Wednesday, 17 March 2004.
England Under-16s coach John McDermott has named an 18-man squad for the Montaigu Tournament in France next month.
Last time out, McDermott's young side retained the Victory Shield following a 1-1 draw with Scotland at Hampden Park. A delightful free-kick from Charlton's Myles Weston put England in front, but a second-half response from the home side meant that the points, and the Shield, were shared by the 'Auld Enemy'.
As one of the Young Lion's most experienced players, having featured in the Under-17 Pepsi Tournament last summer, Weston returns to the squad for the trip to the annual Under-16 event on the west of France.
Sixteen of the remaining 17 were involved in at least one of the games in that Victory Shield campaign in October and November, including 'keepers David Button, from Spurs, and Blackburn's Zac Jones, while a new face, James Tomkins from West Ham is given his first chance at international level.
"We want to see which players show composure are able to deal with international football," says McDermott.
"We want to pick out the ones with the right attributes to develop into full England players over the next seven or eight years."
England will play four games in Montaigu, beginning with the match against the Ivory Coast on 7th April and rounding-off with the final placings play-off games on Easter Monday. The England Squad in full
|
Player |
Club |
|
Scott Bridges |
Aston Villa |
|
David Button |
Tottenham Hotspur |
|
Hogan Ephraim |
West Ham United |
|
Joe Garner |
Blackburn Rovers |
|
Jordan Holmes |
Liverpool |
|
Zac Jones |
Blackburn Rovers |
|
Darryl Knights |
Ipswich Town |
|
Daniel MacDonald |
Aston Villa |
|
Joe Martin |
Tottenham Hotspur |
|
Lewis McGugan |
Nottingham Forest |
|
Lee Molyneux |
Everton |
|
Jamie Mullen |
Manchester United |
|
Scott Phelen |
Everton |
|
Micah Richards |
Manchester City |
|
Chris Riley |
Tottenham Hotspur |
|
James Tomkins |
West Ham United |
|
Theo Walcott |
Southampton |
|
Myles Weston |
Charlton Athletic |