England Under-21 captain brings his Euro blog to a close.
Become a ‘fan’ of the England Under-21s on our official Facebook page
We're now back in England and being able to see my family again eases the pain of last night's defeat. Like all of the boys, I'm absolutely gutted about losing to Germany. We came so close to finishing the job we set out to do nearly two years ago.
We were full of confidence and everyone was relaxed and really looking forward to playing in the final.
We started off well, too, and kept the ball but as Germany came into the game more, their goal really lifted them. We still had most of the possession and always felt we could get an equaliser.
Then they got the goal right after half-time and that made it even more difficult. We kept going, really working them. Catts came close twice, one off the bar and the line. Johnno also had a chance cleared off the line and if one of those had gone in, who knows?
The third goal killed us off, just when we were down to ten men with Cranie going off injured, and the fourth was almost the same.
Afterwards in the dressing room, there was just silence, nobody could speak. It was a hard defeat to take, especially as we really believed in ourselves.
Back at the hotel after, we all tried to pick each other up, but it was never going to be easy.
It wasn't the best way to end my time playing with the Under-21s. It's been superb lining up with so many great young players, it certainly bodes well for the future. I hope those from this squad who go on to compete in the next campaign can go that one step further and lift the trophy.
For me, I'll find out tomorrow when I'm back at West Ham for pre-season training, but after almost a whole month away from home, I'm looking to spend some quality time with my girlfriend and daughter.
It was hard being away, but I'm going to make up for it, starting today.
Thanks for reading and getting behind us in the tournament.
Best wishes,
Mark