Under-18 International Friendly

England

v  

Sweden


 

  

 

29 April 2004, 7.30pm
York City FC, Bootham Crescent

A strike from Middlesbrough's James Morrison In Northampton gave England a 1-0 win against Belgium to cap a terrific display. Delighted coach Martin Hunter is now looking for his side to take a step up against a Sweden side who will provide a different test.

"Against the Belgians we started at a quick tempo and the passing and movement was good throughout the first half," he said. 

"Though James' strike from our second corner was the only goal, we created some very good chances and should perhaps have scored more. What was particularly pleasing for me was the way the new boys, making their international bows, blended with the more established players on scene.

Gary Liddle in action against Belgium"Against a very competitive Belgian side we saw some very positive individual performances all round. If we'd have had a little more edge to our finishing we could have had maybe four or five goals."

Hunter will be expecting a difficult test in tonight's match, and is not under-estimating the opposition: "We're now looking to take another step in the team's development with this game against Sweden.

"Having played before at youth level, we'll expect them to be another well-organised nation. Normally physically very strong, this match-up provides a chance for us to pit our wits against Scandinavian opposition.

"It won't be an easy game, they'll present different problems than Belgium, but that's is all part of the player's learning program. The variation in opposition provides the team with new tests each time, and with friendlies against the Czech Republic and France coming up at the start of next season, the players can gain even more experience." 

The team's ultimate aim is to reach the UEFA Under-19s Championship finals and these games are vital in their preparation. Thanks to England's UEFA rankings at Youth Level, the Three Lions will be seeded, which means they move straight into the second round mini-tournament qualifiers next year. 

England came through a behind-closed-doors practice game against Sweden on Tuesday with a 2-1 win. However, they will be different personnel on display this evening as Hunter looks to give more playing experience to his squad.  

England Starting Eleven

1 Thomas Heaton
2 Lee Peltier
3 Andrew Taylor (Middlesbrough)
4 Richard Jones
5 Matthew Bates
6 Martin Cranie (c)
7 James Morrison
8 Gary Liddle
9 Keith Barker
10 Jamie O’Hara
11 Thomas Carter

Subs: Kyle Nix, David Martin, Andrew Taylor (Blackburn), Matthew Mills, Ian Ross, Will Hoskins, Paul Hopkins

Stay logged on to TheFA.com for a full match report from York, and you can also keep updated with all the latest news and features from the England teams at all levels.