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Tom Huddlestone's outstanding form has earned him a first call-up to the England Under-21s.
Huddlestone gets U21 callThursday, 03 February 2005.
England U21 v Holland U21
International Under-21 Friendly
Pride Park, Derby
08 February 2005
England Under-21s Coach Peter Taylor has brought some new faces into the squad to play Holland at Derby County’s Pride Park on Tuesday, 8th February. Kick off is at 8pm.
Local favourite Tom Huddlestone, Tottenham Hotspur’s Dean Marney and West Bromwich Albion’s on-loan Kieran Richardson all win their first call-ups at this level, while Birmingham City’s in-form Darren Carter will be looking to make his first Under-21s appearance against the Dutch.
 Peter Taylor said: "This friendly is an excellent chance to have a close look at some new players, particularly as I took the decision not to include any players who have games on Sunday.
"Tom Huddlestone has been playing very well week-in, week-out for Derby and is an excellent passer of the ball with great vision.
"Dean Marney has done well since breaking into the Spurs first team and is versatile enough to play in a number of right-sided positions, while Kieran Richardson is a great talent who offers balance on the left.
"He was always going to find chances hard to come by at Manchester United with Ryan Giggs ahead of him, but has the chance to establish himself on loan at West Brom.
 "I’m looking forward to working with them all and seeing how they settle in. It will be a difficult test against the Dutch, who always produce high quality teams with outstanding individuals."
Glen Johnson is missing through suspension after his sending-off against Spain last November.
England currently sit top of their European Under-21 Championship qualifying group with three wins and a draw from their first four matches, and will be looking to continue their excellent form against the Dutch.
With ticket sales at the 33,597-capacity Pride Park approaching the 32,000 mark, it promises to be an evening to savour.
Peter Taylor said: "Pride Park has always been a great stadium for the Under-21s. Not only have England always done well there, the fans have  always given fantastic support and created an electric atmosphere. It looks like it will be another packed house for the Holland game and that will give the players and me a huge lift."
Pride Park already boasts the record England Under-21s crowd, when 32,865 saw England defeat France 2-1 on 09 February 1999. It was also the scene for one of the Under-21s’ most dramatic matches in recent years, when Holland were the opposition.
In the second leg of a European Championship play-off in front of over 30,000 fans, Michael Carrick scored the only goal to send England through 3-2 on aggregate.
England have never lost against Holland at Under-21 level, boasting a record of won four and drawn two. The last encounter was played at Hull’s KC Stadium in February last year, with Darren Bent scoring a last gasp winner in a 3-2 victory.
England Under-21 Squad v. Holland
* On-loan
HUDDLESTONE GETS U21 CALL
03 February 2005
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