell (Cambridge United), Kevin Nicholson (Torquay United), Chris McPhee (Ebbsfleet United), John Martin (Stevenage Borough), Daniel Gleeson (Cambridge United), Dean Moxey (Exeter City), Shaun Harrad (Burton Albion), John Shaw (Halifax Town).
Goals: Morison 75
The full fixture list for the Four Nations Tournament is as follows:-
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Wales v Scotland – Belle Vue Park, Rhyl – Kick Off: 7pm
England v Gibraltar – Llanelian Road, Colwyn Bay – Kick Off: 7pm
Thursday 22 May 2008
Wales v Gibraltar – Belle Vue Park, Rhyl – Kick Off: 7pm
Scotland v England – Llanelian Road, Colwyn Bay – Kick Off: 7pm
Saturday 24 May 2008
England v Wales – Belle Vue Park, Rhyl – Kick Off: 2pm
Gibraltar v Scotland – Park Hall, Oswestry (TNS FC) – Kick Off: 2pm