Steele relishing Norfolk invasion
by Jamie Bradbury
Thursday, 07 October, 2010
England stopper looking forward to Friday's sell out at Carrow Road.
England v Romania
UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2011
Play-Off First Leg
7.30pm, Friday 8 October 2010
Carrow Road, Norwich City FC
Tickets for the game have now sold, but for fans who still want to see the game, it will be screened live on ESPN.
Jason Steele, Nathan Delfouneso and Jordan Henderson all visited Taverham Primary School in Norwich on Wednesday. Click here to watch the video.
England Under-21 'keeper Jason Steele says that playing in front of a sell-out crowd in Norwich on Friday night will give the Three Lions a huge boost as they aim to overcome Romania in two-legged play-off for a place in next summer’s UEFA European Championship.
Word came through on Wednesday that the last of the tickets available for the first leg at Carrow Road have been sold, and it will provide Stuart Pearce’s men with a vocal support from the Norfolk faithful.
“It’s great news,” said Middlesbrough stopper Steele. “Everyone loves to play in front of big crowds and Friday will be no exception. It’s a massive game anyway, but to have 25,000 England fans behind us will be great for the lads. Hopefully we can deliver a good result.”
With England experience throughout the development teams, the 20-year-old earned his first call-up to the Under-21s for last month’s double-header against Portugal and Lithuania that sealed the play-off berth. Steele made it onto the bench for the first game, away in Barcelos, as back-up for Frank Fielding and is enjoying the chance to be a part of Pearce’s set-up again.
And, having already featured for the Three Lions in five major competitions in recent seasons, including three European Championship Finals, he would love to have the opportunity to be in the final squad next summer, should England make it to Denmark.
“It’s great just to be involved,” continued Steele. “I’ve only just started playing at Middlesbrough this season but I’m feeling good at the minute. I’m with the Under-21s now and the lads are a couple of years older than me but it’s good to get to know them and train with them, so it’s a great experience for me.
“I’ve played in Finals tournaments for the U17s, U19s and hopefully I can be part of this squad if we were to qualify. But that’s a big if at the minute. We have two very tough games against Romania to come, but hopefully we can do it.”
He added: “We’ve got to go out and win. Romania will be a good side, they obviously won their group, and they play a quick counter-attacking style. We’ll have to do everything we can to win the game.
“But we have a great bunch of boys here in the squad. We’ve just got to go out there and give it our best shot and hopefully it’s good enough.”
Although tickets for the game on Friday night are sold out, fans can still watch the game live on ESPN. Alternatively, you can follow the updates here on TheFA.com.
Supporters heading to Norwich with tickets should get to Carrow Road early to avoid possible congestion around the ground and delays at the turnstiles.