'Into the groove'
Wednesday, 04 August, 2010
Kenny Swain impressed with U17s’ attitude and application in 5-0 win.
by Glenn Lavery
After watching his side beat Finland 5-0 on Tuesday, Kenny Swain hailed the way his side went about managing the game.
A brace each for Adil Nabi and Adam Morgan and a goal for captain Jake Caskey got England’s Nordic Tournament campaign off to an emphatic start, and Swain praised the attitude of his young charges, four of whom were making their England debut.
“They did very well, especially considering we had four players who were totally brand new,” he said. “Their control of the game was very good.
“Off the field they’ve been excellent and they have slipped into the groove nicely. This group [of players] has impressed me more and more as different games have gone by,” continued Swain, who took charge of this year group at U16 level last season, “because people are coming in and doing as well as everybody else and that is broadening the squad. It’s just a question now of improving in terms of the quality, but there’s plenty of evidence in each game that tells me they are picking things up. Their understanding has improved each time.”
There is hardly any time to bask in Tuesday’s commanding win, however, as the U17 are back in action again later today, against Denmark.
“Tonight’s game will be a totally different proposition; I think this will be our toughest game of the tournament,” predicted Swain. “We’ll make sure that everybody gets a start and then we’ll have 24 hours to recover before the last game on Friday.”
England complete their Nordic Tournament group games against Iceland before a final game on Sunday against either Sweden, Scotland, Faroe Islands or Norway.