England 3-1 Macedonia

UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Group 7 Qualifier 
Madejski Stadium, Reading

Francis Jeffers stole the show and the points for England's Under 21s here tonight at the Madejski Stadium with a calmly taken hat-trick.

Jeffers found the net with consummate ease on each occasion, but it was testament to his clever running, and some accurate assists, that the chances were not difficult to convert.

Having not gained a point or scored a goal so far in qualifying, Macedonia were the clear underdogs against the already victorious English.

This European Qualifier started slowly with neither side upping the pace in the first half an hour on a blustery and fresh night at the Madejski Stadium. England's strike pairing of Shola Ameobi and Francis Jeffers found space early on, but when the half chances fell the finish was not forthcoming.

In the 5th minute Jeffers centred the ball low across the six-yard line but it eluded everyone and ran to safety. It was Jeffers again who only minutes later got behind the Macedonian defence to shoot, but Tome Pacovski was equal to it parrying the ball away.

Half chances fell to a number of players in the first third of the match but too often the end product was over-hit, not helped by the swirling wind.

The Macedonians offered little threat to the England back four, but did manage a shot at Chris Kirkland's goal on the break but Zoran Baldovaliev missed the target following good work by Bobi Bozinovski.

There was a blow for England in the 24th minute as Kirkland had to be replaced due to what looked like a recurrence of the neck injury that kept him out of the Slovakia victory on Friday night. Wolves' Matt Murray replaced the Liverpool stopper.

On the half hour mark Michael Carrick linked well with Ameobi on the edge of the penalty area but again the finish was lacking as he skewed his shot wide from a difficult angle.

The deadlock was broken however, in the 32nd minute. Newcastle United's Jermaine Jenas brought the ball forward and stroked a wonderfully weighted through ball in to the path of Jeffers.

The Arsenal youngster took the ball in his stride and made no mistake from 15 yards slotting the ball past Pacovski to an ecstatic roar from the 15,538 people inside the Madejski Stadium.

As the match progressed with England controlling it at a comfortable pace it was left to the Macedonians to entertain the crowd with some impressive acrobatics only previously seen in Billy Smart's Circus. Raucous laughter from the crowd proved that it kept them entertained throughout the quieter periods. Doctors the world over will want to know just what the Macedonian physio has on his sponge to perform such miracles of recovery.

Shortly before half time the unusually quiet Joe Cole saw a strike from distance saved well by Pacovski, with David Prutton not quite able reach the rebound to double the lead. A narrow but comfortable margin at half time meant that the team returned unchanged after the break.

The second half started brightly for the young lions. Konchesky dinked a cross in to the lonely Jeffers who took his time before firing his shot against Pacovski's legs.

The Macedonian 'keeper was doing well to keep the score line at 1-0 and had to be on his toes again to tip over a dipping goal bound shot from Jeffers only moments later. 

In the 53rd minute Cole went on a mazy run on the left. He cut inside, evading some half hearted challenges before finding the unmarked Jeffers only 6 yards out. The ex-Evertonian will seldom find himself with an easier chance and his finish was again tidy if unspectacular.

Sean Wright Phillips replaced a minute later Ameobi and the team immediately looked to pose more of a threat with the speed of the diminutive Manchester City winger on the right.

With an hour gone Cole was again the architect as he weaved in and out before finding Wright-Phillips in space 18 yards out. The little man from Maine Road shaped to repeat last month's strike against Yugoslavia at Bolton, but this time pulled his shot just past the far post.

Macedonia struck back without warning on 70 minutes, as Barry was adjudged to have pulled back Danco Masev on the edge of England's penalty area. The impressive Baldovaliev stepped up and powered an unstoppable free kick past the helpless Murray to give the visitors their first goal of the competition.

The goal woke England up again and with the introduction of Aston Villa's Peter Crouch, David Platt's side gave an immediate response. It came in the form of a hat-trick strike from the prolific Jeffers. He was on hand again to turn the ball home and must surely have had his club manager Arsene Wenger smiling, as he offers the Premiership leaders yet another option in already first class attack.

That is now 12 goals in as many Under 21 matches for Liverpool born striker, a record that cannot be ignored by the Frenchman or any Premiership defenders.

The score line remained at 3-1 as further chances went begging. The result puts England in a very strong position in the group, but David Platt will know that the sterner tests will come from Turkey and Portugal next year. And if Jeffers can get some first team football before then, who knows what he will be capable of.

Platt commented afterwards, "If someone had said ten days ago we would have 6 points I would have taken that.

"We weren't as fluid as on Friday night in Slovakia but it would have been difficult to emulate that performance, which was probably the best since I have been in charge.

"Every time we injected energy in to the game we caused Macedonia problems tonight. Franny Jeffers has scored 12 in 12 internationals, that confirms he is a goalscorer. He is sharp, if you create chances he will finish them

"It was disappointing to concede a goal because it was through complacency and there is no room for it in international football".

Matt Cook

England: Kirkland (Murray 24), Samuel, Konchesky, Carrick, Bramble, Barry, Prutton, Jenas, Jeffers, Ameobi (Wright-Phillips 55), J.Cole (Crouch 71)
Subs not used: Dawson, Zamora, Taylor, Pennant

England Goals: Jeffers 32, 53, 73 

Macedonia Goals: Baldovaliev 70