England U19s boss wants his side to show more cutting edge after victory over Denmark

England U19s 3- 1 Denmark U19s
U19 International Match
7.30pm, Tuesday 5 February 2013
The Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster Rovers FC
By Nicholas Veevers

Noel Blake saw his England U19s despatch a decent Denmark side in Doncaster, but is still highlighting areas in which he wants improvement.

A first-half brace from Chuba Akpom and a goal from substitute Dominic Samuel after the break were enough to complete a 3-1 win at the Keepmoat Stadium.

But despite the overall performance from the Young Lions, Blake is still keen to see his side add more cutting edge to their game.

Blake told FATV: “We did something a little bit different in terms of the shape of our front line and a lot of attacks sprung from there.

“We had two boys playing in the pockets of space in Nathan Redmond and Blair Turgott and Chuba up front and I thought we did really well at times.

“But again, the one thing was in that final third, particularly in the first half, when we got in but then that final ball let us down.

“It’s those little things, as a year group, that we need to improve on.”

However, the Head Coach was happy with his team’s overall performance and their ‘game management’ against a lively Danish team.

He added: “It was a good game and it was a very good test for us.

“Denmark had planned and prepared very well, so we knew they’d be a decent side as they got to the semi-final of the Euros and World Cup quarter finals as U17s.

“We said to the lads that this would be a good test for them at this stage of the campaign and I was really pleased that from our point of view, when Denmark had a spell, we handled it.

“What I’ve learned during my time at The FA is that whatever level you play at, there’s never a friendly for England as everyone wants to beat you.”

A full video interview with Blake will be available to watch on FATV shortly.

England U19s: 1 Jordan Pickford (13 Dean Snedker, 85), 2 John Stones (12 Calum Chambers, 67), 3 Greg Leigh, 4 James Ward Prowse, 5 Eric Dier (15 Jordan Willis, 79), 6 Jack O'Connell, 7 Tyler Blackett (17 Lewis Baker, 67), 8 John Lundstram (c), 9 Chuba Akpom (14 Dominic Samuel, 57), 10 Blair Turgott (18 Josh Murphy, 58), 11 Nathan Redmond (16 Jacob Muphy, 57).

Substitutes not used: N/A

Head Coach: Noel Blake

Denmark U19s: 1 Olver Korch (16 Casper Radza), 2 Frederik Holst, 3 Patrick Jensen, 4 Nicolai Johannessen (, 18 Andreas Maxso, 81), 6 Patrick Olsen (5 Emiliano Marcondes, 72), 8 Lasse Christensen (c), 9 Yusuf Yurary, 10 Lucas Andersen, 11 Danny Amankwaa (13 Marcus Solberg, 67), 15 Kristian Lindberg (7 Christian Norgaard, 58), 17 Casper Hojer Nielsen (12 Mads Aaquist), (14 Lucas Tomas Jensen, 79).

Substitutes not used: N/A

Attendance: 7654