Pearce reflects on result
Wednesday, 15 June, 2011
Head Coach disappointed with draw, but confident for remaining game.
Stuart Pearce
could not hide his disappointment after England Under-21s failed to take three points from a dominant display against Ukraine, but he is confident his team can progress with a game still remaining in Group B.
“I think we reacted well in the second half, after having a chat at half time, and I think the substitutes gave us a lift as well," he said. "We were disappointed we didn’t take the chances we had to win the game to get through and it’s a simple as that.
“I said to the lads that we have played against two really tough teams and conceded just a single goal from a set-piece so that side of the game has been good. We just need to create a few more clear-cut chances because we have the ability to score goals.
“My goalkeeper and back-four enjoy defending and I thought Phil Jones was colossal tonight as were the rest of them. We will learn our lessons, as we always do, and move on from here.”
Scott Sinclair and Henri Lansbury were introduced to the England attack during the game and showed enough to give the manager a welcome headache for the next must-win fixture against Czech Republic on Sunday.
“The boys in training have forced one or two places up for grabs and the players that have come in have done themselves no harm what-so-ever," he added. "We will have another fresh look at the game tomorrow and move on from there.”
The draw was Pearce's 50th game in charge and he is still enjoying the job of leading his nation’s young charges.
"It’s been really enjoyable. We have had a reasonable amount of success but you can always improve. It’s fantastic to work with players of this quality and I look forward to more games to come."