England v France
U18 International Friendly
Victoria Park, Hartlepool FC
7.30pm, Thursday 21 September 2006

Josh Walker hopes the experience of making his Premier League debut will give him the edge when he lines up for England Under-18s against France tonight.

The Middlesbrough midfielder came on as a second half substitute against Fulham on the final day of last season - a game which the Londoners won 1-0.

That afternoon Walker was faced with the rather unenviable task of keeping a lid on the mercurial Steed Malbranque and his burly midfielder partner, Papa Bouba Diop. But the 17 loved it.

"It was a great experience," said Walker, who has copies of his debut on multiple DVDs and videos. "At one point [Papa Bouba] Diop came running towards me – I had never seen anything like it in my life. Malbranque was just different class."

Walker, another product of Middlesbrough's prolific youth system, has been an England regular since Under-16 level. Last year he was part of the Under-17 side which drew 2-2 with France in Luxembourg, a game where England were hanging on despite twice taking the lead.

"France are very good," he insisted. "They have got a lot of pace and power. We have to be on top of our game. Everyone is looking forward to it, especially me."

Playing for your country is a special moment, but being captain is the ultimate honour - just as Walker who took the armband for both the Under-16s and Under-17s.

"You dream of captaining England, I have been lucky enough to have done it since I was 16. The feeling when you pull on the shirt is class. It's different to playing in the Premier League – I’m lucky enough to have done both," added the young Lion.

Walker will be on familiar ground tonight, having played at Victoria Park in a pre-season friendly for Middlesbrough against Hartlepool last season.

For him and fellow northerner Jamie Chandler, the Sunderland midfielder, the fixture is almost a home game.

"It’s a nice ground and the pitch is good. Half the stand will be full of mine and Jamie Chandler’s friends and family. We have been saying for ages ‘when are we going to get a game up north?'"

Tickets for the game are £3 for adults if booked in advance (£5 on the day of the match) while children (under-16) and OAPs are just £1.

To book, call Hartlepool FC on 01429 272584 and press option two, or send a fax to 01429 863007.