The Young Lions' quest to reach the European Championship ended with defeat to Serbia and Montenegro.
England v Serbia and Montenegro
UEFA European U19 Championship
Elite Qualifying Round
FC Tournai, Belgium
7pm 22 May 2006,
For the full match schedule click here
England's hopes of returning to the European U19 Championship tournament they came so close to winning last season have ended with defeat in Belgium to Serbia and Montenegro.
After losing the opening game of the Elite Qualifying Round to Belgium, Martin Hunter's side were facing an uphill task to qualify for the Championship Finals in Poland later this summer.
Hopes were raised when the Young Lions responded with a victory over Northern Ireland on Saturday and they had it all to play for when they took on Serbia and Montenegro. With just one team progressing from their group they were looking for a rousing victory and a favour from Northern Ireland - but they were unable to get what they needed.
With Belgium taking on Northern Ireland at the same time, England required a win and the aid of the Northern Irish team if they were to make the Finals.
England's game was settled by a simple goal ten minutes into the second-half that was well finished by the Serbian right-winger Durisic.
From a long clearance by their goalkeeper, Serbia picked up possession and played a direct through ball that split the England defence apart.
Joe Hart had little chance as the goal was taken with swift aplomb, and England now had their backs against the wall in diificult conditions.
Despite creating decent chances to get back into the game the Young Lions failed to take their opportunities when they came, and the defeat was made worse when Moses Ashikodi was dismissed with just minutes remaining on the clock for an over-enthusiastic challenge.
The result of the game mean't that Belgium's match was irrevelevant as far as England were concerned, although it proved to be vital for Belgium as their 3-2 victory booked their place at the European U19 Championships.
Although they have failed to make the next stage of the competition, the young players will have learned as much from this setback as they would have from a victorious campaign, and these lessons will help make them better players in years to come.
England Team: Joe Hart (Shrewsbury Town), Billy Jones (c) (Crewe Alexandra), Ben Parker (Leeds United), Matthew Connolly (Arsenal), David Wheater (Middlesbrough) Gary Roberts (Crewe Alexandra), Mark Davies (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough), Jimmy Smith (Chelsea) Lee Holmes (Derby County), Joe Garner (Blackburn Rovers)