Matthew on the up
Friday, 08 February, 2008
Matthew Upson reveals his delight after returning to the England team for the first time in four years.
England 2-1 Switzerland
International Friendly
8pm, Wednesday 6 February 2008
Wembley Stadium
Live on BBC1
Matthew Upson revealed his delight after returning to the England team for the first time in four years, and playing the full 90 minutes of Fabio Capello's first game in charge.
It was the West Ham defender's first start in an England shirt since he lined up against Denmark in a friendly at Old Trafford in 2003, and Upson loved every minute of it.
Speaking exclusively to TheFA.com, a delighted Upson said: "It was a great experience, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
"It's been a long time and I've had some ups and downs, but I think I've worked my way back into the fray and I'm glad to get an opportunity."
Upson was sure that playing regularly for his club has helped him make a return to the international scene.
"100%," Upson explained. "It's good to play at West Ham. We're doing relatively well in the league and it's a bigger exposure club.
"My fitness and form have been good, so I'm pleased to get the recall."
Upson was also impressed by the new England Manager, after Fabio Capello kept the players guessing about who would start against Switzerland.
"We had a meeting and we spoke about some tactical things we have been working on for the two days; the shape of the team, what he wants when we lose the ball, how he wants us to play.
"The intensity of the training has been first class over the two days. Everybody is fighting for a place and the manager doesn't give too much away.
"He keeps his cards close to his chest, and works on the points he wants to work on, and lets the players apply themselves.
"So there were lots of key points that we were working on, but we didn't have enough time to get them across. But I thought we did okay tonight."
It was also the first time that Upson had sampled the new Wembley Stadium.
Upson remarked: "Magnificent, it's a fantastic stadium. The pitch is big, my legs have found that, but I'm just pleased to play here and I hope I get more opportunities."
England
1 David James, 2 Wes Brown, 3 Ashley Cole (16 Wayne Bridge, 74 mins), 4 Gareth Barry (18 Owen Hargreaves, 74 mins), 5 Rio Ferdinand, 6 Matthew Upson, 7 David Bentley, 8 Jermaine Jenas (17 Shaun Wright-Phillips, 57 mins), 9 Wayne Rooney (19 Ashley Young, 87 mins), 10 Steven Gerrard (c), 11 Joe Cole (21 Peter Crouch, 57 mins).
Substitutes 12 Scott Carson, 13 Micah Richards, 14 Joleon Lescott, 15 Jonathan Woodgate, 20 Michael Owen, 22 Jermain Defoe, 23 Chris Kirkland.
Goals
Jenas 40, Wright-Phillips 62
Switzerland
12 Diego Benaglio, 4 Philippe Senderos (13 Stephane Grichting, 55 mins), 10 Daniel Gygax (38 Eren Derdiyok, 46 mins), 16 Tranquillo Barnetta, 17 Christoph Spycher, 22 Hakan Yakin (5 Xavier Margairaz, 64 mins), 27 Gokhan Inler, 29 Stephan Lichsteiner (19 Valon Behrami, 46 mins), 31 Blaise Nkufo (28 Johann Vonlanthen, 46 mins), 33 Gelson Fernandes (24 Benjamin Huggel, 84 mins), 34 Mario Eggimann.
Substitutes 1 Pascal Zuberbuhler, 21 Fabio Coltorti, 30 Reto Ziegler.
Goals
Derdiyok 58
Kit Colours
England Red shirts, white shorts, red socks
Switzerland White shirts, red shorts, red socks
Match Officials
Referee Felix Bryche (Germany)
Assistant Referees Jan-Hendrik Salver and Kai Voss (Both Germany)
Fourth Official Martin Atkinson (England)
Attendance: 86,857