Dick Bate's England Under-19s won 2-0 away to Holland tonight.
Tuesday, 17 February 2004.
Netherlands 0-2 England
Under-19 International Friendly
Harderwijk
First half goals from Leeds United's James Milner and Norwich City's Ian Henderson were enough for the England Under-19s to beat their Dutch opponents in Harderwijk tonight.
After a nervy opening ten minutes in which neither side found a settled pattern to their play, Milner suddenly scored on a quick counter-attack.
England broke away from the edge of their own penalty area and fed the ball out to Wayne Routledge.
The Crystal Palace man quickly delieved a teasing cross and showing his natural goalscoring ability, Milner slipped the ball home at the back post.
Fellow forward Henderson got in on the act three minutes before half-time, giving England that crucial two-goal cushion at the perfect moment in the match.
A training ground routine from a corner saw the tall Norwich City striker finish well.
There was nothing that Holland - managed by the legendary Ruud Gullit - could do to comeback in the second period and so Dick Bate's side chalked up a well-deserved win.
Bate now has a friendly away to Germany next month before he has to select an 18-man squad for the European Championship pre-qualifying tournament in Slovenia.
Goals: Milner 11, Henderson 42