Young Lions set for Elite clashes
Monday, 08 February, 2010
Northampton and Burton to host U17 Elite Round qualifiers in March and April.
UEFA European U17 Championship
Elite Qualifying Round
England, Malta, Slovakia, Sweden
27 March - 1 April 2010
Sixfields Stadium, Northampton Town FC & Pirelli Stadium, Burton Albion FC
Ticket information - see below
England U17s will be looking to qualify for the 2010 UEFA European Championships when they host the last stage of qualifying at Northampton Town and Burton Albion next month.
Only the group winners are guaranteed a place in Lichtenstein at this year’s finals and England will have to finish ahead of Sweden, Slovakia and Malta if they’re to make it through to the tournament in May.
England U17s Head Coach John Peacock is delighted that his Young Lions are on home soil for the crucial four team mini-tournament, saying “Both Northampton Town and Burton Albion are decent little stadiums. We had a friendly competition at the start of the season at both grounds so we’re pleased to be returning to familiar environments as it's good for the players.
“Both clubs will give us access to decent facilities, which will be good for our preparations.”
Peacock is already piecing together scouting plans as England countdown to their first game against Sweden at Northampton Town on 27 March.
“The Scandinavian sides always take these tournaments seriously so it goes without saying that Sweden will be professional and well organised," added Peacock, who led England to the European Championship Finals in Germany last year.
“The first game of any tournament is so important. We need to get off to a good start and take some momentum into the Malta and Slovakia games as we’ve all got high hopes of reaching Lichtenstein later this year.
“Malta will be delighted to reach this stage of qualifying as they came through as one of the best third-placed teams in the First Qualifying Round so it’s a big deal for them to get this far, while Slovakian football is on a high having reached the senior World Cup for the first time.”
Peacock, who’ll take his young charges to the annual round-robin Algarve competition next week, is hoping to take a full strength squad into next month’s Euro qualifying tournament: “The team is well supported by the clubs as they realise that international experience is great for a player’s development.
“We’ll use the Algarve competition to have a look at a few new players, so I’m optimistic that we’ll have a very strong line-up for this tournament.”
Elite Round Match Schedule
Saturday 27 March1pm, Slovakia v Malta at Burton Albion
3pm, England v Sweden at Northampton Town
Monday 29 March 3pm, Sweden v Slovakia at Northampton Town
7pm, England v Malta at Burton Albion
Thursday 1 April 7pm, Slovakia v England at Northampton Town
7pm Malta v Sweden at Burton Albion
Ticket informationAll tickets are priced £3 for adults and £1 for concessions
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