A Long time waiting
Thursday, 25 October, 2012
England U18s striker Chris Long speaks about 'best experience' of his life
By Nicholas Veevers
Chris Long says that his third-minute opener for England U18s against Italy was amongst the best moments of his life so far.
The Everton striker got Noel Blake’s side off to the best possible start in Mansfield before many of the 5400-strong crowd had even settled into their seats.
And the 17-year-old admits he could easily have had a hat-trick after seeing a shot cleared off the line and almost connecting with a Devante Cole cross in the second half.
He told FATV: “I was gutted that I missed the first one, but I was buzzing after getting the goal.
“And I could have had another, but I couldn’t quite get the touch.”
Long and his team-mates will now be hoping to have caught Head Coach Blake’s attention, with another U18 fixture in 2013 and more U19 games to come.
And the reception that the team received from the fans is something which Long cites as the highlight of his short career so far.
“It was the best experience of my life, to be honest,” he added.
“Playing in front of 5000 people was unbelievable. Especially being home fans, there’s no better feeling to be honest.”