'A fantastic advert for youth football'
by Glenn Lavery
Wednesday, 25 August, 2010
John Peacock relishing the start of FA International U17 Tournament.
Ticket prices for all Tournament matches are £3 for adults and £1 for concessions
Click here to watch John Peacock's preview of this week's Tournament on FATV
Tonight, England will take on Turkey at Sincil Bank in their opening match of this season’s FA International U17 Tournament and Three Lions Head Coach John Peacock is expecting a week of exciting action.
Portugal and Australia complete the Tournament line-up and these two nations will kick-off proceedings at Glanford Park this afternoon.
Nine of Peacock’s 18-man squad lifted the Nordic Tournament title at the beginning of the month, under the guidance of Kenny Swain, and this week’s set of fixtures will further the Young Lions’ experience of international tournament football, a factor Peacock believes is crucial to the development of any young player.
“It should be a fantastic advert for youth football,” he predicts.
“The players [that will be] on show this week are trying to secure their long-term future in the game [and] the experience gained from this Tournament and the UEFA qualifying tournaments can only be of a huge benefit in achieving their long-term goal.”
As Peacock alluded to, England will begin their European U17 Championship qualifying campaign in October when they travel to Georgia to take on the host nation, Poland and Sweden, and this week’s Lincolnshire-based Tournament will provide his charges with the perfect preparation for their maiden appearance in a UEFA competition.
“This week’s Tournament will give me a good insight into the quality of the squad in preparation for the First Qualifying Round,” concurs Peacock.
“Tournament football is a different proposition to domestic fixtures and it’s important we give our players this exposure. I know our three opponents place a similar importance on this, hence the reason why Australia have travelled half way round the world to encounter a different challenge.”
After leading last season’s U17s to a first-ever European U17 title in May, Peacock is relishing the opportunity to defend the trophy with his latest collection of talented youngsters and after their success in the Nordic Tournament they have certainly got the season off to the right start.
“We have one survivor from [last season’s] squad in Nathaniel Chalobah, who was a year younger than his team-mates and he, like the rest of the squad, will be hoping to emulate last year’s achievements.
“That group suffered their only defeat of the year to Turkey in this Tournament. However, we went on to have a very impressive campaign and now I am ready for the new season.
“There are some difficult games ahead but I know all four countries are really looking forward to a quality competition that will hopefully give them confidence going into the new season.”
Three changes have been made to the England squiad since it was first announced on 10 August. Jake Caskey, Courtney Meppen Walters and Adam Morgan have replaced Adam Jackson, Blair Turgott and Zak Ansah respectively.
England will take on Australia at Blundell Park on Friday before concluding the Tournament against Portugal at Glanford Park on Sunday.
FATV will be filming all of England’s matches in this Tournament. Log on to TheFA.com on Thursday morning for all the action and post-match reaction from England v Turkey.
England squad
Goalkeepers |
Club |
Ben Garratt |
Crewe Alexandra |
Jordan Pickford |
Sunderland |
Defenders |
|
Nathaniel Chalobah |
Chelsea |
Jordan Cousins |
Charlton Athletic |
Luke Hendrie |
Manchester United |
Sam Magri |
Portsmouth |
Ellis Plummer |
Manchester City |
Matthew Regan |
Liverpool |
Midfielders |
|
Jake Caskey* |
Brighton & Hove Albion |
Robbie Cotton |
Blackburn Rovers |
Alex Henshall |
Manchester City |
Courtney Meppen Walters** |
Manchester City |
Raheem Sterling |
Liverpool |
Forwards |
|
Max Clayton |
Crewe Alexandra |
Matthias Fanimo |
West Ham United |
Hallam Hope |
Everton |
Adam Morgan*** |
Liverpool |
Nick Powell |
Crewe Alexandra |
* replaced Adam Jackson from Middlesbrough
** replaced Blair Turgott from West Ham United
*** replaced Zak Ansah from Arsenal
Ticket Information
Tickets are priced £3 for adults and £1 for concessions
England v Turkey7pm, Wednesday 25 August 2010
Sincil Bank, Lincoln City FC
Ticket hotline 01522 880 011
England v Australia7pm, Friday 27 August 2010
Blundell Park, Grimsby Town FC
Ticket hotline 01472 605 050
England v Portugal3pm, Sunday 29 August 2010
Glanford Park, Scunthorpe United FC
Ticket hotline 0871 221 1899