Aidy Boothroyd names U20 squad to face Romania

Thursday 28 Aug 2014
Aidy Boothroyd will be taking charge of his first England U20 match

Aidy Boothroyd has named his England U20 squad to face Romania in Telford on Friday 5 September.

Among the group are three newcomers to the international scene as Exeter City pair Christy Pym and Matty Grimes join Newcastle United forward Rolando Aarons in line to make their England bow.

Several ever-presents from the 2013-14 England U19s campaign are also involved – including Liverpool’s Jordon Ibe, Aston Villa’s Callum Robinson, Chelsea pair Lewis Baker and John Swift, Norwich City forward Josh Murphy and defenders Matt Targett and Shay Facey.

Meanwhile, there are also international returns for Fankaty Dabo and Diego Poyet, who last wore the Three Lions of England in 2011 and 2012 respectively. 

England v Romania

An U20s International Match
7.30pm, Friday 5 September 2014
New Bucks Head Stadium, Telford
Tickets £3 adults, £1.50 concessions

Everton’s Chris Long – who has already appeared at U20 level at the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup – also returns to the fray, as does Derby County forward Kwame Thomas who last featured for England at U17 level in 2011.

The game at Telford will be head coach Boothroyd’s first in charge of the age group. 

The former Watford, Coventry City and Northampton Town manager joined The FA as a national coach in February, and will know many of his current squad well after assisting Noel Blake on the final two U19s camps of the 2013-14 season.

Boothroyd said of the fixture: “These are great experiences for individual players, from which mean both club and country will benefit. 

“The match is the beginning of a full programme of international fixtures for this group, finishing with the Toulon Tournament in May. 

“Romania have a strong history of producing senior international players from their youth teams, and this game will be a good test for us.

“I am both excited and proud to be working for my country in such an important age group. This current squad has a mixture of talented players with different experiences.”

Goalkeepers: Christy Pym (Exeter City), Christian Walton (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Defenders: Dominic Ball (Tottenham Hotspur), Shay Facey (Manchester City), Lloyd Jones (Liverpool), Fankaty Dabo (Chelsea), Isaac Hayden (Arsenal), Matt Targett (Southampton)

Midfielders:  Paul Digby (Barnsley), Lewis Baker (Chelsea), Ben Pearson (Manchester United)* John Swift (Rotherham, on loan from Chelsea), Harrison Reed (Southampton), Matty Grimes (Exeter City).

Forwards: Josh Murphy (Norwich City), Callum Robinson (Aston Villa), Jordon Ibe (Liverpool), Rolando Aarons (Newcastle United), Chuba Akpom (Arsenal), Chris Long (Everton),  Kwame Thomas (Derby County), Josh Harrop (Manchester United)^.

* Replaces Diego Poyet (West Ham United),
** Replaces James Wilson (Manchester United) 
^ Replaces Adam Campbell (Newcastle United)**

Tickets for the game cost £3 and £1.50 and can be purchased at the ticket office at the New Bucks Head Stadium, by calling 01952 640064 or clicking here.

And if you're a booking for a group or from a Charter Standard club or league, you can get tickets for even less!

Click here for group booking form.
Click here for Charter Standard booking form.

By Jamie Reid Senior Writer