England Under-21s set for Euro send-off at Oakwell

The Vauxhall England U21 international will pit Gareth Southgate’s side against Belarus at Oakwell on Thursday 11 June (kick off 7:45pm), just three days before they head to Czech Republic for the tournament.

It will be the Three Lions’ fifth game since securing their qualification for the Finals with a play-off victory over Croatia last October, having previously faced the likes of Portugal and France in November and Czech Republic and Germany in March.

And with Southgate’s 23-man squad reporting to St. George’s Park in early June to start their preparations for the summer’s competition, this will be their final dress rehearsal in front of the fans before they face Portugal again in their Group B opener a week later on 18 June.

"We felt it was important that the players had another stadium game before we head out to Czech Republic," said head coach Southgate.

"We’ve played top quality nations in the games since our qualification and this match will give us chance to make our final preparations for the competition against another international opponent.

"Hopefully we’ll be able to generate some strong support at Oakwell to give us a good send off for the Euros.

"We’ve had fantastic support at places like Middlesbrough and Wolves for some of our recent games and I think the fans there have enjoyed watching us too."

Gareth Southgate and his side have enjoyed excellent support across the country this season

Southgate has yet to name his squad for the Euros, but the match could see a homecoming for Barnsley-born defender John Stones, who started his career with the Tykes before moving to Everton in 2013.

U21s captain Jack Butland also spent time on loan with the South Yorkshire outfit in 2013 from his parent club Stoke City.

The U21s last played at Oakwell in September 2011 when they beat Israel 4-1 thanks to goals from Martyn Waghorn, Marvin Sordell, Nathan Delfouneso and Henri Lansbury. Also in the Three Lions team that night was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ross Barkley and Jonjo Shelvey.

Tickets for the game cost just £10 for adults and £5 for children/concessions and are available via the Barnsley Box Office or online on Monday, via boxoffice@barnsleyfc.co.uk or call 0871 2266777.

The game will be broadcast live on BT Sport as part of the broadcaster’s ongoing commitment to showcasing the England development teams.