Derbyshire's Wembley delight

	3 Sep 2008
	VIDEO: Matt Derbyshire pre Portugal
	Matt Derbyshire speaks about his last visit to Wembley, when he managed to score for England against Italy.

England Under-21 striker Matt Derbyshire has unfortunately had to pull out of Friday's game with Portugal at Wembley after picking up a groin injury in training, but as one of the few footballers who has already played and scored at the stadium, he is urging his squad mates to make the most of it.

The Blackburn Rovers star was part of the Under-21 team which shared a thrilling 3-3 draw with Italy in March last year in what was the first England game to be held at the stadium since it was rebuilt.

He scored a goal and set another up that day, as the Lions prepared for the European Championships in the Netherlands and they now finish off their qualifying campaign for the 2009 competition in Sweden against Portugal.

Whilst the 22-year-old won't be there on for this game, he still fondly recalls his previous visit to north London.

"I’d never been to Wembley before, so it was the first match I’d been to there and it couldn’t have gone any better to be honest," he told TheFA.com

"I came on, had a few touches, set one goal up and scored one and we came away with a draw, so it was a great debut for me.

"There’s so much people say about Wembley and the history around the place, so to be able to say that I’m one of those who have scored at Wembley is fantastic.

"I had my mother and my girlfriend, as well as a few other friends there, so it was a great occasion and good for them to experience it as well."

England are guaranteed to finish top of their qualifying group going into their last game, but for Portugal it is a different situation and they need points to guarantee a passage to the play-off stages so Derbyshire knows that the Lions won't have an easy game.

"It’s going to be very tough," he added. 

"If we beat Portugal it makes it even more difficult for them to qualify, which would be a bonus for us knowing we’d knocked out one of the favourities.

"Hopefully we can get something from the game and it’ll be good for the confidence of the whole squad to keep the momentum going."

TICKET DETAILS v PORTUGAL

If you haven't already got your ticket, then they can still be purchased from the East ticket booth at Wembley from 12 noon on Friday and payment can be made with either cash or card.

Tickets can also be purchased via a fast track entry into the stadium at turnstile M from 5:45pm. Payment here is by cash only.