Lions have too much for Turkey
Tuesday, 17 November, 2009
Goals from Parrett, Gardner and Delfouneso prove enough at Glanford Park.
England U19s continued their impressive start to the season with another win on Tuesday evening, beating Turkey by 3-1 in Scunthorpe.
Noel Blake's team had won all four of their games to date this season and they made it five out of five at Glanford Park, where goals from Dean Parrett, Gary Gardner and Nathan Delfouneso proved enough to see off a Turkish side who looked more than competent themselves.
In fact, it was the visitors who started the brighter of the two teams and they certainly enjoyed the better of the first half and that culminated in Ozgur Cek putting them ahead just before half time.
Changes were made at the break though and England emerged for the second half in a more determined fashion and got themselves level shortly after the hour mark when Parrett finished well from close range.
Both teams made further changes, no doubt with next year's Elite Round qualifiers in mind, and it was one of the England substitutes who struck England into the lead. Gardner, the youngest player in the squad at 17 and on to replace John Bostock in midfield, latched onto a pass and drove a shot beyond Turkey's substitute goalkeeper Alptekin Teytey just four minutes after his introduction.
That looked as though it would be the winner but with the final whistle on the horizon, it was left to Gardner's Aston Villa team-mate Delfouneso to finish the job and secure the win in added time and see Blake's team continue their fine start to the season.
The U19s will now wait to find out their opponents in the Elite Round, when the draw takes place at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland next month.