Danny Potts looking forward to re-igniting his international season on Thursday

England U19s v Turkey U19s
International U19 Match
7.30pm, Thursday 21 March 2013
The New Bucks Head Stadium, AFC Telford United
Ticket Prices: £3 Adults £1 Concessions
Call 01952 640 064
By Nicholas Veevers

Danny Potts wants to revive his international season on Thursday when England U19s face Turkey.

The West Ham United star has had an up and down campaign with the Young Lions so far, but is in Noel Blake’s squad for the match in Telford.

Potts was set to make his U19s bow last September when England played Germany, but a training ground knock the day before the game saw him miss out.

And he was in the initial squad for last month’s game with Denmark in Doncaster, but had to withdraw after suffering a nasty clash of heads with Bacary Sagna when playing for West Ham at Arsenal.

He said: “It’s been frustrating, especially with the Germany game as I got a knock the day before the match which ruled me out, so that was disappointing.

“And then the concussion that I got playing for West Ham against Arsenal the week before the Denmark game was another disappointment.

“But I couldn’t take any risks with it, so I’m pleased to be called up for this game.”

The 18-year-old did feature inbetween those games, ironically back in Telford when he was part of the Young Lions squad which beat Finland in November.

And he recalls a tough game on that occasion, which should be ideal preparation for the Euro Elite Qualifiers in May when England face Belgium, Scotland and Georgia for a place in the Finals in July.

He recalls: “We came away with the win that night and those are the sort of games that we might come up against in these Euro Championships and at the end of the day, it’s a win.

“We dominated the chances and possession, even though they had good spells in the game before we scored the late penalty through John Lundstram.

“In a qualifier or tournament, that’s the most important thing so it was pleasing to get a victory.”

Barking-born Potts made his first England appearance for the U18s just over a year ago and has since made the first team breakthrough at the Boleyn.

The son of West Ham legend Steve Potts, he’s enjoyed his international experiences with England so far.

But he acknowledges the difference between the international game and the faster and more robust Premier League football which he plays in every week.

He added: “I’ve found international football a little bit different to what we’re used to with our clubs.

“You get times when you play against countries who are happy to dig in and put in terrific work-rate off the ball and try to play on the counter attack.

“But we’ve got a good squad and there’s a lot of talent in there so it’s up to us to break that down.

“But there are a lot of 1-0 scorelines, as we saw against Finland and that’s what international football is often about.”