Jordan Henderson says England must maintain the winning habit as they build for Euro 2013

Skipper Jordan Henderson says England must keep winning games as they build up to next summer’s UEFA European Under-21s Championship.

After qualifying via the play-offs against Serbia last month with a 1-0 victory in both the home and away legs, the Young Lions have maintained their 100% run in 2012.

Another success over Northern Ireland in Blackpool on Tuesday night will see them take that run to six matches, equalling a 21-year record at Under-21s level.

And the Liverpool midfielder says they must continue the habit of winning with the Finals in Israel on the horizon.

“Hopefully that will be another good achievement for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s a competitive game or a friendly, you’ve just got to keep that winning mentality going,” Henderson told FATV.

“It was difficult circumstances going away to Serbia, but I thought the lads coped with it really well.

“Maybe we didn’t keep the ball and pass the ball like we did in the first game, but we got the result and that was the most important thing really.

“The first game, we played very well. Possibly a bit disappointed we didn’t win by a couple more so it made it a bit tougher when we went away.

“But I think, performance-wise, we played some good football.”



On Monday Henderson was back with his Three Lions team mates as they trained together for the first time since their heroics in Serbia.

But there were also a number on young players who had joined up for their first meeting with Stuart Pearce’s team.

And Henderson, who played for England at Euro 2011, says the encounter with Northern Ireland at Bloomfield Road will give the new boys an opportunity to push for a place on the plane in June.

“It was a good session with a lot of young lads coming into the team. Everyone’s starting to get to know each other,” he said.

“A lot of people stood out, it was their first time training with the Under-21s so they were excited to train, but there are a lot of good young players coming through and we’ve seen that today.

“We’ve got the Championship coming up in the summer and I think it’s a good chance to show what you can do to get in the squad for the summer.”

He added: “It’s an honour to lead your country out at any age and at any level, so it’s another honour for me if I can do that [against Northern Ireland]. and if I can keep playing well I’ll do it in the Finals as well.”

Fans can get tickets to watch England’s young stars for the terrific price of just £10 for adults, £5 for children and a family ticket (two adults and two children) is only £25.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 0844 847 1953 or online at www.eticketing.co.uk/blackpoolfc