England U18s head coach Neil Dewsnip may have gambled in pursuit of victory against Germany on Wednesday night – but he was in no doubt that the result was richly deserved.
The Young Lions came back from a goal down to defeat a highly rated outfit in Rotherham, with substitutes Dean Rittenberg and Harry Winks finding then net, and Dewsnip says he felt “honoured” to witness the performance.
He said: "I don’t know how many substitutions I have made in my coaching career.
England U18s 2-1 Germany U18s
U18 International Match
7.30pm, Wednesday 16 April
New York Stadium, Rotherham
"They’re probably into the millions – but there have never two who have been as successful as that."
Blackburn Rovers forward Rittenberg in particular made a startling impact, scoring with his first touch and then laying on the second minutes later.
Dewsnip chuckled: "To make one and the lad goes on and scores with his first touch… I don’t know. Is it luck?"
England dominated the first half but Patrick Pflucke stole in to open the scoring for Germany after 38 minutes and the hosts struggled to raise a response.
"The first half was very cagey, I didn’t think we did as well as what we possibly could," said Dewsnip.
"I thought we were a little bit too respectful of the opposition, and we talked at half time about getting a lot tighter when they had possession of the ball and regaining it quicker, which we did, and then turning that into some chances.
Watch the match highlights from England's win
"The whole team was so committed as a group of players. It was an honour to watch them do it."
England also took a chance before the game, selecting Nathan Oduwa as a No.10, despite the Tottenham player featuring mainly on the flank for club and country in the past.
Dewsnip added: "We rolled the dice. But then Nathan has been really impressive in training.
"We made the decision to play him behind the striker and ask him to do what he has done for Tottenham, which is obviously a lot of creative things, and I think he showed tonight that he can do it on the international stage as well."
The victory was made all the sweeter by a bumper crowd at Rotherham’s superb New York Stadium - and Dewsnip believes the hosts deserve some credit for the outcome.
"Rotherham has been absolutely magnificent. I think we had nearly 10,000 people here, all shouting and screaming for England, and it was wonderful to see," he said.
"I know the players are thrilled to bits with the venue and I’m sure the players would love to come back if invited."
