U20s fall to Swiss

A crowd of over 11,000 braved freezing temperatures on Thursday night to cheer on the Under-20s who were disappointed to lose 0-2 to a well-organised and competitive Swiss outfit in what turned out to be an exciting encounter between two evenly matched sides at Upton Park.

Les Reed, England coach and Acting FA Technical Director said after the match, "It was disappointing from a performance point of view, we were very patchy tonight and only really looked good in fits and starts."

However, he also emphasised the developmental approach taken when picking the side, stating: "The purpose of these matches is to look at a large pool of players in preparation for the World Youth Championships in the spring."

The first half was a tight affair although the Swiss had the better chances and probably deserved to go in at half time ahead. They took the lead on 44 minutes after Weber, the tall striker deployed as the Swiss target man deftly back-flicked a header past England keeper Lonergan.

The Swiss would have been more satisfied with the way they started the game and probably should have taken the lead after 10 minutes when the left winger Degen cut inside, took on two England defenders and unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box, only to see his effort brilliantly diverted by Lonergan.

However as the first half continued, England began to grow in confidence and were unlucky not to have a penalty following a great individual run by Jerome Thomas, whose quick feet, speed of thought and lightning pace troubled the Swiss defence all night.

This was then followed by an excellent spell of pressure by the young lions that brought three corners in quick succession and arguably England's best chance of the half, when centre back Glen Johnson's glancing header from a Morgan corner flew inches wide of the far post.

It was then Switzerland's turn to miss a great chance when Degen sliced a shot from just 15 yards out that finished up going out for a throw-in.

The remainder of the half was played out with few chances falling to either team and looked certain to be 0-0 until Weber's late header meant the Swiss took a valuable lead at half time.

The second half saw England initially make two substitutions with Michael Tonge and Rohan Ricketts replacing Darren Carter and Carlton Cole, and these changes, along with three other substitutions throughout the second half did little to help England break through a well organised Swiss team that were not prepared to experiment to the same extent as their opponents.

Nevertheless the second 45 minutes was dominated by England in terms of possession, although they failed to convert this possession in to goal scoring opportunities.

The best effort was probably a 25-yard thunderbolt volley for captain O'Neill in the 65th minute that was hit sweetly but straight in to the arms of the Swiss keeper.

And while England looked for a way through the mean Switzerland back four and had more of the play, their opponents always looked dangerous on the counter attack with the lively Buhler and Mikari running at the English back four and causing mayhem every time they advanced on the English goal.

It was therefore no surprise when the Swiss made the game safe with a well-taken goal by Mikari after 88 minutes. The young striker ran on to a delightful pass by Kaulaksuizoglu, skipped by Peter Clarke and neatly chipped the ball over the advancing Hylton 12 yards out to seal a good win for the Swiss side.

Although the result was disappointing and England struggled to find their form all evening there were still some encouraging individual performances that would have pleased coach Les Reed.

Ben Bowditch looked comfortable in midfield sitting in front of the back four, breaking up the Swiss attacks and keeping the ball moving in the middle of the pitch with some neat short passes.

Carlton Cole looked sharp in the first half and caused the Swiss defenders problems when he dropped deep to link with the midfield.

Jerome Thomas had an excellent game up front, O'Neill was busy in the midfield while Peter Clarke put in a commanding performance at the heart of the English defence.

After the game Les Reed spoke in glowing terms about young Northampton left back Carruthers, who made his debut, saying: "He settled in excellently and coped very well both physically and mentally in what was a difficult match. At this level there are few naturally left footed defenders and I think we may have discovered a real find for England."

Overall it was a difficult night for Les Reed and his young lions, but the team will take some positives out of the game, which was always intended to be a learning experience in preparation for the World Youth Championship.

Next, its Germany at the Madjeski, where England will be looking to put right this result and leave the crowd there in no doubt that come March, this side will be going to the United Arab Emirates as strong contenders to bring home the silverware.

The Teams