VIDEO: Young Lions are Middlesbrough-bound
Thursday, 24 November, 2011
England will face Belgium at the Riverside in February 2012.
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VIDEO: Stuart Pearce spoke to FATV about his side's upcoming trip to the Riverside
England Under-21s will open the 2012 calendar year with a game against Belgium at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium at 6pm GMT on Wednesday 29 February 2012.
Stuart Pearce will take his young side to the north-east for their UEFA 2013 Under-21 European Championship Qualification match against their Group 8 rivals Belgium, who inflicted England’s only defeat of their campaign with a 2-1 win in Mons earlier this month.
England Under-21s currently top their mini-league with 12 points, with their Belgian opponents four points and one place behind them after five games apiece.
Tickets for this exciting top of the table battle with Belgium are competitively priced at just £10 for adults and £5 for children. Group bookings and Charter Standard Club tickets are also available. Tickets will be available from Tuesday 29 November by calling 0844 499 1234, online at www.mfc.co.uk or in person at the Riverside ticket office.
England Under-21s Head Coach Stuart Pearce said: “There are few more passionate fans than those in the north-east, especially on Teesside and the surrounding regions, and we hope to see them come out in force for this fixture. We’ll be kicking off early so that England fans get home in time to also watch the senior team play later that evening.
“We sold out our recent game in Colchester in record time, but it would be great to pack out a big venue like the Riverside. We’ve got a great rapport with Middlesbrough as a club and have had a look at a couple of their players recently, in Joe Bennett and Jason Steele. Newcastle’s Sammy Ameobi has also impressed us and we have a big Sunderland link through our captain Jordan Henderson.”
Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray added: “We are delighted The FA has chosen to host this important match at the Riverside and it will be a prestigious occasion for Middlesbrough Football Club.
“I’m sure our fans will relish the chance to see some of this country’s finest young talents in action as England Under-21s seek to qualify for the 2013 European Championship.”
Middlesbrough has already played host to the England seniors at the Riverside, where Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Three Lions beat Slovakia 2-1 in June 2003, with Michael Owen scoring both goals.
There have also been five England Under-21 international fixtures at the Riverside Stadium - Middlesbrough’s home since moving from Ayresome Park in 1995 - all of which the Young Lions have emerged victorious from. The last time the side were on Teesside they beat an Azerbaijan side 2-0 in March 2005.
The fixture against Belgium will also be shown live on ESPN, whilst The FA will be making 500 tickets available for the Armed Forces charity Tickets for Troops.