An Impossible Man

[CFuller]

***

 

The England football teams returned to training at St George's Park on the morning of Monday 31 August. Mark Catterall and his coaches had all arrived roughly half an hour ahead of their senior players.

 

As the coaches changed into their kit in the recently-rechristened Chris Ramsey Changing Room, assistant manager Michael Burke said, "Big day, ain't it, lads?"

 

"It's the best day of the year, transfer deadline day," David Platt nodded. "I hear that Leicester City are signing Galatasaray's Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic for £8.25million. And the word in Germany is that Bayern Munich are preparing an offer of around €35million for the Mainz winger Levin Öztunali. I can hardly contain my interest."

 

"Neither can I," Burke replied, rather unenthusiastically.

 

New tactical coach Tony Adams said, "I'll tell you about the best deadline-day deal I ever did. Theofanis Gekas, from Bayer Leverkusen, on loan for five months. Top-class striker, great man as well. Yeah, Portsmouth sacked me the very next week, and Gekas hardly got a chance afterwards, but believe me; if I'd stayed, that lad could've been just as great as Benjani was."

 

After a rather awkward silence, Platt suggested a change of subject, asking, "You now have to pay for parking around here! What's all that about?"

 

Catterall said, "The FA have some money problems, and they're just trying to make as much as they can. Can't say I blame them for doing it. Besides, we can more than afford it."

 

Adams argued, "Yeah, but it's still a f***ing liberty, ain't it? 10 quid an hour? Parking in London don't cost nowhere near that much!"

 

Platt nodded, "I agree, Tony. It's like when the BBC put a paywall on their website the other week."

 

"You're not missing much, Dave," Burke said. "A lot of BBC articles nowadays look like they were written by schoolkids who've watched too much ITV."

 

The coaches and players convened at one of the pitches at 9:00am to begin training. Catterall told his charges beforehand, "Okay, you lot. What happened at Wembley two months ago is now in the history books. From today, everything we do right here at St George's will be geared towards qualifying for the UEFA Nations League play-offs and then the World Cup. There are two big prizes at stake, and we've got every chance of challenging for honours.

 

"There've been a few changes since we last met. Some old friends have moved on, and we've brought in a few new faces to replace them..."

 

"Though one of them faces ain't exactly new, ain't it?" Burke quipped, prompting Adams to chuckle.

 

Uncapped Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford asked Adams, "You're that actor fella, aren't you? Jimmy Nail? We Mackems don't like Geordies too much... but I s'pose you're alright."

 

Adams laughed again, "I'm from Dagenham, actually, which is quite a way from Newcastle!"

 

Catterall explained, "I don't think many of you lads will remember Tony Adams, but let me tell you he's one of the greatest defenders this country has ever produced. He played at four major tournaments for England, and he spent more than two decades at Arsenal, winning the Double - twice."

 

"Legend," was the simple reply from Arsenal playmaker Jack Wilshere.

 

Catterall then stated, "And in terms of the squad, we've got a couple of rookies with us. Jordan Pickford's been in the squad a couple of times before without playing, but this is Lewis Cook's first time, so I hope you more experienced players can make him feel welcome."

 

"We'll make him feel right at home, boss," captain Jordan Henderson said as he put his right hand on the young AFC Bournemouth midfielder's left shoulder.

 

Wilshere then remarked, in some jest, "Don't you get too comfy, though, Cooky! We don't want you taking our places in the team!"

 

Catterall nodded, "Alright, lads. I shan't keep you waiting much longer, so let's get cracking!"

 

Training then got underway. In the second half of the two-hour session, Catterall and Platt instructed the team through a series of corner routines. Catterall reckoned that England's next opponents Austria would be particularly threatening from set-pieces, so he wanted his team to be ready for any danger they might pose in Vienna.

 

One routine began with James Ward-Prowse floating an inswinger into the box. Brendan Galloway flicked it on to their team-mate Wilshere on the edge of the six-yard box. Wilshere leapt up to try and head the ball home, only for opponent Cook to beat him in an aerial duel.

 

As Wilshere dropped back to the turf, Cook's right elbow accidently caught him in the neck, and he collapsed in agony.

 

"Okay, calm down," Catterall called out, as the England medical team rushed onto the pitch. "You alright, Jack?"

 

"HOW DO YOU THINK I AM?"

 

Head physio David Fevre told Wilshere, "Try not to move your neck, Jack. Keep very still, please."

 

While the medical team assessed and treated Wilshere, a distraught Cook worried, "Oh God. I'm so sorry. He ain't broken his neck, has he?"

 

Henderson said, "I ain't no doctor, but if you'd broken Jack's neck, he'd probably be out cold right now."

 

"It ain't your fault, Cooky," Galloway reassured him. "It was a fair challenge, and sometimes accidents can happen."

 

Henderson was slightly more honest, telling Cook, "I understand you were chomping at the bit and trying to impress the gaffer, mate. Maybe you were a bit too enthusiastic. Perhaps you need to relax more, be more natural. We don't want something like this happening again, do we?"

 

"I guess you're right," Cook nodded. "You know I was only trying to do my best, but yeah, I'll take that on board from now on."

 

"Yeah, you'll learn, mate. We've all had our first days, and we've all needed time to settle."

 

Wilshere underwent a scan later that day. Although the 28-year-old was found not to have broken any bones, as initially feared, he had strained some soft tissue in his neck. The England team doctor recommended that Wilshere rested for at least 10 days, which meant he had to withdraw from the squad.

 

With Wilshere out, Catterall needed to call up another midfielder for the Nations League match against Austria and the subsequent friendly in Portugal. He opted to promote from within the national set-up, giving a chance to another of the country's best Under-21s talents.

 

Callum Gribbin was a gifted playmaker who had just agreed to rejoin Norwich City on loan from Manchester United for a second season. The 21-year-old Salfordian's first campaign at Carrow Road had seen him produce assists galore and pick up the prestigious PFA Young Player of the Year award.

 

It was no wonder, then, that many pundits had tipped Gribbin to become Wilshere's long-term successor with the Three Lions. He would take the latter's place on an interim basis at least, leaving a vacany in David Byrne's Under-21s squad.

 

20-year-old Leicester City midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White had won just one cap at Under-21s level thus far, featuring in the Young Lions' 3-1 away victory over Georgia last November. Gibbs-White was left out of the next couple of squads, but Gribbin's promotion had given a second chance to a raw creative talent who had recently begun a five-month loan stint at League One outfit Sheffield United.

[CFuller]

***

 

England's senior team flew out to Austria on the morning of 3 September, ahead of their opening UEFA Nations League match the following evening. While the players were settling into their hotel in Vienna, manager Mark Catterall got down to some other business.

 

The Under-21s and Under-19s were each playing matches against Greece, on either side of the Pennines. Catterall's main concern regarded the higher age group, who were facing the Galanolefki in a European Championship qualifier in Manchester. He would follow their progress remotely from his laptop.

 

Catterall would also have one eye on events at Doncaster Rovers' Keepmoat Stadium. The Under-19s began their reign as European champions by welcoming Greece to South Yorkshire for a friendly international. For the Greeks, this was the start of their preparations for the 2021 UEFA European Under-19s Championship, which they would have the honour of hosting in July.

 

The youngest player amongst a host of England debutants was the 16-year-old Hull City left-winger Paul Hancock. He got his international career off to a fantastic start, exchanging passes with fellow rookie Anthony Hayward before the Arsenal striker volleyed in his return centre to open the scoring. Not even five minutes had been played, and already the Young Lions were 1-0 up.

 

Five minutes after his assist, Hancock could have followed it up with a goal. Swansea City forward Owen Hibbs' powerful strike took a heavy deflection off Greece right-back Nikiforos Bikiaris and fell fortuitously towards Hancock at the far post. In the end, though, the Yorkshireman's shot was easily caught by Ilias Tiktapanidis in the Greek goal.

 

Tiktapanidis would produce a couple more saves in the 15th and 23rd minutes from England's attacking midfielder Petros Mavros, who was of Greek Cypriot origin. The visiting keeper was next tested on 26 minutes by a vicious strike from Hayward, which he diverted behind.

 

England failed to convert their clear dominance into a larger half-time lead than 1-0. More frustration would come in the 51st minute, after captain Stephen Nugent's long clearance sent Hayward through on goal. The London-born 18-year-old used his explosive pace to get beyond Greek centre-halves Stathis Goudelis and Erand Canaj, but his finish badly lacked accuracy.

 

A minute later, Greece midfielder Antonis Antoniou's long ball forward caused chaos on the edge of the England area. Nugent, his goalkeeper Josh Vokes, and striker Giannis Fragos all collided with each other as they tried to get to the ball, which went loose. Nikos Gotsoulias got to it first, but the Galanolefki left-winger's long-range punt drifted wide of a gaping target.

 

Having almost gifted their opponents an equaliser, England knuckled down and looked to stretch their lead. In the 58th minute, Hayward evaded the Greek defence to receive another sumptuous long pass, this time from his Arsenal team-mate Tommy Miles. Hayward fired past the onrushing Tiktapanidis, and the advantage was doubled to 2-0.

 

Tiktapanidis was swiftly replaced in Greece's goal by Lefteris Ntalakas, who showed promise when he caught a strike from England midfielder Ben Logan in the 61st minute. Ntalakas' clean sheet didn't last, as Hayward beat him a minute later from Ollie Elmes' right-wing cross. Hayward would then leave the pitch, having completed his Under-19s international debut with an excellent hat-trick.

 

At 3-0 up, the Young Lions then started to waver. Leeds United defender Ray Butterfield - on loan at Oxford United - would pay the price for a rushed clearance in the 65th minute. Greece midfielder Dimitris Gegas volleyed it against the crossbar, and frontman Charalabos Kotsalas converted the rebound to restore some respectability to the visitors' part of the scoreline.

 

England sought a quick response through Hayward's replacement Willie Field, whose fine scoring form on loan for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship had prompted speculation of an impending promotion to the national Under-21s. The Liverpool prospect couldn't quite hit top form here, though. A host of free-kicks from Field went to waste, with his best effort in the 84th minute being tipped behind by Ntalakas.

 

Greece hadn't been finished off, and an excellent breakaway move in the 88th minute suggested that they could perhaps secure a draw. Gotsoulias's left-wing centre found the feet of full-back Giannis Pappas, who took the ball upfield before floating a delightful 25-yarder into the far corner of the England net. It was undoubtedly the most impressive of the six goals those spectators at the Keepmoat would witness.

 

Much to the home supporters' relief, the final goal did not go Greece's way. Christian Smith's excellent injury-time lob into the Greek box found his fellow England midfielder Darren Bennett. Ntalakas pushed Bennett's strike away, but only to West Ham United forward Andre Forbes, whose volley wrapped up a 4-2 win.

 

3 September 2020: Under-19s International - at Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster

England U19s - 4 (Anthony Hayward 5,58,62, Andre Forbes 90+1)

Greece U19s - 2 (Charalabos Kotsalas 65, Giannis Pappas 88)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Josh Vokes (Jackson Stevens); James Brown (Jordan Laing), Stephen Nugent (Joe Mooney), Nick Ward (Ray Butterfield), Luther Davis (Taylor Randall); Ashley Wells (Christian Smith), Tommy Miles (Darren Bennett); Owen Hibbs (Ollie Elmes), Petros Mavros (Ben Logan), Paul Hancock (Andre Forbes); Anthony Hayward (Willie Field).

[CFuller]

***

 

Manchester City did not usually allow international matches to be staged at the Etihad Stadium. However, the Citizens made an exception for the Under-21s when they faced a potentially defining European Championship qualifier.

 

Victory over Greece would send England four points clear of their main rivals for 2nd place in Group 8. With the Young Lions widely expected to take maximum points from their final three pool fixtures, they would surely be bang on course to reach the qualifying play-offs. Top spot - and automatic qualification for the finals in Italy - looked to be out of reach unless leaders Portugal had a couple of slip-ups.

 

On the other hand, Greece would leapfrog England into 2nd if they came out on top. Antonis Nikopolidis' side had restricted the Young Lions to just one goal in their previous meeting in Irakleio 12 months prior, so a shock result was perhaps not that unlikely.

 

Mark Catterall gave a long-awaited first Under-21s cap to the West Bromwich Albion defender Alistair Rattray, a year after he had first named him in the squad. There was also only a second cap for Leicester City midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who hadn't even been part of this squad prior to Callum Gribbin's unexpected promotion to the senior set-up.

 

Gibbs-White - who'd recently joined League One Sheffield United on a five-month loan - justified his late call-up with a moment of pure brilliance after just nine minutes. The fast-improving Arsenal wing-back Josh Tymon saw his deep cross headed out of the Greek six-yard box by Dimitris Nikolaou. However, Gibbs-White got to the ball just before it dipped out of the penalty area, volleying it emphatically into the top corner.

 

After the home fans celebrated Gibbs-White's wonder strike, they nearly had to applaud a quickfire equaliser. Greece captain Giorgos Xenitidis' 11th-minute corner found the head of centre-half Rafail Papastergiou, who flicked it just the wrong side of the post.

 

There would be further bad luck for Papastergiou's defensive partner Nikolaou in the 15th minute. The Olympiacos stopper's attempt to block a right-wing cross from Reiss Nelson only served to divert the ball beyond goalkeeper Vladimiros Voutsakelis and into the net.

 

Seven minutes after his own goal, Nikolaou showed greater composure to intercept a delivery from Tymon. Gibbs-White once again got to the ball, but there was to be no repeat of his earlier goal, as Voutsakelis produced a simple catch from the West Midlander.

 

Widemen Jonathan Leko and Nelson failed to capitalise on further opportunities for England later on. Their misses could've come back to haunt the Young Lions had Nikolaou kept his header from a Xenitidis free-kick on target in the 36th minute on target. As it was, Will Mannion would remain untroubled in the England goal by the time the match reached its halfway point.

 

The hosts made only one change prior to the restart. Eddie Nketiah had done very little up front in the first half, so the former Arsenal striker - now at Cardiff City - saw his place given to Brighton & Hove Albion's on-loan Liverpool striker Lawrence Warner.

 

England would go 3-0 up just two minutes into the second half... but Warner had nothing to do with it. Right-back Peter Turner exchanged passes with Nelson before crossing into the box. The ball then took another wicked deflection off the luckless Nikolaou's head and beat Voutsakelis for a second own goal!

 

While Nikolaou questioned whether he got out of the right side of the bed that morning, his Greek compatriots became increasingly desperate in their pursuit of some goals. AEK Athens striker Antonis Sofianis was only 17 years old, but he showed incredible confidence in shooting from 35 yards out in the 52nd minute. It was a forlorn attempt, as Mannion got down to smother it easily.

 

England captain Trent Alexander-Arnold - playing in midfield instead of his usual right-back role - had a long-range attempt of his own in the 68th minute. His piledriver ricocheted off Papastergiou and crept just behind for a corner. Greece again narrowly avoided conceded yet another own goal moments later, when Voutsakelis pushed behind a Nelson cross just before it deflected in off right-back Kostas Tabas.

 

The incredible luck England were getting was disguising their profligacy. For a long time in the match, they rather unusually had more goals to their name than shots on target. That statistic would only be rectified in the final few minutes, when Voutsakelis saved attempts from Trevoh Chalobah and Nelson.

 

Panaitolikos keeper Voutsakelis was one of the better performers in a Greek jersey, but few of the away team's attackers had impressed. The Galanolefki finished with only a single shot on target, from midfielder Mario Vrushaj in the 78th minute. Mannion made simple work of it to keep the Greeks stuck on 'nil'.

 

England's 3-0 win put clear daylight between themselves and Greece in Group 8. Barring any surprises at the hands of the bottom three, they were set to at least reach the play-offs. However, Portugal's 3-0 win in Macedonia had moved the Esperanças a step closer to locking down that automatic qualifying berth.

 

3 September 2020: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Qualifying Group 8 - at Etihad Stadium, Manchester

England U21s - 3 (Morgan Gibbs-White 9, Dimitris Nikolaou og15,og47)

Greece U21s - 0

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Will Mannion; Peter Turner, Alistair Rattray, Trevoh Chalobah, Josh Tymon; Morgan Gibbs-White, Trent Alexander-Arnold (James Errington); Reiss Nelson, Stuart White, Jonathan Leko (Reece Nicholls); Eddie Nketiah (Lawrence Warner).

[CFuller]

***

 

After finishing 3rd at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and 2nd at UEFA Euro 2020, England were widely regarded as one of international football's top teams. They were now considered by many to be amongst the favourites to win the 2020/2021 UEFA Nations League.

 

England had been paired into Group 2 of Division A alongside Austria and Belgium, whom they would play both home and away. If the Three Lions could top their group, they would head into June's Semi Finals with a genuine chance of claiming their first piece of senior silverware for 55 years.

 

Mark Catterall's pursuit of this title began in Vienna against Austria, who had earned promotion from Division B during the competition's inaugural 2018/2019 season. This was England's third visit to the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in 24 months, and this one was likely to be just as gruelling as the previous two.

 

Catterall had always found Austria to be stubborn opponents under their long-serving Swiss coach Marcel Koller. The Burschen's 15th position in the FIFA World Rankings was somewhat respectable compared to England's ranking of 6th.

 

Bayern Munich's David Alaba and Schalke 04's Marcel Sabitzer were once again expected to cause England problems on the left wing. The Three Lions would also have to be wary of the threat posed by Austria's bright young hope Belmin Sabanadzovic. The Bosnian-born 20-year-old was a pacey striker with an excellent scoring record for Red Bull Salzburg, and it would surely only be a matter of time before he carried that form onto the international stage.

 

As far as Catterall was concerned, experience was the order of the day for England's starting line-up. Only goalkeeper Jack Butland possessed fewer than 15 caps. Stoke City's number 1 was featuring for just the 12th time, but an assured display here would help to establish himself as his country's new first-choice custodian in the post-Joe Hart era.

 

Opportunity also knocked for Southampton forward Nathan Redmond, who was handed a first cap in nearly 15 months. It was Redmond who would have England's first real scoring opportunity, though not before a tense opening 10 minutes in which both teams struggled to get up to speed.

 

England started to show a bit more confidence in the 14th minute. Midfielder James Ward-Prowse sprayed Luke Shaw's left-wing centre to Redmond in the Austrian box. The skilful wideman dribbled past Burschen centre-half Aleksandar Dragovic and then tried to drive a shot into the top corner of the net. Alas, it deflected off Dragovic's colleague Kevin Wimmer and went behind for a corner.

 

Three Lions captain Jordan Henderson whipped the corner into the box. Scores of players from both teams went after the delivery, but it was Austria's 19-year-old debutant goalkeeper Martin Alberg who jumped highest to claim it.

 

Alberg - already the first-choice goalkeeper for his Austrian Bundesliga club SV Ried - was tested again in the 20th minute, reacting quickly to push away a fierce strike from Redmond. That was as close as Redmond would come to breaking the deadlock. His next two attempts drifted off target, while his final effort in the 34th minute was blocked by Zlatko Junuzovic.

 

On the other flank, West Ham United's Rolando Aarons was having another of his less impressive performances. The Jamaican-born forward promised much when he controlled a Dele Alli pass close to the penalty area on 31 minutes, but his wayward strike delivered nothing.

 

Austria were once again proving to be a stubborn team - and a very aggressive one to boot. Junuzovic and his midfield partner - and captain - Julian Baumgartlinger would each carry yellow cards into the interval after their respective tackles on England striker Harry Kane, who'd had a quiet first half.

 

Catterall's team hadn't played all that badly in the first half. The Three Lions certainly kept things tight at the back and avoided gifting Austria any chances. They perhaps needed to show a bit more cunning if the Austrian defence was to be breached.

 

The manager's plan to turn his team's dominance into a substantial lead was to change formation. The 4-2-3-1 was replaced with a 4-4-2 diamond, which meant neither Aarons nor Redmond would be back for the second half. Everton centre-half Mason Holgate came on for his third England appearance, while the more experienced Valencia striker Daniel Sturridge moved within one cap of reaching a half-century.

 

Sturridge's next international goal would have seen him match Kane's haul of 28. The ex-Liverpool man - now the oldest player in the England squad at 31 - could have done that upon receiving an excellent cross from Shaw in the 53rd minute. However, under real pressure from Dragovic, Sturridge could only pull it into the side netting.

 

It was also a disappointing start to the second half for Kane, who was caught offside twice. His Tottenham Hotspur team-mates Alli and Eric Dier went for goal just before the hour mark, but both their efforts flew harmlessly over Alberg's bar.

 

Shortly after heading a floated Shaw cross over the bar in the 63rd minute, vice-captain Kane had to step up and lead his country through the final half-hour or so. Henderson had gashed his leg in a rash challenge from erstwhile Liverpool colleague Sabitzer a couple of minutes later. Though Henderson played on for a while longer, Catterall felt that he couldn't risk his captain getting hurt any worse, so he subbed him off after 65 minutes.

 

Replacing Henderson in the midfield diamond was AFC Bournemouth's Lewis Cook - a senior international debutant at 23 years old. The introduction of another member of England's 2019 European Under-21s Championship-winning side gave the Three Lions more energy and passion at an important stage in the match.

 

Just seconds after Cook came on, England could well have taken the lead. Kane picked out Sturridge with a delightful 20-yard lob into the Austrian box, but Alberg showed great determination to push the latter's volley behind.

 

When Sturridge was tripped by Burschen right-back Stefan Lainer after 71 minutes, the Three Lions won what would be a significant free-kick. Ward-Prowse crossed it into the area from the left, and centre-half John Stones got ahead of Austria's target man Michael Gregoritsch to cushion it to Cook. The rookie met the ball with a half-volley that clipped the underside of the crossbar and crashed into the goal, leaving Alberg helpless.

 

More than four years had passed since an England footballer had found the net on his international debut. Cook's stunner, which saw him replace Marcus Rashford as the Three Lions' most recent goalscoring newcomer, immediately endeared the Yorkshireman to the travelling supporters.

 

Koller made a change up front almost immediately, replacing Gregoritsch with Lokomotiv Moscow's Lukas Hinterseer, who had a chance to equalise in the 82nd minute. Unfortunately for the home fans, Hinterseer's strike was blocked by Stones, whose never-say-die approach personified one of England's strongest defensive displays in recent years.

 

Super-sub Cook also did his bit defensively to protect the visitors' lead. He certainly wasn't afraid to fly into his tackles and frustrate Austria's attackers. Cook did overstep the mark in the 88th minute, when he tripped Sabitzer and collected a booking, but that was just about the only mistake he made on his international bow.

 

Butland didn't have a great deal to do until the final few seconds of normal time. That was when he tipped behind a low drive from Austrian substitute Deni Alar, who'd replaced a surprisingly quiet Sabanadzovic early in the half. Junuzovic's subsequent corner was headed over by Wimmer, and the Burschen would be left disappointed in their pursuit of a late leveller.

 

England immediately climbed to the top of Group 2, albeit with Belgium still to get their campaign underway. The world champions would host Austria four days later, in a match that the Burschen realistically had to try and get a result from if they were to avoid relegation back to Division B. Meanwhile, the Three Lions could head off to Portugal for a friendly reunion with the team who'd denied them European glory just two months earlier.

 

4 September 2020: UEFA Nations League Division A Group 2 - at Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Austria - 0

England - 1 (Lewis Cook 72)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Jack Butland; Nathaniel Clyne, Eric Dier, John Stones, Luke Shaw; James Ward-Prowse, Jordan Henderson (Lewis Cook); Rolando Aarons (Mason Holgate), Dele Alli, Nathan Redmond (Daniel Sturridge); Harry Kane. BOOKED: Cook 88.

 

"I'm proud of how the lads played tonight," Catterall said to ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke at full-time. "They showed tremendous fighting spirit and kept their heads, even when Austria were throwing everything at them. This was always going to be a difficult game, so I'm obviously delighted with the win and the clean sheet."

 

"And it was a debut to remember for Lewis Cook."

 

"Yes, he had an excellent game after coming off the bench showed great composure to take the chance when it came his way. I've known Lewis and watched him develop since he was playing for the Under-17s way back in 2013, and I always thought he would go all the way to the top if he put his mind to it. I hope that he takes huge confidence from this and takes his game to the next level now."

 

"So it's Portugal next for you, in a rematch of the Euro Final. What are your thoughts going into that match?

 

Catterall smiled, "You're probably wanting to ask if I'm looking for revenge, but to tell you the truth, I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, this is a chance to test out our less experienced players against a top-class team in an intimate but intimidating setting. I'll be looking for them to show me that they can be involved in this England squad for the World Cup qualifiers and beyond."

[CFuller]

***

 

England had one final away game in Group 8 of the 2021 UEFA European Under-21s Championship qualifiers. If David Byrne's side could see off table-proppers Macedonia in Skopje, they would head into their closing home matches against Albania and Georgia in October almost certain of a top-two finish.

 

As always, Mark Catterall would be keeping track of his Young Lions' progress from afar. He would relay his instructions to head coach Ledley King from the senior team's hotel in Leiria, where they were preparing to face Portugal.

 

England's starting XI included a couple of Under-21s debutants, both of whom had been key components of the team that had won the European Under-19s Championship earlier in the year. Left-back Ted Lapslie and left-winger Charles Ameobi were both on Arsenal's books, though they were now out on loan at Watford and Huddersfield Town respectively. Aged only 18, Lapslie was young enough to be eligible not just for the upcoming 2021 championships in Italy, but also the subsequent 2023 and 2025 tournaments.

 

A comfortable win was expected from the Young Lions. However, it was the Red Lions who almost shook the game up with a goal in the sixth minute.

 

After catching an early free-kick from Lawrence Warner, Macedonia goalkeeper Goran Stojanovski pumped the ball long into England's half. Dragan Mirceski then flicked it into the path of fellow striker Visar Osmani. The 17-year-old, who played in national icon Goran Pandev's academy back home, glided past English defender Alistair Rattray and had only goalkeeper Will Mannion to beat. Osmani panicked at the final moment, firing his shot well wide.

 

There was further cause for concern for the England in the 11th minute. Queens Park Rangers playmaker Sam Field suddenly pulled up with a suspected hamstring injury, and it was quickly decided that he should come off. Sheffield Wednesday's Ben Sheaf came on in his place.

 

Three minutes later, though, a couple of Brighton & Hove Albion stars combined to get England back on track. Winger Jonathan Leko broke into the Macedonian penalty area and shook off the presence of home wing-back Zlatko Petreski before laying the ball off to Warner. The on-loan Liverpool striker lashed in a simple finish, and the Young Lions had opened the scoring.

 

Macedonia defended doggedly to keep their deficit at a single goal. England struggled to break through their cautious 3-5-2 again in the first half, though they almost doubled their lead through a stroke of luck in the 36th minute.

 

The hosts' midfield aggressor Florian Dervishi - aged only 18, but already capped three times by the senior team - tried to hack away a deflected Lapslie cross. However, Lapslie pushed forward to deflect Dervishi's clearance towards Warner, whose ambitious header towards goal forced Stojanovski into an awkward save.

 

England's other debutant Ameobi tried his luck in the 40th minute, only to see his shot closed down on the edge of the Macedonia box by defender Saso Spasovski. Thanks in large part to Spasovski and his colleagues, the Young Lions would only lead by a single goal at the half.

 

England reverted to a 4-4-2 diamond for the second half, with assist-maker Leko subbed off for defender Trevoh Chalobah. Ameobi joined the erstwhile unaccompanied Warner up front for a while, but the winger didn't prove to be capable of leading the attack.

 

It took the Young Lions half of the second period to create another shot on target. In the 68th minute, attacking midfielder Stuart White laid a fantastic ball forward to Warner, who entered the penalty box before firing tamely at Stojanovski. The Red Lions' goalkeeper would also make light work of a Warner header five minutes later.

 

When England did eventually go 2-0 up on 76 minutes, they had substitute striker Reece Nicholls largely to thank for it. Reading's on-loan Chelsea forward played an excellent centre into the middle of the box for midfielder Joe Rankin-Costello, whose strike took a very slight deflection off defender Andrej Kirovski to beat Stojanovski. This was Rankin-Costello's 13th cap for England Under-21s, but he hadn't scored prior to then.

 

Another Young Lion broke his duck nine minutes from the end. England had been awarded a penalty after Warner's mazy run into the box was halted by a cynical challenge from Dervishi. Captain Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up, even though he knew full well that his previous 20 caps hadn't yielded any goals. The Liverpool right-back would end his long wait by comfortably driving the spot-kick past Stojanovski.

 

England had taken an unassailable 3-0 lead, though they would be deprived of their clean sheet in the 85th minute. Macedonia's left-back and captain Fatjon Mehmeti flicked Dragan Zerdeski's corner kick across the goalmouth to Spasovski, who found the net with what proved to be his team's only shot on target.

 

Spasovski's goal was the only blot in England's copy book after another comfortable qualifying win - their sixth in eight games. They now needed to win just one of their final two Group 8 qualifiers to ensure that they at least finished in the top two alongside Portugal.

 

Top spot was surely beyond the Young Lions' reach, though. Portugal's 3-1 win over Albania meant that a home win over Georgia would be all the Esperanças required to guarantee qualification with one round to spare.

 

7 September 2020: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Group 8 - at Philip II Arena, Skopje

Macedonia U21s - 1 (Saso Spasovski 85)

England U21s - 3 (Lawrence Warner 14, Joe Rankin-Costello 76, Trent Alexander-Arnold pen81)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Will Mannion; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Adam Mingay, Alistair Rattray, Ted Lapslie; Sam Field (Ben Sheaf), Joe Rankin-Costello; Jonathan Leko (Trevoh Chalobah), Stuart White, Charles Ameobi (Reece Nicholls); Lawrence Warner.

 

2021 UEFA European Under-21s Championship Qualifying Group 8 (After 8 rounds)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Portugal U21s          8     7     1     0     16    3     13    22
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          England U21s           8     6     1     1     18    6     12    19
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Greece U21s            8     5     0     3     13    6     7     15
4.          Georgia U21s           8     1     3     4     7     13    -6    6
5.          Albania U21s           8     0     3     5     5     15    -10   3
6.          Macedonia U21s         8     0     2     6     3     19    -16   2

 

[CFuller]

***

 

England's last match before they began the defence of their UEFA European Under-19s Championship was likely to severely test their credentials. Belgium had won their last seven matches since inexplicably crashing out at the Qualifying Round of the last tournament, so the Young Lions would have to be wary of a talented team that had completely rebuilt its confidence.

 

Anderlecht's home ground - the Stade Constant Vanden Stock in Brussels - was the venue for this match. Belgium's front two of Ronnie van der Heijden and Fresnel Ekangamene were both on the Paars-wit's books. The Red Devils' most exciting talent, though, came from rival club Gent. Skilful midfield playmaker Emile Janssens had impressed while on loan at Sint-Truiden and was widely being tipped as a potential heir to Kevin De Bruyne.

 

Janssens would come under the spotlight as early as the 12th minute. Almost as soon as Belgium left-back Francesco Martino had powered a throw-in into England's penalty area, his compatriot left-winger Mathieu Holvoet went to ground under pressure from Tommy Miles. The referee ruled that Miles had pulled Holvoet down, issuing the England midfielder with a yellow card after pointing to the spot.

 

Janssens stepped up to take the penalty, which he confidently drove down the middle. What he didn't count on was the Young Lions' goalkeeper Josh Vokes confidently standing his ground, allowing him to push the strike wide.

 

Vokes would produce another magnificent save for the visitors in the 27th minute. The resilient Tottenham Hotspur prospect showed great agility to get to a blistering long-distance effort from Belgium's right-winger Thom Berends.

 

Home goalie Grace Lusamba impressed in the 29th minute by denying Petros Mavros after the England playmaker had burst through on goal. A minute later, though, Lusamba was helplessly beaten by a fantastic header from the in-form Anthony Hayward. The Arsenal youth product and Charlton Athletic loanee flicked Ollie Elmes' right-wing cross in off the crossbar for his fourth goal in two Under-19s caps.

 

Elmes caused Lusamba further problems on 39 minutes with another difficult cross, which the Club Brugge keeper somehow turned over his crossbar before it could fly into the top corner. Lusamba seemed to hurt his wrist in making that save, and he would be substituted at half-time.

 

Belgium's substitute keeper Seppe Swinnen would continue where Lusamba left off. Things looked ominous for the hosts in the 53rd minute, when Liverpool's Elmes weighted an excellent ball for Hayward to beat opposing centre-half Stijn Vandaele to. The Londoner had just Swinnen to beat, but it was the latter who prevailed with a great save.

 

Swinnen played for the same Eupen team in the Belgian Pro League as Berends, who helped to liven up the home support four minutes later. It was Berends' square ball from the right that allowed Janssens to dribble past England's substitute midfielder Christian Smith and hammer an unstoppable effort into the top corner. 1-1.

 

England came under further scrutiny in the 66th minute. van der Heijden struck an audacious 30-yarder towards goal, only for Arsenal defender Nick Ward to get in the way and divert it away.

 

The Young Lions started to attack again in the final quarter-hour. Owen Hibbs was twice kept off the scoresheet by Swinnen in the 76th and 78th minute, despite some great set-up play from Willie Field and Smith. There was further disappointment when Ben Logan rushed into a wayward attempt five minutes from the end.

 

A 1-1 draw looked to be a fair result as far as both teams were concerned, though there was to be one final twist two minutes before full-time. Field was holding up an Andre Forbes pass inside the Belgian 'D' when he was upended by Zulte Waregem's burly central defender Stijn Claeys. That prompted the referee to award England a free-kick very close to goal.

 

Up stepped Manchester City defender Joe Mooney - a free-kick practitioner who relished these situations. He demonstrated his prowess when curling the ball over the Belgian wall and into the 'postage stamp' of the goal. Mooney had snatched a late winner for the Young Lions, and the Red Devils' fine run of form was at an end.

 

7 September 2020: Under-19s International - at Stade Constant Vanden Stock, Brussels

Belgium U19s - 1 (Emile Janssens 57)

England U19s - 2 (Anthony Hayward 30, Joe Mooney 88)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Josh Vokes (Tom Burnett); Jordan Laing (James Brown), Stephen Nugent (Joe Mooney), Nick Ward (Ray Butterfield), Taylor Randall (Luther Davis); Tommy Miles (Christian Smith), Darren Bennett (Ashley Wells); Ollie Elmes (Owen Hibbs), Petros Mavros (Ben Logan), Paul Hancock (Andre Forbes); Anthony Hayward (Willie Field). BOOKED: Miles 12.

 

A couple of victories had stretched England Under-19s' impressive unbeaten run to 17 consecutive matches. Confidence was high under Ledley King, and they would be widely expected to breeze through the European Under-21s Championship Qualifying Round the following month.

 

The Young Lions had been given a somewhat comfortable draw, being paired with Turkey, Hungary and Lithuania in Group 11. As if that wasn't enough, Ewood Park in Blackburn was chosen as the host venue for all of the group's matches, which would take place between 7 and 11 October.

 

England's passage towards potentially retaining their European title in Greece looked like being an uncharacteristically smooth one.

[CFuller]

***

 

It had been less than two months since Portugal successfully defended the UEFA European Championship, cruelling ending England's dream in a tense Final showdown at Wembley. Now the old foes would do battle again in a less pressurised environment... and this time, it was the Selecção das Quinas who had home advantage.

 

Instead of arranging for this match to be played at Lisbon's Estádio da Luz or Porto's Estádio do Dragão, the Federação Portuguesa de Futebol [FPF] found a rather more intimate venue. The Estádio Municipal de Leiria could only fit a little less than 24,000 spectators, and the FPF perhaps reasoned that playing there would unsettle an England team more used to playing in larger arenas.

 

Fortunately for England, Portugal's former talisman Cristiano Ronaldo - the man whose sensational free-kick decided the Euro 2020 Final - had now retired from international football. The Real Madrid legend would now spend this time of year sunning it up on his luxury mega-yacht somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Head coach Fernando Santos, who had guided the Selecção to successive European crowns as well as 1st place in the FIFA World Rankings, was still in place. The 65-year-old master pragmatist was now building his team around a new generation - headed by Porto playmaker Rúben Neves and Manchester City's new club-record purchase Gonçalo Guedes - with a view to vying for FIFA World Cup glory in 2022.

 

England boss Mark Catterall was also looking to the future if his starting line-up suggested anything. His defence had a youthful Evertonian feel about it. Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, right-back Calum Chambers and centre-half Mason Holgate all plied their trade for Everton, as had Holgate's partner Brendan Galloway prior to the latter's 2019 transfer to Manchester United. As far as anyone was aware, though, left-back Danny Rose had never pulled on a blue jersey at Goodison Park.

 

Lewis Cook was rewarded for his match-winning debut performance against Austria four days earlier with a first senior international start in midfield. The AFC Bournemouth playmaker would be joined there by captain Jordan Henderson, as well as a fourth Everton player in Ross Barkley.

 

The three-man England attack consisted of Jesse Lingard, Callum Wilson, and their newest half-centurion Daniel Sturridge. Considering the injury problems that had dogged much of Sturridge's career, the 31-year-old Valencia forward had done rather well to reach 50 international caps.

 

Lingard's stop-start England career had been rather eventless thus far, with no goals in his previous six caps. The Celta Vigo forward could've got lucky at the seventh attempt just three minutes after kick-off.

 

After the Three Lions cleared a free-kick from Portugal captain Adrien Silva, Wilson dribbled the ball up towards the right flank and then crossed to Lingard on the edge of the home box. The former Manchester United man struck it on the volley, with a fierce strike crashing back off Rui Patrício's right-hand post before being cleared by Paulo Oliveira.

 

Barkley also went close for England in the fourth minute, firing a free-kick inches over the bar after André Gomes had tripped Cook. Barcelona midfielder Gomes enjoyed the Selecção's first opportunity a minute afterwards, but his header from City left-back Raphaël Guerreiro's cross cleared the England bar.

 

Another Portuguese player with Mancunian connections - Manchester United's attacking midfielder João Mário - blocked another Barkley free-kick on 11 minutes. That was followed by a couple of wasted England corners before Sturridge enjoyed the visitors' best chance yet in the 21st minute. Wilson cut a fantastic ball across to Sturridge, who jinked past Guerreiro before firing a fierce shot into Patrício's hands.

 

Woodman produced his first save for England in the 22nd minute. Galloway's poor interception of an Adrien Silva free-kick was nodded back towards goal by Neves, but Woodman brilliantly caught the header. He also showed great reactions a couple of minutes later to deny 21-year-old Portugal striker Zé Gomes his first senior international goal.

 

Portugal had perhaps gone closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening stages, but it was England who scored first after 29 minutes. Sturridge and Henderson might have no longer been playing for the same club, but they still linked up beautifully when the captain collected a fantastic square ball from his former Liverpool colleague. Henderson then smashed home a screamer - just his fourth international goal in 75 caps.

 

Having fallen behind, Portugal were a tad lucky not to concede again on 39 minutes. A troublesome low cross into the box from Barkley was awkwardly intercepted by Josué. The Shakhtar Donetsk defender just about diverted it behind, though the ball could easily have trickled past Patrício and into the net on another day.

 

England then had some defending to do in injury time, with Portugal's new superstar winger Guedes having a vicious strike deflect off both Chambers and Sturridge. Chambers then tried to create an incisive counter-attacking move, but his attempted cross to Sturridge in the danger area went long and bypassed the far post.

 

Sturridge and Wilson came off at half-time, with Catterall bringing Rolando Aarons and Harry Kane on to try and conjure up a second goal. As it transpired, Barkley and Lingard had the Three Lions' first scoring opportunities following the interval. Neither could find the target.

 

In the 52nd minute, Portugal finally started to show signs of why they were European champions. Adrien Silva's attempted lob to Real Madrid playmaker Gelson Martins was nodded back to him by an unconvincing clearance from Rose. Instead, the Sporting CP midfielder moved the ball out left to Porto's 22-year-old striker Rui Pedro. The one-time Middlesbrough loanee tried his luck, but Woodman just about got enough of his left glove to the shot to divert it away.

 

Gomes and André Silva also wasted early opportunities for the Selecção before their defence came back under pressure. Patrício produced a couple of fine saves before the hour mark to prevent the inconsistent Aarons from bagging a ninth goal in 24 England caps.

 

Then, on 63 minutes, Adrien Silva brilliantly tackled Aarons as the West Ham United forward closed in on goal again. The Portuguese captain pumped the ball forward to namesake André, who then fired it another 35 yards ahead of Rui Pedro. The young attacker was forced into an angle by Holgate and Galloway, but that didn't stop him from trying to get a shot past Woodman. His attempt clipped the side of Galloway's right foot, and that deflection was enough to beat Woodman and restore parity.

 

To his credit, Galloway bounced back quickly after his unfortunate own goal. The centre-back's strong defending helped to restrict Portugal's chances to complete the second-half fightback. The Selecção's cause wasn't helped when Adrien Silva was booked in the 66th minute for a trip on Kane, who would soon be joined on the pitch by his Tottenham team-mates Dele Alli and Eric Dier.

 

With Henderson making way for Dier, Kane once again got a chance to skipper England until full-time. He tried to set a shining example in the 70th minute, exchanging passes with Aarons before having a pot-shot charged down by Rúben Semedo. The Sporting centre-back would come to Portugal's rescue by blocking further shots from Kane and Alli in the 81st and 82nd minutes.

 

Catterall had already made his final substitutions in the 78th minute. Chambers was tiring on the right side of defence, so Liverpool's Nathaniel Clyne replaced him for what little time remained. The England boss also took off Cook after an underwhelming sophomore appearance. Replacing him was Norwich City's on-loan Manchester United midfielder Callum Gribbin, who was given his senior international bow aged 21.

 

Gribbin was anxious to impress early in his England career, taking most of England's corners in the dying moments. None of them were particularly effective, mind, and that allowed Portugal to stay solid defensively and avoid defeat.

 

England were also determined not to lose, with Holgate and Galloway particularly impressive in their backline. Holgate did pick up a yellow card for a trip on Rui Pedro in the 85th minute, but he was otherwise very assured for someone with so little experience in senior internationals.

 

When all was said and done, Catterall had every reason to be satisfied with a 1-1 draw. His team might not have avenged their Wembley heartache, but they had avoided defeat to what was - according to FIFA's rankings, at least - the best team in the world. That boded well for their next match, which just so happened to be against the reigning official world champions.

 

8 September 2020: International Friendly - at Estádio Municipal de Leiria, Leiria

Portugal - 1 (Brendan Galloway og63)

England - 1 (Jordan Henderson 29)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-1-2-2-1): Freddie Woodman; Calum Chambers (Nathaniel Clyne), Mason Holgate, Brendan Galloway, Danny Rose; Jordan Henderson (Eric Dier); Lewis Cook (Callum Gribbin), Ross Barkley (Dele Alli); Daniel Sturridge (Rolando Aarons), Jesse Lingard; Callum Wilson (Harry Kane). BOOKED: Holgate 85.

 

While that match was taking place, Belgium were facing Austria in the second match of Division A Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League. As expected, the World Cup holders emerged comfortable 3-1 victors in Brussels, with Chelsea forwards Charly Musonda and Hicham Bennouna amongst the scorers.

 

England and Belgium would meet at Wembley on 9 October, with the victors set to take control of the group and move a step closer towards qualifying for the Nations League Semi Finals.

 

2020/2021 UEFA Nations League Division A Group 2 (After 2 rounds)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Belgium                1     1     0     0     3     1     2     3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          England                1     1     0     0     1     0     1     3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Austria                2     0     0     2     1     4     -3    0

 

[CFuller]

Chapter 43 - The Ball Is In His Court

 

The trial of The Sun's chief football writer Russell Whiteman commenced on 14 September 2020, at the Old Bailey criminal court in central London. The 54-year-old has been charged with two breaches of the Disinformation and Propaganda Act, popularly known as the 'Fake News Act', and one charge of perverting the course of justice.

 

Whiteman was said to have falsely claimed in a story published by The Times in 2013 that his father Sir Anthony had committed sexual abuse on an eight-year-old girl during the 1990s. More recently, he had been accused of libel after claiming that England manager Mark Catterall had made racist remarks during an interview.

 

Catterall was amongst the prosecution's key witnesses during the second week of the trial, giving his evidence on Wednesday 23 September. He was accompanied in court by FA chief executive David Whiteman, who had himself given evidence against his nephew earlier on.

 

As he waited to be called into the court, Catterall admitted, "I'm in two minds right now, David. I'm not sure whether I should go through with this."

 

David asked, "Why ever would you say that, Mr Catterall?"

 

"I'm still thinking about what you and your son found out over the summer... about Michael Love possibly being behind all this."

 

"I myself have experienced a profound sense of uncertainty with regards to this case. On reflection, I came to believe that Russell's actions against his late father - my brother - were utterly beyond acceptance, and that justice was required to be served."

 

"Did you tell them about Michael?"

 

David shook his head. "I did not feel that was necessary. In spite of Christopher's revelations, I personally considered the connections to Mr Love to be more of a theory than compelling evidence of guilt."

 

"So you believe it was Russell who made it all up?"

 

"I would not be entirely surprised if that was indeed so."

 

Catterall was then called into court. David offered him a firm handshake and told him, "Whichever course of action you undertake, Mr Catterall, you can be certain that I will be supportive."

 

Catterall took a gulp as he was led into the witness box, where he was handed a Bible by the court registrar. He then repeated the witness oath after the registrar, "I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," before giving his evidence.

 

During Catterall's examination by the prosecution, the court was played a recording of an interview conducted between Catterall and Russell Whiteman a year earlier. Catterall had recorded it using a mobile phone hidden inside a drawer at his desk, hence the sound quality was not particularly great. Even so, the recording clearly contradicted what Russell had written in that inflammatory Sun article which had labelled him "a racist".

 

There was a noticeable hush across the room once the recording had finished. Chief prosecutor Amber Price - a formidable, flame-haired Black Country woman in her mid-30s - stated afterwards, "I believe it would be utter fallacy to claim that Mr Whiteman's account of the interview with Mr Catterall was truthful."

 

Catterall felt a substantial weight lift from his shoulders as he left the witness box for lunch at midday. Upon his return half an hour, though, he would be cross-examined by Russell's defence lawyers. Chief among them was Richard Richmond - an unflappable upper-class gentleman in his early 50s who wore a greying Chevron moustache.

 

"Mr Catterall," Richmond began. "As a top-level sports coach who is renowned for being forthright, why would you feel the need to record your own interviews?"

 

Catterall said, "I don't normally record interviews, but for this one-on-one, I just wanted to cover my own back. I wanted to make sure Mr Whiteman did not try to take my words out of context, and that if he did, I would have evidence to prove otherwise."

 

"But why Mr Whiteman specifically?"

 

"I've had a few run-ins with him in the past. Also, as a general rule, I don't trust anyone who works for The Sun... or any other media outlet run by News UK, for that matter."

 

"Would it be wrong to claim that you possessed a vendetta against Mr Whiteman and/or The Sun, in that case?"

 

A perplexed Catterall turned to Price, who wore a similar bemused look on her face. He then stared back at Richmond and said, "I'd hardly say I had a vendetta against them."

 

"Even after the newspaper in question claimed in an article dated 4 April 2006 that Mark Catterall was a 'disgraced love rat' who had cheated on the mother of his five-year-old daughter with a secretary who worked at the football club he played for?"

 

Catterall shook his face angrily as Richmond continued, "Would it also be fair to say, Mr Catterall, that integrity has never been your strongest suit? To put it another way, is it true that yourself and a colleague of yours once plied one of your players with Russian vodka, because you suspected him of being a communist?"

 

Catterall looked around the courtroom with more puzzlement and asked, "Where'd you get that from?"

 

Price politely objected, "Your Honour, I must object to my learned friend's line of questioning."

 

The elderly presiding judge - Lady Justice Foulkes - concurred with Price, stating, "Mr Richmond, I hardly believe your line of questioning towards Mr Catterall is appropriate. Please return to examining the evidence put forward by Mr Catterall."

 

"My apologies, Your Honour," Richmond said. He then continued, "On the recording in question, Mr Catterall, would it not be unfair to suggest that you acted with some hostility towards Mr Whiteman?"

 

"As I've said, I don't particularly like being in Russell Whiteman's company. Whenever he's interviewed me for The Sun, he's been obnoxious, calculating, aggressive, and desperate to blow even the tiniest issue out of proportion just to make me look bad."

 

"Aggressive, you say? That does sound awfully rich coming from you, if I might say so, Mr Catterall. During the recording, you referred to my client as, and I quote, 'an English Defence League apologist'. Considering that Mr Whiteman is not - and has never been - affiliated to the organisation in question, your comment comes across as slanderous, wouldn't you admit?"

 

Catterall stated, "It was more a criticism of Russell's employers as far-right and jingoistic than of Russell himself. I thought it was ironic that he and his employers had criticised me for selecting only two black players for the England Under-19s squad, when they have published several articles about players like Raheem Sterling that many people would say was thinly-veiled racism."

 

"What was your excuse for selecting only two black players for that England team?"

 

"It was not an excuse; it was undeniably true that working-class, ethnic-minority teenage boys had effectively turned away from organised football because they could not afford to play. The dearth of ethnic minorities at that age group was a by-product of the Tory government trying to squeeze as much money out of the poor as they could."

 

"A likely story," Richmond scoffed. He later asked, "Mr Catterall, what is your relationship with David Whiteman?"

 

Catterall said, "He is the chief executive of the Football Association, whom I work for. I have been a colleague of his for just over four years, and we have a very strong working relationship."

 

"Has David Whiteman ever discussed with you the circumstances which led to the deterioration of his relationship with his nephew Russell Whiteman?"

 

"He was very reluctant to at first, but he eventually told me about a year ago. When I heard that Russell had apparently accused his father Anthony of sexually abusing a little girl, I was disgusted."

 

"I see. It's not entirely implausible, though, that you and David Whiteman could have concocted the whole affair to sully Russell Whiteman's reputation. After all, the prosecution has yet to put forward any solid evidence that my client was behind that story published in The Times which accused Sir Anthony Whiteman of historic sexual offences."

 

"I don't think it's fair to accuse me and David of making the whole thing up," Catterall growled. He then took a sip of water before continuing, "I do, though, think that Russell weren't behind that article."

 

Russell raised his eyebrows and smirked in the dock as Richmond asked, "Who do you believe was involved, then?"

 

"Michael Love. He's the deputy editor of The Sun, and he was working at The Times when the stuff about Sir Anthony came out."

 

"And why would you suspect that, do tell?"

 

Catterall said, "David Whiteman and his son Christopher spoke to me about this about a month or so ago. Christopher was looking into this whole Russell thing, and he found these links to the Love family. Michael is an old friend of the current Chancellor, and his daughter Juno was the MP who brought up this Fake News Act in the first place.

 

"Anyway, since Juno's new law came into effect, about 20 right-wing jurnos who worked with Michael Love - including Russell - have been arrested and charged with spreading fake news. It can't be more than just coincidence, surely?"

 

Richmond let out a mild chuckle. "Mr Catterall, it appears you might have done a sudden about-turn and are now attempting to give evidence for the defence!"

 

Catterall stuttered, "I'm... I'm just concerned that there might be a miscarriage of justice going on as we speak."

 

"Do you or do you NOT believe Russell Whiteman is guilty of the charges he is facing?"

 

Catterall let out a large sigh and groaned, "I DON'T KNOW!" He then took a deep breath before admitting, "To be honest, I don't know either way. There are... there are too many questions I just don't have the answers to."

 

Price buried her head into her hands in despair. Meanwhile, Richmond turned towards the jury and said, "So there we have it, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. If Mark Catterall does not know whose side he is on, how can anyone possibly claim that his evidence is in any way reliable? I would put it to you that Mr Catterall is not a credible witness in this case and that his evidence should not be taken into account when you deliberate your verdict."

 

Catterall was in despair as he left the court that afternoon, with David by his side. The wily administrator said, "I would not be especially hard on oneself if I was in your unenviable position, Mr Catterall. Richard Richmond is an extremely cunning man who has acquired a reputation as one of the pre-eminent barristers in the British judicial system."

 

Catterall shook his head. "I think I tried to have my cake and eat it too. I wanted Russell to face justice for the way he acted towards me, but I also wanted to... shine a spotlight on this corruption that seems to be going on."

 

"That is indeed an impossibility."

 

"What was that book you told me about when we first talked about Russell and Anthony? The one by Chester Arthur, or whoever that bloke was."

 

"Why, it was 'The Man Who Knew Too Much', written by GK Chesterton. Chester Arthur was the 21st President of the United States of America."

 

"Yeah. I kinda feel like him right now. Not President Arthur, obviously."

[CFuller]

***

 

Mark Catterall's appearance in court to testify against Russell Whiteman had backfired. Having essentially been labelled an unreliable witness by defence lawyer Richard Richmond, the England boss was now fair game as far as the press were concerned.

 

The front-page on the following day's edition of the Daily Mirror read "CURIOSITY KILLED THE CATT", while the Daily Express' website claimed, "Mark Catterall WHITE-WASHED in biggest DEFEAT yet". The Daily Telegraph suggested that Catterall "paradoxically knew too much and also knew too little" to offer compelling evidence against Whiteman.

 

The harshest criticism of Catterall came from - surprise, surprise - The Sun. He had attempted to implicate their deputy editor Michael Love in the crimes that their chief football writer Whiteman was accused of committing.

 

"UNRELIABLE, UNBELIEVABLE, UNTENABLE" was the damning headline on its front page the next day. The Sun's editor-in-chief wrote that Catterall's testimony - along with allegations made by Richmond that he had given vodka to an unnamed player - was "evidence enough that his conduct is unacceptable for an England manager".

 

The Sun subsequently launched an online petition, calling on the Football Association to terminate Catterall's contract with immediate effect. Over 20,000 people signed the petition within its first week.

 

However, the FA refused to yield. Chairwoman Angela Ruskin stated, "Mark has our unanimous support at this moment in time. England managers in the past have been allowed to keep their jobs after committing much worse acts, so there's no need for us to satisfy what is a very small minority of reactionaries."

 

Having received a vote of confidence from his employers, Catterall put non-footballing controversies aside to select his next England squad. The Three Lions would play a couple of UEFA Nations League group matches at Wembley in October, with world champions Belgium and dark horses Austria both due to visit London.

 

Catterall would also name an Under-21s team for their final group matches in the European Championship qualifiers. David Byrne's Young Lions would host Albania and then Georgia at Stoke City's Bet365 Stadium as they looked to secure a place in November's Play-Offs. Meanwhile, the Under-19s would officially begin their European title defence with three Qualifying Round matches at Blackburn Rovers' Ewood Park stadium.

 

ENGLAND squad - for matches vs Belgium (H) and Austria (H)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Jack Butland              GK                  10/03/1993 (27)  Stoke           12    0     6'5"   14st 13lbs £19.5M  
Jordan Pickford           GK                  07/03/1994 (26)  Sunderland      0     0     6'2"   12st 1lb   £7.5M   
Freddie Woodman           GK                  04/03/1997 (23)  Everton         3     0     6'1"   11st 2lbs  £4.7M   
Calum Chambers            D (RC)              20/01/1995 (25)  Everton         20    0     6'0"   11st 6lbs  £14.75M 
John Stones               D (RC)              28/05/1994 (26)  Man City        48    1     6'2"   12st 3lbs  £34.5M  
Eric Dier                 D (RC), DM, M (C)   15/01/1994 (26)  Tottenham       56    6     6'2"   13st 7lbs  £38M    
Ben Chilwell              D (LC), WB (L)      21/12/1996 (23)  Liverpool       0     0     5'10"  12st 3lbs  £24.5M  
Brendan Galloway          D (LC), DM          17/03/1996 (24)  Man Utd         3     0     6'2"   14st 0lbs  £25.5M  
Lewis Dunk                D (C)               21/11/1991 (28)  Norwich         0     0     6'3"   12st 3lbs  £2.4M   
Nathaniel Clyne           D/WB (R)            05/04/1991 (29)  Liverpool       48    0     5'9"   10st 7lbs  £16M    
Luke Shaw                 D/WB (L)            12/07/1995 (25)  Man Utd         42    2     6'1"   11st 11lbs £37M    
Lewis Cook                DM, M (C)           03/02/1997 (23)  Bournemouth     2     1     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £10.5M  
Jordan Henderson          DM, M (C)           17/06/1990 (30)  Liverpool       75    4     6'0"   10st 7lbs  £15.75M 
Jonjo Shelvey             DM, M/AM (C)        27/02/1992 (28)  Newcastle       7     0     6'1"   13st 0lbs  £16.25M 
Callum Gribbin            M (C), AM (RC)      18/12/1998 (21)  Norwich         1     0     5'11"  11st 13lbs £13.25M 
Nathan Redmond            M/AM (RL), ST (C)   06/03/1994 (26)  Southampton     17    4     5'8"   11st 6lbs  £17.25M 
Jesse Lingard             M/AM (RLC)          15/12/1992 (27)  Celta           7     0     5'6"   10st 3lbs  £17.75M 
Dele Alli                 M/AM (C)            11/04/1996 (24)  Tottenham       60    6     6'1"   12st 1lb   £35M    
Ross Barkley              M/AM (C)            05/12/1993 (26)  Everton         38    4     6'2"   11st 13lbs £30M    
Jack Wilshere             M/AM (C)            01/01/1992 (28)  Arsenal         70    11    5'9"   10st 3lbs  £18.25M 
Daniel Sturridge          AM (C), ST (C)      01/09/1989 (31)  Valencia        50    27    6'0"   12st 6lbs  £6.5M   
Harry Kane                ST (C)              28/07/1993 (27)  Tottenham       58    28    6'3"   13st 0lbs  £35.5M  
Callum Wilson             ST (C)              27/02/1992 (28)  Chelsea         38    12    5'11"  10st 7lbs  £28M    

 

Norwich City had once again surprised many Premier League onlookers, losing just one of their opening six matches to sit in 5th place. The continued overachievement of Mark Hughes' Canaries saw two of their England players picked for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches.

 

On-loan Manchester United playmaker Callum Gribbin had made his England senior debut in the friendly draw against Portugal, having been called up as an injury replacement. The 21-year-old Salfordian was now in the squad by right, having shown signs of building on his fantastic first season with Norwich.

 

Gribbin's Canaries colleague Lewis Dunk earned a shock first call-up at the age of 28, thanks to some consistently rugged performances in the centre of the defence. Dunk, who'd joined Norwich from hometown club Brighton & Hove Albion in 2019, was selected by Catterall after Mason Holgate broke his ribs whilst in training with Everton.

 

Manchester City's Michael Keane - one of England's most senior central defenders - was still out injured. Keane had sustained a hernia in early September, just days after recovering from a twisted ankle. That meant he would have to wait a while longer to add to his 35 caps.

 

Nearly three years after winning the most recent of his seven England caps, Jonjo Shelvey earned an eyebrow-raising recall. The aggressive Newcastle United playmaker had enjoyed a strong start to the campaign with the mid-table Magpies. That was more than could be said of former regular Danny Drinkwater, who was again overlooked as Leicester City continued to toil in the bottom four.

 

Joining Dunk and Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in line for a maiden England cap was Liverpool left-back Ben Chilwell. The Reds were flying high at the top of the Premier League after six straight wins, with 23-year-old Chilwell ever-present in their defence. His fellow Liverpool full-back Nathaniel Clyne also remained in the national team, though he'd been displaced on the right flank at club level by Giovanni Troupée.

 

Chilwell's call-up meant Tottenham Hotspur's Danny Rose was dropped by Catterall for the first time. There was no room for his team-mate James Ward-Prowse either, as the midfielder had only started two matches for Jaap Stam's Spurs side this term.

 

Rolando Aarons was also absent, though that was not down to Catterall. The enigmatic forward had strained his knee ligaments in West Ham United's EFL Cup Round 3 win at Watford, putting him on the sidelines until November.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-21s squad - for matches vs Albania (H) and Georgia (H)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Brian Farrell             GK                  14/02/2001 (19)  Bury            1     0     6'2"   12st 6lbs  £155K   
Will Mannion              GK                  05/05/1998 (22)  Huddersfield    10    0     6'2"   13st 5lbs  £6.75M  
Aaron Ramsdale            GK                  14/05/1998 (22)  Luton           0     0     6'4"   10st 7lbs  £105K   
Alistair Rattray          SW, D (C)           17/02/2000 (20)  West Brom       2     0     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £1.4M   
Peter Turner              D (RC), WB/M (R)    09/03/2001 (19)  Stoke           2     0     5'11"  11st 11lbs £1.3M   
Joe Rankin-Costello       D (RC), M/AM (RLC)  26/07/1999 (21)  Burnley         13    1     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £7.25M  
Ben Sheaf                 D (RC), M/AM (C)    05/02/1998 (22)  Sheff Wed       6     1     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £5.25M  
Adam Mingay               D (C)               19/04/2000 (20)  West Brom       3     0     6'0"   11st 9lbs  £850K   
Reece Oxford              D (C), DM           16/12/1998 (21)  West Ham        13    0     6'3"   11st 11lbs £5M     
Trent Alexander-Arnold    D/WB (R), DM        07/10/1998 (21)  Derby           21    1     5'6"   9st 10lbs  £6.75M  
Josh Tymon                D/M (L)             22/05/1999 (21)  Arsenal         11    0     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £15.75M 
Ryan Sessegnon            D/M/AM (L)          18/05/2000 (20)  Leeds           5     0     5'11"  12st 6lbs  £425K   
Tom Davies                DM, M (C)           30/06/1998 (22)  Watford         26    3     5'10"  11st 0lbs  £7.75M  
Sam Field                 DM, M/AM (C)        08/05/1998 (22)  QPR             13    2     5'10"  12st 1lb   £7.5M   
Jonathan Leko             M (R), AM (RL)      24/04/1999 (21)  Brighton        8     1     6'2"   11st 2lbs  £7.25M  
Calum Wilson              M (L), AM (RLC)     07/04/2001 (19)  QPR             0     0     6'0"   12st 3lbs  £500K   
Jadon Sancho              M (L), AM (LC)      25/03/2000 (20)  Hull            2     0     6'0"   12st 1lb   £675K   
Neil Campbell             M (C), AM (RC)      23/05/2001 (19)  Wolves          5     0     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £3.2M   
Chris Willock             M/AM (LC)           31/01/1998 (22)  Fulham          5     1     5'9"   10st 12lbs £5.5M   
Stuart White              M/AM (C)            12/10/2000 (19)  Newcastle       6     0     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £7.75M  
Lawrence Warner           AM (RC), ST (C)     28/12/2000 (19)  Brighton        6     2     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £12.25M 
Eddie Nketiah             ST (C)              30/05/1999 (21)  Cardiff         10    6     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £6.75M  
Chris Scott               ST (C)              23/01/2001 (19)  Leeds           0     0     5'11"  12st 12lbs £1.4M   

 

There were two new faces in the England squad for the final European Under-21s Championship qualifiers. Arsenal winger Calum Wilson became the latest European Under-19s champion to move up an age group, having started the new season well while on loan with Queens Park Rangers.

 

West Ham United striker Chris Scott was another Under-21s newcomer with prior international experience, though he wasn't involved in the Under-19s' continental victory. A quarter of a way through the Championship season, the Leeds United loanee was the division's joint-top scorer with nine goals. He shared that honour with another English teenager - Sheffield Wednesday's Willie Field, who remained in the Under-19s.

 

Scott's Leeds team-mate Ryan Sessegnon was recalled at left-back. Tom Davies, Jadon Sancho and Chris Willock were also recalled, as were Neil Campbell and Reece Oxford after their recent injury setbacks.

 

The most high-profile player to miss out on this squad was Reiss Nelson. Unfortunately, the prodigious wide attacker had torn a groin muscle while playing for Leicester City in a 3-0 Premier League defeat at Crystal Palace in mid-September.

 

Several other players were dropped, including Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah. Watford's on-loan Arsenal full-back Ted Lapslie was temporarily demoted to the Under-19s, so he could take part in their European qualifiers.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-19s squad - for European Under-19s Championship Qualifying Round

GOALKEEPERS: Jackson Stevens (Chelsea), Josh Vokes (Tottenham)

DEFENDERS: James Brown (Liverpool), Ray Butterfield (Oxford), Jordan Laing (Peterborough), Ted Lapslie (Watford), Joe Mooney (Barnsley), Stephen Nugent (Burnley), Nick Ward (Arsenal)

MIDFIELDERS: Darren Bennett (Carlisle), Paul Hancock (Hull), Ben Logan (Charlton), Tommy Miles (Arsenal), Petros Mavros (Hull), Ashley Wells (Reading)

FORWARDS: Ollie Elmes (Liverpool), Willie Field (Sheff Wed), Anthony Hayward (Charlton)

 

The European Under-19s Championship Qualifying Round would see England play out three home matches in five days. Turkey, Hungary and then Lithuania would all visit Ewood Park between 7 and 11 October, as the Young Lions looked to begin their championship defence by getting out of Group 11 safely.

 

Field and Lapslie had each played at the previous European finals, as had goalkeeper Josh Vokes and defenders Joe Mooney and Stephen Nugent.

 

Half a dozen players were dropped from the England side that had participated in September's friendly internationals. Those unfortunate six were Tom Burnett, Luther Davis, Andre Forbes, Owen Hibbs, Taylor Randall and Christian Smith.

[CFuller]

***

 

After a couple of friendly victories, it was time for Ledley King and England's Under-19s to get serious again. For five days from 7 October, Ewood Park in Blackburn would be the Young Lions' home as they kicked off their defence of the European Championship.

 

England were overwhelming favourites to win Qualifying Group 11 and qualify comfortably for the Elite Round. They would face Hungary and Lithuania later in the Qualifying Round, but first off, they would have to renew rivalries with an old foe.

 

England and Turkey had faced each other in the qualifiers for the previous two European Championships at Under-19s level, with the Crescent-Stars always providing strong opposition to the Young Lions. It was the visitors who had the first shot at goal after five minutes, when forward Hüseyin Keskin drove a free-kick over the bar.

 

England were rather luckier with their first attack, which came - rather ironically - in the 13th minute. Star striker Willie Field muscled the ball off Turkey's defensive midfielder Arda Genç and then played a slide-rule pass to Tommy Miles. The Arsenal midfielder would quickly thread the ball forward for Liverpool poacher Ollie Elmes, whose calmly-taken finish left Murat Yilmaz soundly beaten in the Turkish goal.

 

Though the hosts were ahead and expected to stroll to victory, their opponents continued to put up a strong resistance. Genç bravely blocked a vicious free-kick from Field in the 22nd minute after his team-mate Mehmet Sen had fouled England midfielder Darren Bennett.

 

In the 31st minute, another Turkish free-kick provided England with another scare. Gökhan Çelik played a delivery from the right flank inside to Mehmet Çakır. The Schalke 04 midfielder - one of several German-born players in this Turkish team - struck the ball on the half-volley, prompting England keeper Josh Vokes to make a difficult parry.

 

Çakır looked rather less impressive five minutes later, when his attempted long ball was cut out and stroked back into Turkey's half by home defender Nick Ward. Reading midfielder Ashley Wells controlled Ward's pass and dribbled forward before moving it on to Field. Sheffield Wednesday's on-loan Liverpool striker deftly controlled the ball with his back to goal, turned 180 degrees, and then half-volleyed inches over the bar.

 

Field might not have been on fire, but his fellow Anfield youth product Elmes sure was. As first-half injury time began, Ward intercepted a slack ball from Sen and pumped it towards the penalty area. Elmes ran onto the excellent long ball and slipped it past Yilmaz at the keeper's near post for 2-0.

 

Turkey weren't quite out of it yet, mind. Two minutes into the second half, a long punt from Yilmaz found Çakır, who dribbled past England left-back Ted Lapslie and then struck an ambitious 30-yard drive. It got nowhere near the target, but if its objective was to unsettle the Young Lions, it did quite a decent job.

 

Turkey began to enjoy more possession as the second half progressed, and they were soon taking the game to the home side. Defensive midfielder Joe Mooney kept them at bay with some determined blocks, but the Bury loanee's substitution in the 61st minute would be potentially costly for England.

 

Two minutes later, Keskin had a corner delivery cleared away by England's attacking midfield substitute Petros Mavros, but only as far as Kerem Arslan. The FC Augsburg striker moved the ball back out wide to Keskin, whose follow-up cross was volleyed home by Çakır. In truth, Ward and his fellow Young Lions centre-back Stephen Nugent could have done better jobs of attempting to block the shot.

 

With their deficit cut down to a single goal, the momentum was all Turkey's. After 73 minutes, Çakır had his first attempt to not only match Elmes' earlier brace but cancel it. It was brilliantly charged down by Lapslie - one of four Arsenal players who completed the match for England. Lapslie, Ward and Miles were soon joined on the pitch by Anthony Hayward, who replaced Elmes for the closing moments.

 

Hayward was denied a game-clinching third England goal by a fantastic save from Yilmaz on 80 minutes. Just moments before then, it took an excellent catch from Vokes at the other end to prevent Arslan from drawing Turkey level.

 

In the end, Elmes' first-half double would be enough for England to start their title defence with a 2-1 victory. Their next qualifier two days later would be against Hungary, who had defeated Lithuania by the same scoreline.

 

7 October 2020: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Qualifying Group 11 - at Ewood Park, Blackburn

England U19s - 2 (Ollie Elmes 13,45+1)

Turkey U19s - 1 (Mehmet Çakır 63)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Josh Vokes; James Brown, Stephen Nugent, Nick Ward, Ted Lapslie; Joe Mooney (Ray Butterfield); Ashley Wells, Tommy Miles; Darren Bennett (Petros Mavros); Willie Field, Ollie Elmes (Anthony Hayward).

[CFuller]

***

 

England's bid to retain the UEFA European Under-21s Championship had reached a critical phase. They realistically needed to win their final two qualifiers against Albania and Georgia at the Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent to at least reach the play-offs. They still had a slim chance of qualifying automatically, but only if Group 8 leaders Portugal failed to win either of their two remaining matches.

 

Before they could worry about what Portugal were doing in their penultimate qualifier at home to Georgia, England had to do their job and see off Albania. The Kuq e Zinjtë were second-from-bottom of the group, having recorded three draws and five defeats thus far. Anything other than an England win would be an embarrassment to the hosts.

 

England manager Mark Catterall was in the stands watching on as head coach David Byrne led his charges out. Amongst the 11 players Catterall and Byrne had named in their starting line-up was a newcomer to the Under-21s set-up - West Ham United's confident teenage centre-forward Chris Scott, who'd already netted nine Championship goals this season while on loan with Leeds United.

 

The 19-year-old from Somerset took less than five minutes to make an impression. Shortly after Mario Dajsinani had majestically dived to catch a header from England's other striker Lawrence Warner, the Albanian proved unable to keep out the hosts' next attempt. Attacking midfielder Stuart White stroked the ball ahead of Scott, who glided past a couple of defenders before placing it calmly into the far corner of Dajsinani's net.

 

England went into this match with no fewer than eight players at risk of incurring suspensions. One of them was captain Reece Oxford, who got in trouble with the referee when he felled Albana striker Ismet Sinani barely a minute after the opening goal. A yellow card meant that the West Ham United defender would be banned from his country's final qualifier against Georgia.

 

The Young Lions then attacked again on 12 minutes. A rare shot at goal from Oxford's centre-back colleague Adam Mingay was blocked by Albania captain Marash Kumbulla. Moments later, Scott drove a shot narrowly over the crossbar as he sought a debut brace.

 

Scott was again denied a second goal in the 19th minute, with Dajsinani turning a low shot behind just before it could creep in at his right-hand post. His next attempt a couple of minutes later was rather less impressive.

 

Flamboyant midfielder Neil Campbell, who'd missed much of the opening few weeks of Wolverhampton Wanderers' first season back in the Premier League, glided effortlessly past Albania's tough-tackling Endi Morina. He then sliced the defence open to find a narrowly-onside Scott, only for his compatriot to hammer a great chance wide.

 

While there was to be no double for Scott, he did help England increase their advantage six minutes before half-time. Upon latching onto a fantastic weighted pass from the more experienced Tom Davies, the debutant squared the ball into the six-yard box. On the other end was Warner, who got in front of Albania's covering defender Glejdis Ndraxhi to convert his third goal in just seven Under-21s caps.

 

Scott and Warner each missed chances to make it 3-0 to England in the opening minutes of the first period. The significance of those spurned opportunities would be magnified later on, as the Young Lions started to get a bit cocksure.

 

Albania's first chance to get back in the match came after 56 minutes. Pescara right-back Leonardo Maloku whipped a cross in to Sinani, whose header from the edge of the England box almost caught goalkeeper Will Mannion off his guard.

 

Huddersfield Town goalie Mannion was England's only ever-present in the qualifiers, and it was somewhat concerning that he'd only kept three clean sheets in eight matches. That record would change to three in nine after 63 minutes, when he was beaten at his near post by Meritan Shabani's finish from a left-wing delivery by Samir Hysa. The Sandhausen midfielder had pulled Albania to within one goal of parity.

 

The Young Lions needed to restore their two-goal cushion quickly. Substitute midfielder Joe Rankin-Costello tried his luck a minute after Shabani's potential revolutionary goal, but Kumbulla deflected it wide.

 

Albania's resistance would be futile. When Ndraxhi lost concentration in the 71st minute, Warner burst behind him to hunt down a long ball from Campbell. The Brighton & Hove Albion loanee crossed to Newcastle United midfielder White, whose irresistible half-volley capped a superb 'man of the match' display from the Black Country boy.

 

England then brought Alistair Rattray and Chris Willock on for Oxford and Scott to see out the final 20 minutes of this match. Fulham forward Willock, who'd recently left his boyhood club Arsenal for £2.7million, could have added a fourth goal to his team's tally late on. He had no fewer than four chances to do so, but one went wide, another was saved by Dajsinani, and the other two were blocked.

 

As full-time neared, Albania started to seriously lose control of their discipline. They would finish the match on an incredible 26 fouls, though only one of them - Shabani's 86th-minute trip on Watford midfielder Davies - was deemed worthy of even a yellow card.

 

England cruised to a 3-1 win and secured 2nd place in Group 8, but top spot was now beyond their reach. Portugal avoided an upset in Aveiro, defeating Georgia 2-0 to guarantee that they would qualify for the 2021 finals in Italy. The Young Lions' only route to that tournament was via November's play-offs, their presence in which they would potentially secure by beating the Georgians in their last remaining group game.

 

8 October 2020: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Qualifying Group 8 - at Bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent

England U21s - 3 (Chris Scott 5, Lawrence Warner 39, Stuart White 71)

Albania U21s - 1 (Meritan Shabani 63)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Will Mannion; Peter Turner, Reece Oxford (Alistair Rattray), Adam Mingay, Josh Tymon; Sam Field (Joe Rankin-Costello); Neil Campbell, Tom Davies; Stuart White; Lawrence Warner, Chris Scott (Chris Willock). BOOKED: Oxford 7.

[CFuller]

***

 

Friday 9 October was a big day for England's senior team, as the UEFA Euro 2020 runners-up played host to FIFA World Cup holders Belgium. While Mark Catterall and his charges were travelling from their St George's Park training base to Wembley for their titanic UEFA Nations League tussle, the Under-19s were in action themselves.

 

Ledley King's Young Lions hosted Hungary at Ewood Park in the second match of the European Under-19s Championship Qualifying Round. Both teams had won their opening fixtures in Group 11, and a second victory for either would almost certainly secure their progress to March's Elite Round.

 

Ollie Elmes had taken 13 minutes to get England up and running against Turkey. He shaved seven minutes off that time when facing the Magyars. The Liverpool forward - playing on the right wing - latched onto a fantastic pass from Chelsea midfielder Petros Mavros before driving it emphatically past goalkeeper Szilárd Burucz.

 

Elmes and Mavros had both come through the Milton Keynes Dons youth set-up as schoolboys, as had Ben Logan. The hard-working midfielder - now on loan at Charlton Athletic from Watford - blasted wide a hopeful attempt to increase England's lead in the 11th minute.

 

Logan's Charlton team-mate Anthony Hayward would play a significant role in England going 2-0 up on 13 minutes. The on-loan Arsenal frontman got ahead of Hungarian skipper Gergely Horváth to flick Elmes' left-wing delivery across the six-yard box. Burucz' attempt to claw the header away only served to set up a simple finish for Hull City winger Paul Hancock at the back stick.

 

Hungary pursued an equaliser midway through the first period. Winger Dominik Vass' 21st-minute free-kick clattered off Darren Bennett in the England wall and was subsequently cleared by Hancock. A couple of minutes after that, an ambitious long-distance curler from Magyars striker Ádám Késedi sailed past Jackson Stevens' left-hand post.

 

Normal service resumed after half an hour, with Mavros' free-kick forcing Burucz into a save. Hull's skilful loanee midfielder then delighted the home crowd in the 32nd minute with a spectacular backheel into the box. Team-mate Hancock ran onto it to tuck away his second goal, and England's third, of the afternoon.

 

Hancock was now in hot pursuit of an unlikely hat-trick. The 16-year-old Yorkshireman almost fluked a third goal after 36 minutes, with a cross catching Burucz off his guard before deflecting wide off the crossbar.

 

Hungary were simply unable to cope with England's intensity, and the Young Lions were also drawing them into committing a high number of fouls. Right-back Gergely Sipos was cautioned for a desperate pull on the back of Hancock's shirt just before half-time. Substitute midfielder Alex Sándor also attracted the referee's attention in the 58th minute, collecting a booking for a hefty clash with Mavros.

 

If England were taken aback by Hungary's aggression, it didn't show. Hancock had another hat-trick chance in the 61st minute, but his powerful drive from an Ashley Wells pass was turned behind by Burucz. The 17-year-old Szombathelyi Haladás goalkeeper produced another fantastic save in the 65th minute, showing great agility to tip behind a 20-yard drive from Reading midfielder Wells.

 

Burucz' immense bravery didn't stop the Young Lions from beating him once again after 66 minutes. Bennett dribbled the ball into Hungary's box, and Wells then moved it inside to Mavros via Elmes. Mavros then prodded a simple finish into the far corner, giving England a 4-0 advantage - and an unusual treble of sorts for their Hull-based contingent.

 

Four goals would be all the rampant Young Lions could muster. Hayward was twice kept off the scoresheet by Burucz in the 68th and 71st minutes. Despite scoring four goals in the build-up to the European qualifiers, the Londoner was still awaiting his first competitive international strike.

 

Hungary's misery was compounded by a third yellow card, issued to Horváth for his trip on Elmes in the 73rd minute. The Magyars did try to claw back a consolation goal four minutes later, but their flame-haired 6ft 5in target man Ádám Kornis put too much power into his shot and blazed it comfortably over.

 

The final whistle confirmed that England had made it two wins from two, and their qualification for the Elite Round was confirmed when Turkey defeated Lithuania 2-1 later that evening. While Turkey would now battle Hungary for the second qualifying spot from Group 11, the Young Lions' meeting with the eliminated Lithuanians had been reduced to little more than a dead rubber.

 

9 October 2020: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Qualifying Group 11 - at Ewood Park, Blackburn

Hungary U19s - 0

England U19s - 4 (Ollie Elmes 6, Paul Hancock 13,32, Petros Mavros 66)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Jackson Stevens; Jordan Laing, Stephen Nugent, Joe Mooney (Nick Ward), Ted Lapslie; Darren Bennett (Tommy Miles), Ben Logan (Ashley Wells); Ollie Elmes, Petros Mavros, Paul Hancock; Anthony Hayward.

[CFuller]

***

 

England had met Belgium on three occasions during the Mark Catterall era - twice in friendlies, and once at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Three Lions always came away disappointed after putting in admirable displays that ended with them losing by the odd goal.

 

When the two teams came to blows once again at Wembley in October 2020, though, it was England who were rated as favourites. While they had followed up their run to the World Cup Semi Finals by finishing runners-up at UEFA Euro 2020, the Belgians had not lived up to expectations during the continental tournament. They were carpeted out in the Last 16 by Russia, crushing their hopes of a World Cup and European Championship double.

 

Roberto Martínez - the man who had guided the Red Devils to their historic global triumph in 2018 - paid the price for that early Euro exit with his job. Belgium's new head coach was Mircea Rednic - a 58-year-old Romanian who'd spent the last four years managing Belgian Pro League mid-tablers Royal Excel Mouscron (or REM for short).

 

Belgium's players and fans were not exactly 'shiny happy people' after the first two matches of their new era without either Martínez or legendary former captain Vincent Kompany, who'd retired after the Euros. A scrappy friendly win against the Netherlands, and an unconvincing 3-1 UEFA Nations League victory over Austria, arguably belied their still-lofty FIFA World Ranking of 3rd.

 

Belgium now had a chance to prove that they were still in good shape ahead of their World Cup defence. Winning Division A Group 2 of the Nations League at England's expense would be a good start. With both teams having kicked off the group by defeating Austria, whoever prevailed at Wembley would reach the halfway stage firmly on course to qualify for the Semi Finals.

 

Catterall's England were also out to prove a point. The Three Lions' last match at Wembley a little less than three months earlier had seen them blow their big chance to win the Euros on home soil. It was about time they started to put smiles back on their supporters' faces.

 

There were a few eyebrows raised when the England starting XI was named. There was a first start under Catterall for Newcastle United's tenacious playmaker Jonjo Shelvey, who hadn't so much as worn a national team jersey since 2017. Inside-forwards Nathan Redmond and Jesse Lingard were also selected, despite their wildly inconsistent form for the Three Lions.

 

Tottenham Hotspur duo Dele Alli and Eric Dier - both mainstays of the midfield - were not quite fit to start, having played out a gruelling Premier League draw at Norwich City only five days prior. The man who'd scored Norwich's equaliser five minutes from full-time - 21-year-old midfielder Callum Gribbin - was on course to make his competitive England debut if he came off the bench.

 

England's defence - featuring the inexperienced Brendan Galloway in the centre alongside Manchester rival John Stones - was immediately tested by Belgium's two Paris Saint-Germain megastars.

 

Big centre-forward Romelu Lukaku, who'd recently joined PSG from Atlético Madrid for £39.5million, skimmed the side netting after running onto a third-minute through-ball from Manchester City's Yannick Carrasco. Lukaku's new PSG team-mate Eden Hazard went for goal a minute later. However, the Red Devils' captain and most-capped player of all-time fired it well over the crossbar.

 

England had their first opportunity to open the scoring after five minutes via a Jordan Henderson corner. Lone striker Harry Kane knocked it into the path of Lingard, whose left-footed volley crashed against the crossbar. Belgian right-back Thomas Meunier - himself a former PSG player who was now at Fiorentina - expertly removed the danger.

 

Though Redmond pulled wide England's next chance in the seventh minute, the Southampton forward did create a counter-attack for Kane three minutes later. Kane latched onto Redmond's long ball and then turned past defender Leander Dendoncker before sending a tame shot into Thibaut Courtois' hands.

 

Keeping goal for England was Jack Butland, who made another strong case for the vacant number 1 jersey when he tipped over a cross from Roma's box-to-box midfielder Radja Nainggolan in the 15th minute. Butland also demonstrated great agility 10 minutes later to thwart Lukaku, whose next international goal would've been his 40th.

 

Scoring chances for England midway through the first half were scarce, and not very impressive. Courtois easily caught an effort from Redmond in the 24th minute, while Kane struck the side netting four minutes later.

 

The Three Lions' hopes took a dent in the 34th minute, when Lingard appeared to hurt his shin. The Spanish-based former Manchester United forward had to be helped off the pitch to be replaced by a current Old Trafford prospect. Gribbin had shown great promise while on loan at Norwich, and now he had the chance to prove his worth against the world champions.

 

As Gribbin settled into the game, Swedish referee Markus Strömbergsson issued what would be the only two yellow cards he doled out all night. Belgium's Nainggolan and England's Galloway were each booked on the stroke of half-time for respective trips on Kane and Lukaku.

 

Belgium did have a chance to break the deadlock just before the interval, but Kevin De Bruyne's piledriver was pushed behind by Butland. The Manchester City playmaker had been ineffective all half, and he would be replaced for the second period by Napoli's Dennis Praet. In contrast, Catterall chose to make no changes to his team.

 

Both substitutes had chances for their respective sides shortly after the restart. Praet's 47th-minute drive for the Red Devils was brilliantly secured by Butland just before it found his left-hand post. Three minutes later, Nainggolan's tackle on England's underperforming attacking midfielder Jack Wilshere diverted the ball into the path of Gribbin, who fired wide.

 

Belgium's passing was now looking somewhat slack, and when Shelvey intercepted one particularly poor ball from Hazard in the 51st minute, England prepared to hit their visitors on the counter. Within moments, Redmond had played a lovely ball ahead of Wilshere, who couldn't strike his half-volley cleanly.

 

Courtois was eventually tested again in the 53rd minute, catching Galloway's header from a quickly-taken Henderson free-kick. The Chelsea goalkeeper was also equal to a promising attempt three minutes later from Redmond, who looked like the England attacker most likely to make something happen.

 

Once again, though, Kane was struggling to display his full array of talents. The 27-year-old England vice-captain played an excellent one-two with Wilshere on 59 minutes, only to then pull his shot wide.

 

That was to be one of Wilshere's last contributions before he was substituted in favour of Daniel Sturridge. The veteran forward would cut inside from the right flank, with fellow left-footer Gribbin shifting over to the attacking midfield slot behind Kane. Meanwhile, Belgium boss Rednic sacrificed Carrasco to give just a fourth cap to Lyon winger Zakaria Bakkali.

 

One of those 63rd-minute substitutions would go on to change the course of the match. Fortunately for England fans, that man was not Bakkali.

 

In the 71st minute, a wayward long ball from Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans was cut out by England right-back Callum Chambers and nodded on to Sturridge. The Valencia hotshot timed his through-ball for Kane to perfection, allowing the Londoner to breeze past Dendoncker and drill the ball into Courtois' net. The Three Lions had taken a 1-0 lead in scintillating style.

 

That was Kane's 29th goal for his country. He looked set to increase his haul to 30 in the 76th minute, but his strike from Redmond's weighted pass was knocked behind off Meunier. England had already threatened to double their lead a couple of minutes earlier, but Gribbin was denied his first senior international goal by Courtois' outstretched leg.

 

After Courtois produced another save to thwart Shelvey in the 77th minute, Belgium sought to equalise from a quick-fire breakaway move, which ended with Lukaku blazing an effort well off target. Catterall then made his final personnel change, with Henderson again passing the captain's armband to Kane before he was replaced with Dier.

 

As a tireless ball-winner, Dier's main objective was simply to put pressure on the Belgian attackers and keep the Three Lions' narrow lead intact. In that sense, he proved to be the perfect substitute from Catterall.

 

Belgium struggled through the final 10 minutes as they desperately sought a leveller. Lukaku disappointed once again with a wayward finish on 82 minutes, though Benfica midfielder Tielemans had a slightly better attempt saved by Butland a couple of minutes afterwards.

 

England held on in the end, claiming a potentially significant in their bid to qualify for the Nations League Semi Finals. After two games apiece, they topped Group 2 on six points, with Belgium on three, and Austria still to get off the ground.

 

England would - at the very least - secure their Division A survival if they could get a draw against Austria at Wembley on 13 October. Another victory for Catterall's men would leave Belgium needing to win both of their matches against their group rivals in November to deny the Three Lions top spot, and qualification for the Semis.

 

9 October 2020: UEFA Nations League Division A Group 2 - at Wembley, London

England - 1 (Harry Kane 71)

Belgium - 0

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Jack Butland; Calum Chambers, John Stones, Brendan Galloway, Luke Shaw; Jordan Henderson (Eric Dier), Jonjo Shelvey; Jesse Lingard (Callum Gribbin), Jack Wilshere (Daniel Sturridge), Nathan Redmond; Harry Kane. BOOKED: Galloway 45.

 

Lingard was assessed by England's medical team at the final whistle. Unfortunately, the Celta Vigo forward had suffered shin splints, meaning that he would have to leave the team and return home to Spain.

 

Another Mancunian attacker was chosen to take Lingard's place in the squad. Uncharacteristically, Catterall overlooked Marcus Rashford's recent inability to re-establish himself in Manchester United's first-team and gave the mercurial 22-year-old a recall. Rashford now had an opportunity to win his 14th England cap against Austria, and potentially add to his five international goals.

[CFuller]

***

 

After two straight wins, England were safely into the Elite Round of the UEFA European Under-19s Championship. Now it was up to the Young Lions to conclude the Qualifying Round in style, by defeating Lithuania at Ewood Park.

 

Even as Group 11's overwhelming underdogs, Lithuania had shown great spirit in their unsuccessful qualifying campaign. They recorded a couple of narrow 2-1 defeats to Hungary and then Turkey, but facing a team of England's calibre would test their rugged defence to the very limit.

 

As it transpired, England needed just three minutes to breach the Lithuanian backline. Watford midfielder Darren Bennett - on loan at Carlisle United - set the opening goal up with an excellent first-time ball into the danger area for Willie Field. The Liverpool wonderkid then curled in the type of beautiful finish that Sheffield Wednesday fans had become accustomed to seeing from him during his loan spell.

 

Field's strike partner Anthony Hayward missed a chance to add his name onto the scoresheet after eight minutes, when he flicked Jordan Laing's free-kick wide. That was followed a minute later by a narrow miss from Field, who looked hungry for even more goals following his opener.

 

Field got another chance to secure a brace after 15 minutes, after being tripped by Lithuania left-back Deimantas Cesnulis close to goal. Unfortunately for the Lancastrian, his set-piece was pushed wide by Marius Baranauskas. Undeterred, Field tried his luck from another free-kick moments later, coming within inches of beating the visiting goalkeeper again.

 

England had further opportunities in the 19th minute. Firstly, Bennett was unfortunate to drive a shot against the back of a Young Lions team-mate in defensive midfielder Ray Butterfield. Field got to the loose ball and stroked it forward to another midfielder in Ben Logan, whose strike was deflected behind by Cesnulis.

 

The 24th minute saw right-back Laing come within inches of scoring his first international goal. Five minutes later, though, another Young Lion did pop his goalscoring cherry, thanks to Lithuania's inability to defend a Laing corner. Field when from scorer to creator when he cut the ball back from the six-yard box to Bennett, whose calm strike put England well in control.

 

When England did increase their lead in the 35th minute, though, there was no surprise as to who would claim the plaudits. Field lashed in a lethal volley after Tommy Miles' free-kick had cleared the Lithuania wall and crashed against their crossbar.

 

England's star man got the opportunity to seal his hat-trick in the 41st minute, thanks to a somewhat controversial penalty decision. Lithuania midfielder Lukas Freidgeimas was accused of pulling back Bennett when intercepting a left-wing cross from Ted Lapslie, although Bennett himself tried to argue that no such foul had taken place. Nevertheless, the referee's original call stood, and Field comfortably beat Baranauskas to secure his third of England's four opening-half goals.

 

That wasn't to say that Field was necessarily happy with a hat-trick. In the second minute of the second half, he found the net for a FOURTH time. Field had initially set up a chance for Young Lions substitute Paul Hancock, whose strike was blocked by Lithuania wing-back Rokas Cepkauskas and then returned to sender. A powerful near-post finish followed, and it was now 5-0.

 

Field would finish on four goals, though he nearly turned his near-perfect performance into a five-star one after 52 minutes. After being shoved by Lithuania centre-back Haroldas Juska, he struck a vicious free-kick that Baranauskas did quite well to tip behind.

 

Lithuania tightened up significantly after Field's fourth, and though they never looked like scoring a consolation goal themselves, they did stem the bleeding. Baranauskas produced another fine save in the 67th minute from Miles, whose promising free-kick five minutes later was headed off target by Arsenal team-mate Nick Ward.

 

Hull City winger Hancock then had a moment to forget in the 78th minute. It looked almost certain that England's youngest player would score his third goal of the qualifiers from a right-wing delivery by Field, but he put far too much power into the volley and sent it flying over.

 

Another not-so-positive moment for England came in the penultimate minute of normal time. A left-wing cross by Lithuania's Vitalijus Gedvilas could easily have deflected into the net off Laing had it not been for the quick reactions of Josh Vokes, whose only save in this whole match was to prevent an own goal.

 

Regardless, it was still an excellent performance from the Young Lions, who finished with three wins and 11 goals. They were joined in securing Elite Round qualification from Group 11 by Turkey, who overcame Hungary by a single goal in their 2nd-place decider.

 

11 October 2020: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Qualifying Group 11 - at Ewood Park, Blackburn

Lithuania U19s - 0

England U19s - 5 (Willie Field 3,35,pen41,47, Darren Bennett 29)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Josh Vokes; Jordan Laing, James Brown (Nick Ward), Stephen Nugent, Ted Lapslie; Ray Butterfield; Darren Bennett (Ashley Wells), Tommy Miles; Ben Logan; Willie Field, Anthony Hayward (Paul Hancock).

 

2021 UEFA European Under-19s Championship Qualifying Group 11 (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     England U19s           3     3     0     0     11    1     10    9
2.    Q     Turkey U19s            3     2     0     1     4     3     1     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Hungary U19s           3     1     0     2     2     6     -4    3
4.          Lithuania U19s         3     0     0     3     2     9     -7    0

 

Winning a Qualifying Round group did not necessarily guarantee an easy draw for the Elite Round. England found that out when they were paired into a nightmarish Group 6, which featured three formidable teams.

 

The defending champions would start off their Elite Round by hosting Germany - their beaten opponents in the 2020 Final in Belfast - at Ewood Park on 22 March. A couple of daunting trips then awaited them, as they would face Croatia on 26 March, and then Italy on 30 March.

 

England had reached at least the Semi Finals at the last three European Under-19s Championships. With such a difficult group, though, they would do very well merely to qualify for the 2021 finals in Greece.

[CFuller]

***

 

England Under-21s had one more match to play in the UEFA European Under-21s Championship qualifiers. Portugal had already beaten them to top spot in Group 8, but the Young Lions still had a good chance of progressing to the finals via the play-off route.

 

A win against lowly Georgia would be all England needed to secure their play-off place. If things went as expected in Stoke-on-Trent, they could make plans for a two-legged tie in late November against another group runner-up.

 

England reverted to their usual 4-2-3-1 formation after lining up in a diamond during their previous match against Albania. Starting on the left wing was an Under-21s debutant in Queens Park Rangers' Calum Wilson - a teenage loanee from Arsenal.

 

Also in the XI were Ryan Sessegnon and captain Trent Alexander-Arnold. The full-backs were among several Young Lions who would be suspended from the first leg of the play-offs if they were cautioned here, so they had to watch their steps.

 

England began with a bang, breaking the deadlock after a little over four minutes. Their Seagulls from Brighton & Hove Albion got off to a flyer when right-winger Jonathan Leko's cross into the six-yard box was dispatched by the lethal Lawrence Warner. Georgian goalkeeper Lasha Tandilashvili didn't have a hope in hell of keeping the on-loan Liverpool starlet out.

 

Georgia - and their full-back Besik Tsetskhladze in particular - didn't seem able to deal with crosses from their left flank. That was apparent again three minutes later, when Alexander-Arnold's delivery was half-volleyed home from near the penalty spot by Warner.

 

The Jvarosnebi immediately went on the defensive to try and stop England from running riot. In the 12th minute, though, they were fortunate not to concede a hat-trick to Warner. 'Loz' latched onto a fantastic long ball from Wolverhampton Wanderers playmaker Neil Campbell, and then dribbled at the defence before unleashing a drive towards the top corner. Tandilashvili could only push the ball away for defender Giorgi Latsabidze to clear.

 

Tandilashvili was a very nervy presence in the Georgian goal, and he would come a cropper again after 15 minutes. Following an exchange of passes with Wilson, Campbell audaciously tried to cut the ball past the goalkeeper from a tight angle. Much to the Geordie teenager's amazement, his effort squirmed beneath Tandilashvili's gloves and into the net, earning him a first career goal for England Under-21s!

 

Campbell played a significant role in creating England's next goal after 26 minutes. His attempted free-kick delivery to Wilson in the penalty area was cut out by a cynical handball from the Jvarosnebi's centre-forward Zaza Kobaladze, who left the referee with no choice but to award a penalty.

 

Only one man was stepping up to take England's spot-kick. Confident as ever, Warner smashed it past Tandilashvili to secure his third goal of the night, and his sixth in just eight caps for the Under-21s. It was no wonder that arguably the most prodigious striker to have come out of Liverpool's academy since Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen was doing cartwheels afterwards!

 

England were leading 4-0 after less than half an hour. At that rate, few punters at the Bet365 Stadium would have bet against them racking up double figures. Those who had done so would have lost money, though, as the flood of home goals suddenly stopped there.

 

Part of that sudden halt to England's goalscoring was perhaps down to Warner's laziness. The Lincolnshire-born striker coasted through the next of the match, happier to settle with three goals than his Anfield colleague Willie Field was when playing for the Under-21s the previous day.

 

More relaxed goalkeeping from Tandilashvili also played a role. The Dinamo Tbilisi custodian was much more assured in catching a drive from Wilson three minutes before half-time.

 

Tandilashvili would have rather less work to do in the second half. Georgia retreated even further back after the resumption, leaving England's attackers less space to exploit in and around their half. The Young Lions had found ways past such defensive opponents in the past, but with their job effectively already done, they didn't seem particularly bothered to do so.

 

Indeed, it was England's overconfidence that led to the Jvarosnebi threatening to snare consolation goals on the counter-attack. Kobaladze - the man whose handball had resulted in the last of the hosts' four goals - almost got his own back in the 69th minute, only to flick captain Konstantine Moniava's corner wide. Two minutes later, a long-distance strike from Moniava fizzed beyond Will Mannion's right-hand post.

 

England then became a little more rash, with a couple of players mistiming their tackles. West Bromwich Albion centre-back Adam Mingay and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Ben Sheaf were each booked for clumsy fouls in the 82nd and 88th minutes. Neither had been yellow-carded previously in the qualification campaign, so they were still clear to take part in the first leg of the impending play-off.

 

As the home defence became more error-strewn, so did Georgia's finishing. Moniava sliced open the England backline in the 89th minute, but striker Gela Akhaladze blazed it over the crossbar. Likewise, midfielder Nika Kobakhidze was unable to keep an injury-time strike down after pouncing on a loose ball that had been lost by Sheaf.

 

Regardless of their poor second-half display, England were still satisfied with how their final group match had gone. It was never in doubt that they would progress safely into the play-offs as the best runners-up. Meanwhile, Group 8 winners Portugal - the only team to have taken any points off the Young Lions - finished undefeated after a single-goal victory in Greece.

 

12 October 2020: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Qualifying Group 8 - at Bet365 Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent

England U21s - 4 (Lawrence Warner 4,7,pen26, Neil Campbell 15)

Georgia U21s - 0

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Will Mannion; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Adam Mingay, Alistair Rattray, Ryan Sessegnon; Tom Davies (Ben Sheaf), Neil Campbell; Jonathan Leko, Chris Willock (Jadon Sancho), Calum Wilson; Lawrence Warner (Eddie Nketiah). BOOKED: Mingay 82, Sheaf 88.

 

2021 UEFA European Under-21s Championship Qualifying Group 8 (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Portugal U21s          10    9     1     0     19    3     16    28
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.    Pl    England U21s           10    8     1     1     25    7     18    25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Greece U21s            10    6     0     4     15    8     7     18
4.          Albania U21s           10    1     3     6     7     18    -11   6
5.          Georgia U21s           10    1     3     6     7     19    -12   6
6.          Macedonia U21s         10    0     2     8     4     22    -18   2

 

Accompanying England in the play-offs were Hungary, Denmark and Czech Republic - the three runners-up with the next-best records. Only two of those four would earn the last remaining tickets to the 2021 European Under-21s Championship in Italy.

 

England would be rated as heavy favourites, no matter who they got. That being said, the news that they had been drawn against the Czech Republic provoked groans in some quarters at St George's Park.

 

While the Czech senior team had sunk to 89th in the FIFA World Rankings, their youth teams were rated by many as amongst the best in Europe. After all, they had only been denied victory in the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup Final because England finally figured out how to win a penalty shoot-out. Coached by former national team goalkeeper Jaromir Blazek, the Under-21s had finished 2nd in a closely-contested Group 1, which was headed by Croatia.

 

Home advantage for the first leg went to the Czech Republic, who would kick things off in Liberec on 13 November. Just three days later, they and England would move on to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, where it would be decided which of them qualified for Euro 2021 and which of them missed out.

[CFuller]

***

 

It would be fair to say that few England fans had expected the Three Lions to defeat FIFA World Cup holders Belgium at Wembley on 9 October. That impressive result meant there was a heightened sense of expectation four days later, when Austria visited the home of English football.

 

A third consecutive UEFA Nations League victory would make England red-hot favourites to win Division A Group 2 and qualify for the Semi Finals for the first time. In that case, 2nd-placed Belgium would need to take maximum points from their final two group matches in November to have any chance of overtaking them.

 

England's win over the Red Devils had been a gruelling one, and only two players who'd started that match would go on to feature from the outset here. Manchester United centre-half Brendan Galloway was rewarded for his 'man of the match' display with another start, while captain Jordan Henderson also retained his place in the XI.

 

Mark Catterall named a trio of 23-year-olds in the starting line-up. Henderson's Liverpool team-mate Ben Chilwell was handed a debut at left-back. There was a first competitive start for AFC Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook, who'd come off the bench to score the winner in England's last meeting with Austria the previous month. Finally, Everton goalkeeper Freddie Woodman featured for just the second time in a competitive international.

 

Austria's line-up was much-changed from that which had started that Nations League opener in Vienna in September. After fielding several youngsters during that game, manager Marcel Koller opted largely for experience this time around. However, he was without star defenders David Alaba and Kevin Wimmer, both of whom had suffered injuries in the Burschen's friendly defeat to Scotland the previous week.

 

Though they were rank outsiders, Austria enjoyed the better start to proceedings. In the sixth minute, Rapid Wien's defensive midfielder Christopher Dibon took the ball off Cook's feet on the edge of the Austrian box and pumped it deep into the England half.

 

Florian Grillitsch got above Galloway to flick the ball across to his strike partner Michael Gregoritsch. A missed interception from England's other central defender left the door wide open for Torino target man Gregoritsch, who raced through on goal and looked a dead cert to open the scoring. That was until Woodman rescued the Three Lions with an excellent reflex save.

 

After that unsuccessful Austrian counter-attack, England looked to give the Burschen a taste of their own medicine. A quickfire attack ended with playmaker Dele Alli's edge-of-the-area shot being charged down by Dibon. That earned the Three Lions a corner, but Aleksandar Dragovic easily cleared Henderson's delivery.

 

England forward Callum Wilson - playing as a 'false nine' behind Daniel Sturridge - then put the Austrians under pressure with a couple of attempts at goal. His first effort after eight minutes saw him flick Chilwell's left-wing delivery wide. The Chelsea star missed the target again three minutes later, though his next strike a few moments afterwards had to be blocked by Dragovic.

 

When Wilson's fourth chance to open the scoring cleared the crossbar on 16 minutes, many of the home supporters at Wembley must've thought that this was going to be 'one of those nights'. Their dismay would only grow a couple of minutes later.

 

After Cook messed up a pass close to the Austrian goal, Burschen midfielder Alessandro Schöpf took the ball and hoofed it to Gregoritsch in the centre circle. Gregoritsch played a crossfield ball out right to Grillitsch and then advanced into the England box, where he received a follow-up delivery from the Hoffenheim forward. A delicate header left Woodman soundly beaten and gave Austria a shock away lead.

 

In the 20th minute, shortly after unwittingly playing his part in Gregoritsch's opener, Cook looked to make amends. The fast-improving Yorkshireman blasted Ross Barkley's square ball from the edge of the Austria 'D'. He rocketed it against goalkeeper Richard Strebinger's right-hand post before Dragovic cleared it into touch.

 

A few more chances came England's way in the 22nd minute. Shortly after a free-kick from Everton midfielder Barkley clattered against the visitors' wall, Chilwell curled a cross into the penalty area. Wilson struck the ball with a beautiful half-volley, which Strebinger diverted over his crossbar.

 

Another delivery from Chilwell in the 25th minute would help to breach a stubborn Austria defence. Crystal Palace centre-back Philipp Lienhart could only clear it as far as Cook, whose first-time pass back into the box was lashed home by Wilson. That was the 28-year-old's 13th goal in an England jersey, but his first in over a year.

 

Wilson was high on confidence after finally breaking his international goal drought. He ambitiously eyed up a second goal from 25 yards out in the 32nd minute, though Strebinger just about got his gloves to it. Two minutes later, Wilson's colleague Sturridge hammered over what would be his only shot of the first half.

 

England had one more chance to take the lead just before the break. Wilson exchanged passes with Chilwell before heading the latter's cross past the post.

 

Catterall made one change to his team prior to the second half, and it was no surprise that the anonymous Sturridge was on the wrong end of that substitution. Taking his place at the forefront of England's attacks was Harry Kane, who sought his 30th international goal in his 60th cap.

 

England's pursuit of an early second-half goal was frustrated by an Austria team that was defending in numbers and deploying an effective offside trap. Kane was caught out by the latter in the 54th minute.

 

Three minutes later, Kane had a great chance to replicate what he'd done against Belgium four days earlier, and put the Three Lions ahead. The Tottenham Hotspur ace got ahead of Austria right-back Mario Pavelic to latch onto Barkley's long ball and take it into the penalty area. Kane's shot was spilled against the near post by Strebinger, who somehow managed to catch it at the second attempt before it crossed his goal line.

 

There was further despair for England in the 62nd minute. Chilwell's regular excellent crosses to Wilson had been a constant threat to the opposition defence, but the pair's latest attacking move was thwarted by a rather more assured catch from Strebinger.

 

England fans were now beginning to lose count of how many chances Wilson had missed. Strebinger denied the West Midlander yet again on 66 minutes after he'd run onto a fantastic through-ball from Barkley. Two minutes later, substitute midfielder Jack Wilshere saw his free-kick narrowly flicked wide by Galloway, who was just a matter of inches away from his first senior international goal.

 

After a couple more Wilson misses, Catterall took his star performer off and threw the recalled Marcus Rashford on for the final 10 minutes. The Manchester United striker was afforded just one shot at goal - in the 87th minute, when Sunderland's defensive stopper Martin Hinteregger bravely got in the way of a long-range drive.

 

Henderson and Chilwell also missed late opportunities for England, whose evening was to end in disappointment. Austria had put on a masterful defensive display to cling onto a point, which gave them fresh hope of avoiding relegation from Division A.

 

England's own top-tier survival was secure, but as far as 1st place was concerned, the ball was now in Belgium's court. If the world champions could exact revenge on Catterall's side in Brussels on 13 November, they would need only a draw away to Austria four days later to qualify for the Nations League Semi Finals at the Three Lions' expense.

 

13 October 2020: UEFA Nations League Division A Group 2 - at Wembley, London

England - 1 (Callum Wilson 25)

Austria - 1 (Michael Gregoritsch 18)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Freddie Woodman; Nathaniel Clyne, Eric Dier, Brendan Galloway, Ben Chilwell; Jordan Henderson; Dele Alli (Jack Wilshere), Lewis Cook; Ross Barkley; Callum Wilson (Marcus Rashford), Daniel Sturridge (Harry Kane).

 

2020/2021 UEFA Nations League Division A Group 2 (After 4 rounds)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          England                3     2     1     0     3     1     2     7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          Belgium                2     1     0     1     3     2     1     3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Austria                3     0     1     2     2     5     -3    1

 

[CFuller]

***

 

"Welcome back to Sky Sports News. I am Ollie Benjamin, reporting live outside the Old Bailey. If you're just joining us, the big news that has broken within the last hour is that the sports journalist Russell Whiteman has been cleared of two charges of fabricating libellous news stories and one charge of perverting the course of justice.

 

"In case you weren't aware, Russell Whiteman is the chief football writer for The Sun. Last month, he stood accused of falsifying sexual assault claims against his father Sir Anthony Whiteman in 2013, and also of falsely claiming that England manager Mark Catterall had made racist and homophobic comments during an interview last year.

 

"After a criminal trial lasting the best part of five weeks, a 12-strong jury - consisting of seven women and five men - unanimously found Mr Whiteman not guilty of all charges. The defence had successfully argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict Mr Whiteman, who could have potentially faced up to six years' imprisonment."

 

Jenny Catterall was watching Sky Sports News at home on the afternoon of Thursday 15 October when her husband Mark arrived. He had just returned from London following England's UEFA Nations League draw with Austria the previous evening, and he cut an anguished figure as he entered the living room.

 

Jenny turned towards Mark and asked, "You heard the news?"

 

"Yeah," Mark nodded as he unzipped his jacket. "That Whiteman's a jammy b******."

 

"Try not to get yourself down over this, Mark. You did all you could."

 

"Did I?" Mark hissed. He then sat down as the prosecution's chief barrister Amber Price appeared on TV to make a statement to the press.

 

Price began, "As you can probably gather, the outcome of this trial was not what we desired. While we lament that a conniving and unscrupulous individual has been cleared of all charges, we must reluctantly respect the jury's verdict and will not be appealing for a retrial.

 

"On behalf of the prosecution, I would like to personally thank all those individuals who testified against Russell Whiteman, including our star witnesses David Whiteman and Mark Catterall. Although their evidence was ultimately not enough to convince the jury to find Russell Whiteman duty, I am sure that many people will be grateful that they have shone a light on the corruption and selfishness that goes on in Fleet Street on a daily basis."

 

Price was then asked whether she would be pursuing criminal charges against Michael Love - the deputy editor of The Sun, whom Mark and David had claimed had approved publication of the stories in question. She responded, "It would be up to the Crown Prosecution Service as to whether other individuals should be charged with any offences relating to this story. Needless to say, we will support any efforts to bring any criminals currently working within the British media to justice."

 

Jenny asked Mark, "Michael Love? Do you think he's guilty?"

 

Mark nodded and said, "I wouldn't be surprised if he was involved. David's son has been looking into all this and he showed me what he found a few weeks ago. A lot of it points to Michael Love being the mastermind behind all this."

 

"Is he related to Juno Love - the MP who brought in this Fake News bill?"

 

"Yes, she's his daughter. It seems to me that some people in the Labour Party - even within Government - are hijacking parts of the right-wing media and driving a lot of people out. How else would you explain 30 conservative journalists being arrested for spreading 'fake news', but none with socialist or liberal views?"

 

Jenny was taken aback. "But you've always been a socialist, Mark, haven't you? I thought you would've been in favour of this?"

 

"Yes and no, Jen. I've voted Labour at every General Election from 1992. Since Maggie Thatcher stuck two fingers up to the northern working classes, I'd rather see a tribe of chimps run the country than them f***ing Tories... but..."

 

"But what?"

 

Mark sighed, "I just want Britain to be a country where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, whether you're... some toff from Buckinghamshire, or a humble working-class lad from Blackpool. I don't want Britain to be a police state where legitimate free speech is snuffed out just because the Government don't like it.

 

"Communism was still rife in many parts of Eastern Europe when I was growing up. Free speech weren't much of a thing in them countries. I was 17 when democracy started to fight back; the Berlin Wall came down and the Romanians overthrew [Nicolae] Ceaușescu. I don't want to see those dark times return, and definitely not in my own country.

 

"Believe me, I hate The Sun as much as the next man and would love to see them go out of business. But people like Michael Love, using fake news in this way to throw any journos who even slightly disagree with their beliefs under the bus... that's the sort of f***ed-up s*** you'd expect to see in America!"

 

"I see," Jenny nodded.

 

Sky Sports News then cut back to Benjamin, who held a sheet of paper as he reported, "Okay, this has just come in from The Sun within the last few minutes. It's a statement by their editor-in-chief stating that Russell Whiteman has been sacked as their chief football writer."

 

Benjamin read the statement, "We at The Sun respect the outcome of the criminal trial at the Old Bailey concerning Russell Whiteman and are relieved to hear that he has been cleared of all charges. However, several allegations of gross professional misconduct against Mr Whiteman have come to light before and during the trial. It is therefore with some regret that his employment with The Sun has been terminated with immediate effect."

 

Jenny smiled, "Well... I guess that means you won't have to speak to him anymore."

 

"Good," Mark replied, still with some uncertainty. "Yeah, I'm glad. He might not have written all that stuff about me, but he's still a smarmy git who nobody in the press should be touching with a barge-pole."

 

Jenny glanced at her watch and urgently rose from the sofa, saying, "Gosh, is that the time already? I've got to pick Luke up from school!"

 

"Alright, love. You take care."

 

"Will do," Jenny said. The couple then exchanged a quick kiss before Jenny gathered her jacket and headed out. Just before Jenny closed the door behind her, Mark was startled as he received a phone call from his daughter Ashley.

 

"Hi, Ash," Mark answered. "What's up?"

 

"You watching Sky Sports News right now?"

 

"Yeah, I am. That Russell Whiteman b******'s been sacked."

 

"No, Dad! That's not what I'm calling about! D'you not read the news tabs?"

 

Mark glanced at the TV as the screen read: "ASHLEY MINTON NAMED IN ENGLAND WOMEN'S TEAM TO FACE SWEDEN IN MILTON KEYNES NEXT MONTH".

 

"Bloomin' hell," he gasped. "I... I can't believe it, Ash. Congratulations."

 

"Thanks. I think I know what you're gonna say now..."

 

"Like father, like daughter?"

 

"Bingo."

[CFuller]

Chapter 44 - New Kids On The Block

 

On the morning of Thursday 29 October, the Catterall family sat down to eat their breakfast. This would be a busy day for Mark Catterall, as he and his wife Jenny explained to their son Luke.

 

"I won't be home tonight, Luke," Mark said, before tucking into a piece of black toast.

 

"Why not?" Luke asked.

 

"I'm going to watch a match. I'll be home from St George's at 4 for my tea, and then I'm heading all the way down to Milton Keynes."

 

"Milton Keynes? Where's that?"

 

"It's about two hours south-east from here. Like I said, it's a long drive to and from there, so I'm gonna stay the night in a hotel. I swear I'll be back home tomorrow evening."

 

"I wish you'd told me this before," Luke sighed. "We've got Computing at school today, and I was hoping you'd help me with my homework."

 

Jenny said, "Oh no, I don't think that's a good idea, Luke. You can always ask me anything computer-wise, but you don't wanna ask Dad about that stuff! The only RAM he knows about is the mascot for Derby County!"

 

"But you always help me with my homework, Mum. Dad never helps me."

 

Mark apologised, "Sorry, son. I'll make it up to you sometime."

 

"It's okay. So... what's this match about?"

 

"England are playing Sweden."

 

"England?" Luke asked sceptically. "I didn't think England were playing this week?"

 

"No, but the women's team are," Jenny explained. "And I hear someone very special is going to play for them tonight."

 

"What? Wayne Rooney's wife?"

 

Mark laughed, "No, not Coleen Rooney!"

 

"She must be, what... 34 now?" Jenny asked.

 

Mark then asked Luke, "But you know Ashley - your half-sister?"

 

Luke nodded, "Yeah?"

 

"Ashley's had a great start to the new season with Liverpool's women's team - so good, in fact, that she's been named in the England squad. She could make her debut tonight."

 

"Wow! My sister playing for England! That would be SO cool!"

 

Jenny said, "I know, it's exciting, isn't it? And Dad's really proud of his little girl, aren't you, Mark?"

 

"I am indeed. There've been a few fathers and sons who've played football for England, but I think we'd be the first father and daughter to do that."

 

"What about that 'bouncebackability' man, and his little girl?"

 

"Iain and Natasha Dowie, you mean? Yes, Natasha did play for England, but Iain Dowie played for Northern Ireland. And besides, he's her uncle, not her dad."

 

"Wish Ashley luck for me, please, Dad," Luke smiled.

 

"I will do, son."

 

Later that evening, Mark drove down from Staffordshire to Milton Keynes, arriving at stadium:mk at 7:15pm - half an hour before the women's friendly international between England and Sweden would kick off. He met up with Ashley's mother - and his ex-wife - Kat Allen, and her stepdad Craig Minton.

 

"I'm so glad you've come," Kat smiled as she embraced Mark.

 

"It's a big night, ain't it?" Mark replied. "Our little girl could be following in Dad's footsteps!"

 

Kat nodded, "My eyes are welling up just thinking 'bout it. Anyway, Mark... have you met Craig?"

 

"Ah, so this is the Mr Minton I've heard so much about!" Mark said as he turned to Craig and shook his hand. Standing at 6ft 6in tall, personal trainer Craig was an imposing and muscular figure who towered over Mark, was not exactly vertically-challenged himself.

 

"Nice to meet you, Mark," Craig said, in a broad Scouse accent that was arguably even more pronounced than his wife's. "Ash's got your talent, ain't she?"

 

"I think she's got more than that, actually! I didn't play for England 'til I was 23, but Ashley's 19 now, and here she is already!"

 

"She's a great kid, and she's turning into a wonderful young woman as well."

 

"You must've brought her up well, finishing what I helped to start," Mark said. "So, er, who's looking after..."

 

"Nicola? Her Nan's babysitting while we're here in beautiful MK."

 

"I don't think anyone's called Milton Keynes beautiful before."

 

Craig laughed, "I was being sarcastic, mate! And the less said about Franchise FC, the better, as far as I'm concerned!"

 

Mark, Kat and Craig all entered the ground, seating themselves in the east stand. Ashley had been named on the substitutes' bench by England manager Emma Hayes, so it would be a while before those three got to see their daughter in action, if at all.

 

The first half of the match was a thrilling spectacle, as Sweden took the lead after just three minutes, only for England to quickly draw level through Manchester City's Izzy Christiansen. The Lionesses then went ahead on the stroke of half-time, as Danielle Carter of Arsenal found the net with a coolly-taken low drive from the edge of the area.

 

Mark and the Mintons hoped to see Ashley come on for the start of the second period. It wasn't to be, as Ashley remained seated when the match resumed. Sweden started the half on the front foot, twice hitting the woodwork from close range.

 

Then, about an hour into proceedings, Hayes gestured at Ashley to warm up. Noticing this, Kat squealed, "She's about to come on!"

 

"Not long now," Craig said. "Break a leg, kiddo."

 

With 63 minutes on the clock, the big moment arrived. The fourth official raised her substitution board, lighting up in red the number 8 of Jordan Nobbs. Replacing the Arsenal midfielder was the woman whose number 20 was lit up in green. At just 19 years old, and barely two years after making her senior debut for Liverpool, Ashley Minton took to the field as a senior England international for the first time.

 

"COME ON, ASHLEY!" Kat screamed.

 

Mark joined in, "DO US PROUD, ASH!"

 

And do them proud Ashley did. The inexperienced attacking midfielder showed no fear against a formidable Swedish defence, which she breached within just 10 minutes of coming on. She drew a centre-half out of position 25 yards from goal, before threading a through-ball into the penalty area for the fast-paced Christiansen to tap in. England had gone 3-1 up, thanks to a magnificent assist from Minton.

 

"Incredible!" Mark gasped as he applauded with the rest of the crowd. "She didn't learn that off me, that's for sure!"

 

"I might've helped her out a little bit there," Craig blushed. "I used to play semi-pro football when I was younger."

 

"What position?"

 

"Centre-half."

 

"Can't say I'm surprised. I didn't have you down as a left-winger, that's for sure!"

 

"Yeah, I was a ball-playing central defender back in the day. My team-mates always used to call me the Bootle Baresi. Then I did my ACL in when I was 25, and that was that, really."

 

England were now on course for a fantastic victory. However, with 10 minutes remaining, disaster struck. Ashley was dribbling seemingly inexorably towards the Swedish box when she was wiped out by a reckless challenge from Sweden's left-back. She twisted hard on her left ankle and went to ground letting out a piercing scream.

 

"JESUS!" Kat shrieked. "She could be really hurt!"

 

"I think she is, y'know," Mark groaned.

 

The referee had blown her whistle almost immediately, awarding England a free-kick in the 'D' before issuing the Swedish full-back with a straight red card. The Lionesses' medical team rushed onto the field as soon as it became clear that Ashley was in obvious agony. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed as she was carefully lifted onto a stretcher and removed from the field.

 

Kat and Craig joined a standing ovation for their stricken daughter, but Mark simply stood in stunned silence. He then walked away, though not before Kat interrupted him, "Where you going, Mark?"

 

Mark's voice started to crack as he said, "I can't watch any more of this, Kat. Not after what's just happened to Ash. I'm going to the hospital with her."

 

"Are you sure, Mark?" Craig asked.

 

"Yeah, I'm sure. Anyway, it was nice meeting you!"

 

"Yeah, it was..." Craig replied, but Mark had already gone. "...nice to meet you too."

 

Mark abruptly left the ground and waited outside as Ashley was stretchered onto an ambulance. He told one of the paramedics, "I'm coming with her."

 

"Sorry, sir, but we can't let you on," the male paramedic replied. "This woman is badly injured and needs to be taken to hospital as quickly as possible."

 

Mark screamed, "You heartless b******! SHE'S MY F***ING DAUGHTER!"

 

Ashley sobbed, "It's okay, Dad! You don't have to come!"

 

"Please?" Mark asked forlornly, as tears started to stream down his face.

 

"I'll be fine, Dad. I'm a big girl now. I'll see you later, alright?"

 

Mark could only watch on helplessly as the ambulance doors closed and Ashley was driven to hospital. As Kat and Craig came outside, he hugged his ex-wife and sobbed uncontrollably. What should've been one of the proudest nights of Mark Catterall's life had turned into a disaster.

[CFuller]

***

 

After watching his teenage daughter's England debut cut devastatingly short, Mark Catterall spent the night at a hotel in Milton Keynes. On Friday morning, he paid a visit to Milton Keynes University Hospital to see how she was bearing up after her injury.

 

"Hi, I'm here to see Ashley Minton," he said at reception.

 

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait, sir," the female receptionist told him. "We don't allow our patients to have more than two visitors at a time unless they're family."

 

"But I am family! I'm her father!"

 

"Is that true, sir? I believe Miss Minton's parents are visiting her right now."

 

"Look... I'm her biological father. I need to see her."

 

"You'll have to wait here until her parents have left, Mr..."

 

"Catterall. Mark Catterall."

 

A few eyebrows went up nearby upon hearing Catterall's name, but the receptionist insisted, "We don't make exceptions for anyone, Mr Catterall. Not even King Charles."

 

A Liverpudlian man then walked behind Mark and said, "It's okay, Mark. We're just on our way." It was Craig Minton - Ashley's step-dad.

 

Ashley's mother Kat added, "She's all yours now."

 

"How's she holding up?" Mark asked.

 

"As well as you'd expect, really. Anyway, I'm sure she'll tell you all about it."

 

Craig added, "We're going home to Liverpool now to take after Nicola, but we'll come back over the weekend. Ashley's her own woman now; I'm sure she'll be fine."

 

"Well, you take care, you two," Mark said before firmly shaking Craig's hand and hugging Kat. As the couple left, he turned to the receptionist and asked, "So... can I go visit her now?"

 

Mark was led to an Accident & Emergency ward, where Ashley was lying on a bed with her left foot heavily bandaged.

 

Ashley turned towards Mark and said, with a sense of surprise, "Dad? I weren't expecting you to visit me."

 

"Well, after last night, I weren't just gonna leave my little girl on her own in a strange city with a broken ankle," Mark said as he sat on a nearby chair and gently stroked his daughter's forehead.

 

"It ain't a broken ankle, Dad," Ashley stressed, before her voice started to crack. "It's worse. I've... I've torn me Achilles."

 

Ashley then took a deep breath to try and recompose herself. Mark gasped, "A torn Achilles? Good grief, Ashley. I'm so sorry."

 

With more strain in her voice, Ashley explained, "The doctors have put me in for surgery this afternoon. If that goes well, I'm looking at four, five months rehab. So, yeah... looks like I'm done for the season."

 

"So does that mean you're gonna miss the Euros as well?"

 

Ashley burst out sobbing after her dad's question. She wept, "It was my dream... to play at a big tournament for England, IN England. That won't happen now!"

 

"Ashley, Ashley," Mark sighed. "You're only 19. There could be other opportunities. And anyway, when does this European Championship start?"

 

"July. But Emma [Hayes] ain't gonna pick me if I ain't played in months."

 

Mark shook his head. "You never know. From what I heard, she was really impressed by what she saw before the injury."

 

"I suppose there's still a chance. Craig's a fitness trainer; I could get him to work with me and get me fit again sooner."

 

"Don't be so hasty, love. When I did my cruciate at Derby County, before you were born, my manager Jim Smith told me not to rush into my recovery. He said that it would possibly make the injury worse in the long run. Serious injuries like these need a lot of time to properly heel."

 

"What was it like when you had your injury, Dad?"

 

Mark explained, "It was in a training match, on the day before we played Aston Villa at home. I got a bit too caught up in the moment, lunging in recklessly on Francesco Baiano - the little Italian striker. I felt a loud pop in my knee and collapsed in a heap. It was the worst physical pain I've ever had, no question. Mentally, only the deaths of my parents felt worse.

 

"Within a few hours, my knee had swollen to almost the size of a football, and the medical staff had written me off for the year. When I came back eight months later, Seth Johnson had taken my place in the team. I ended up getting a transfer to Sunderland, where you were born."

 

Ashley's eyes then perked up suddenly as a young brown-haired man holding a grey teddy bear came over to her bed. He said in a gentle Lincolnshire accent, "How are you, Ash? I thought I'd, er... get you something to keep you company."

 

"You shouldn't have, Loz," Ashley gushed as she accepted the teddy and clutched it close to her. "And you shouldn't even be here!"

 

Mark glanced at the man with some curiosity. He quickly realised that 'Loz' was the England Under-21s striker Lawrence Warner, who was on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion from parent club Liverpool.

 

"Loz?" Mark asked. "What are you doing here?"

 

"[Brighton manager] Alex Neil gave me the day off," Loz said. "Told him it was a family emergency. I know we've got a big game at Chelsea on Sunday, but..."

 

Mark interrupted, "No, I mean WHAT are you doing here?"

 

Ashley said, "Oh... I never told you, did I? Me and Loz... we're together."

 

"Together? You mean... boyfriend and girlfriend together?

 

Ashley nodded her head as Loz said, "We've been dating for a couple of years now. We just kept it a secret in case it made you want to drop me from the Under-21s."

 

An increasingly bemused Mark raised his voice, "Why would you think I'd do THAT? I wouldn't treat you any differently from anyone else! That being said, I would have appreciated it if I'd known sooner!"

 

"We were gonna tell you at some point when we were ready to!"

 

"When was that gonna be, exactly? When you were about to take the penalty that would win England the World Cup, you were gonna turn to me and say, 'Oh yeah, boss, I'm screwing your daughter?' Was that what you had in mind?"

 

Ashley blushed, "Don't talk about me like that, please, Dad?"

 

Loz sought to defuse the situation, saying, "Just calm down, boss, yeah? At the end of the day, me and Ash are in love. I knew from the start that you were her dad, and I was... I was scared of what you would think."

 

Mark sighed, "I'm a liberal man, Loz. My children can love whoever they want, no matter if they're a bank robber or a mass murderer... or even a Tory, for that matter. All I ask of you is to do right by my Ashley. Always show her as much respect as you want others to show you. Can you do that?"

 

"Of course, I can."

 

"Good. Don't let me down," Mark replied sternly. He then asked, "So, how are you two keeping this relationship going, being on other sides of the country?"

 

"We get together on weekends, which is easier if we're playing near each other," Loz said. "It's also easier to see each other when I come round to St George's for England training."

 

"I see," Mark nodded. "Right, I think I'm gonna shoot off back home now and leave you two lovebirds to it, if that's alright with you?"

 

Ashley smiled, "That's fine, Dad. Thanks for being there for me."

 

"See you soon, love," Mark said before gently kissing his daughter on the forehead. He then shook Loz's hand, telling him, "And I'll see you in a few weeks, Loz. Keep yourself sharp, 'cos we'll need you at your best against the Czechs."

 

"Of course, boss."

 

Mark then whispered in Loz's right ear, "And if I hear you've laid even a finger on my daughter... heaven forgive me for what I do to you next."

 

Loz's face turned white with fear as Mark left the room. Meanwhile, Ashley stared at the teddy bear and told her boyfriend, "One of my team-mates has a teddy just like this one. Funny coincidence, ain't it?"

[CFuller]

***

 

Wednesday 4 November. A typical cold and wet midweek morning in Stoke-on-Trent.

 

Premier League mid-tablers Stoke City had just spent the morning working hard on the training ground, in preparation for a weekend home game against 3rd-placed Manchester City. After training, manager Ryan Giggs called his players over to deliver their feedback.

 

"That was great stuff, lads," the Welshman began. "You're looking sharp and focussed for Saturday. We may not have won in three matches, but if you carry that focus into the Man City game, anything could happen. Let's call it a day there and hit the showers."

 

Giggs then turned to Peter Turner - the teenage right-back who'd enjoyed a strong start to the season while on loan from his boyhood club Chelsea. He smiled, "Great work again, Peter. You've really impressed me... and I'm not the only one."

 

Giggs' assistant Roy Keane told Turner, "There's someone who wants to speak to you in the players' lounge."

 

Turner asked, in a soft west London accent, "For real? Who is it?"

 

"That would be telling," Keane smirked. He then called goalkeeper Jack Butland over, "Jack! Can you take Turner here to the players' lounge once you've changed?"

 

"Sure thing, Roy," Butland nodded.

 

"Alright, lads, off you pop," Giggs smiled, before cryptically adding, "And congratulations."

 

Half an hour later, Turner and Butland - now showered and changed - entered the players' lounge. Upon seeing the sight of a bald, bespectacled middle-aged man on one of the settees, Turner whispered to Butland, "That can't be... can it?"

 

"That's the big man, all right," Butland nodded.

 

"Afternoon, gentlemen," England manager Mark Catterall called out in his broad Lancastrian accent. "Take a seat with us! Don't be shy!"

 

The players shook Catterall's hand before sitting down either side of him - Turner to the manager's right, and Butland to his left. Catterall then put his arms around the pair and said, "It's not going badly for you two, is it? 10 games, 10 goals conceded, 10th place... only two defeats!"

 

Butland said, "Yeah, we've been mid-table for a few seasons now, and it's looking that we're going that way again. I'm not complaining, mind."

 

"I'm having a great time here, Mr Catterall," Turner smiled. "Jack and all the other lads have really helped me settle quickly. It's been a massive learning curve."

 

Catterall nodded, "So it has, son. You were sent off on the first day of the season, weren't you?"

 

Turner shuddered a little as he recalled Stoke's opening Premier League match at Leicester City. He was 73 minutes into his top-flight matches when he took leave of his senses and hacked Foxes forward Patrick Roberts to the turf with a two-footed challenge. Stoke still went on to win the match 3-0 without Turner, but the teenager wasn't let off the hook.

 

"Roy gave you a right good bollocking after that, didn't he?" Butland recalled. "So did some of us senior players. But you learned a lot that day, didn't you?"

 

Turner agreed, "Yeah. I don't want to do anything stupid like that again. Got me banned for three games, it did."

 

Catterall asked, "So you've had eight games since then, and you've started... seven of them, I think?" As Turner nodded affirmatively, the England boss continued, "And I don't seem to recall you making too many mistakes. You've matured really quickly, if I may say so myself. David Byrne from the Under-21s says the same as well."

 

Turner, who'd won three caps for the Under-21s, said, "Cheers. I always want to impress my coaches, and I'm gonna give my all in the play-offs next week."

 

Catterall sighed, "Well... here's the thing, lad. You won't be in the Under-21s squad next week." Turner felt his heart sank, only to hear Catterall add, "You'll be with the seniors instead."

 

Butland beamed, "Oh my God, mate! Congratulations!"

 

Turner asked unbelievingly, "The seniors? For real? But... I'm only 19!"

 

Catterall said, "Luke Shaw was 18 when he made his England debut. If you're good enough, you're old enough."

 

"I... I don't know what to say, except... why now?"

 

Catterall explained, "To be honest, son, there aren't many English right-backs playing regularly in the Premier League. There's you, and Calum Chambers at Everton, and then we're really scraping the barrel. [Nathaniel] Clyne's not played for Liverpool for weeks, and [Kyle] Walker's basically finished at Spurs. Their best days are behind them, but yours are way ahead of you.

 

"When it comes to the Under-21s, you've got Trent [Alexander-Arnold] who's above you, and they're gonna need Trent's experience against the Czechs. That's why I'm promoting you; you'll learn a lot more sitting on the bench with the senior players than you would sitting on the bench with the other kids. Who knows, if you work hard enough, maybe I'll give you a few minutes against the Ivory Coast."

 

Turner gasped, "Wow. Thanks, Mr Catterall. Thanks for this opportunity."

 

Catterall firmly grasped Turner's hand again and nodded, "You're welcome, son, but please... call me boss." He then turned to his left and asked Butland, "And now we come to you, Jack. How are you feeling right now?"

 

Butland said, "I feel like I'm getting better and better as a goalkeeper every season, boss. I'm 27 now, and I'm starting to come into my prime."

 

"You've kept at least 10 Premier League clean sheets in your last three seasons. You're on four already for this campaign. Only [David] De Gea at Manchester United and [Shinobu] Kodama at Arsenal have got more, so you're in good company."

 

"In all fairness, boss, clean sheets don't mean everything. The whole defence do their bit; they really help me out."

 

"A strong defence is nothing without an excellent goalkeeper, and that's what you are. You're agile, you're confident in the air, and you have a fantastic attitude. You are living proof that you don't have to play for a so-called big club to be considered one of Europe's best."

 

Catterall then added, "And that's why - as things stand right now - you are gonna be my number 1 goalkeeper for the World Cup qualifiers."

 

"Thank you, boss," Butland said. "I can't say it's gonna be easy taking over from Joe [Hart], but I'll do my very best. What about the other two lads - Freddie [Woodman] and Jordan [Pickford]?"

 

"Freddie's a brilliant young talent, but he's not as consistent as you are right now. As for Jordan... again, he's not bad, but he hasn't got that proven quality in big matches with Sunderland. We'll see where they are in a few years. Right now, I have complete faith in you."

 

"Cheers. I won't let you down."

 

Turner then told Catterall, "And neither will I... boss."

 

The following day, Catterall announced the senior England squad for their final UEFA Nations League group match in Belgium, along with the home friendly against the Ivory Coast. Also of interest to many was the Under-21s squad for their two-legged European Championship play-off with the Czech Republic.

 

ENGLAND squad - for matches vs Belgium (A) and Ivory Coast (H)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Jack Butland              GK                  10/03/1993 (27)  Stoke           13    0     6'5"   14st 13lbs £19.75M 
Jordan Pickford           GK                  07/03/1994 (26)  Sunderland      0     0     6'2"   12st 1lb   £7.25M  
Freddie Woodman           GK                  04/03/1997 (23)  Everton         4     0     6'1"   11st 2lbs  £4.9M   
Calum Chambers            D (RC)              20/01/1995 (25)  Everton         21    0     6'0"   11st 6lbs  £16.25M 
Mason Holgate             D (RC)              22/10/1996 (24)  Everton         4     0     5'11"  11st 13lbs £22.5M  
Michael Keane             D (RC)              11/01/1993 (27)  Man City        35    0     6'1"   13st 3lbs  £31M    
John Stones               D (RC)              28/05/1994 (26)  Man City        49    1     6'2"   12st 3lbs  £35M    
Peter Turner              D (RC), WB/M (R)    09/03/2001 (19)  Stoke           0     0     5'11"  11st 11lbs £2M     
Eric Dier                 D (RC), DM, M (C)   15/01/1994 (26)  Tottenham       58    6     6'2"   13st 7lbs  £37.5M  
Ben Chilwell              D (LC), WB (L)      21/12/1996 (23)  Liverpool       1     0     5'10"  12st 3lbs  £24M    
Brendan Galloway          D (LC), DM          17/03/1996 (24)  Man Utd         5     0     6'2"   14st 0lbs  £26M    
Luke Shaw                 D/WB (L)            12/07/1995 (25)  Man Utd         43    2     6'1"   11st 11lbs £37M    
Lewis Cook                DM, M (C)           03/02/1997 (23)  Bournemouth     3     1     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £10.75M 
Jordan Henderson          DM, M (C)           17/06/1990 (30)  Liverpool       77    4     6'0"   10st 7lbs  £15.25M 
Rolando Aarons            M/AM (RL)           16/11/1995 (24)  West Ham        24    8     5'9"   10st 5lbs  £15.5M  
Nathan Redmond            M/AM (RL), ST (C)   06/03/1994 (26)  Southampton     18    4     5'8"   11st 6lbs  £17.75M 
Dele Alli                 M/AM (C)            11/04/1996 (24)  Tottenham       61    6     6'1"   12st 1lb   £34.5M  
Ross Barkley              M/AM (C)            05/12/1993 (26)  Everton         39    4     6'2"   11st 13lbs £30.5M  
Jack Wilshere             M/AM (C)            01/01/1992 (28)  Arsenal         72    11    5'9"   10st 3lbs  £20M    
Marcus Rashford           AM (L), ST (C)      31/10/1997 (23)  Man Utd         14    5     5'11"  11st 9lbs  £29.5M  
Daniel Sturridge          AM (C), ST (C)      01/09/1989 (31)  Valencia        52    27    6'0"   12st 6lbs  £7M     
Harry Kane                ST (C)              28/07/1993 (27)  Tottenham       60    29    6'3"   13st 0lbs  £34.5M  
Callum Wilson             ST (C)              27/02/1992 (28)  Chelsea         39    13    5'11"  10st 7lbs  £27.5M  

 

There were four changes to the England side that had completed the last international window. The big news was that - after just three appearances for the Under-21s - Stoke City's on-loan Chelsea right-back Peter Turner had suddenly been promoted to the senior squad.

 

Turner had shown great maturity while at Stoke, cementing his place as a regular starter for Ryan Giggs' side. If the Londoner was to be awarded with a first senior cap, he would be the first player born in the 21st century to represent England at the highest level. He would also be the first teenager to do so since Marcus Rashford in 2016.

 

Another player in line for a maiden cap was Sunderland's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The 26-year-old Wearsider had been England's third-choice gloveman for some time, but it looked like his long wait to pull on his country's jersey would finally end in the home friendly against Ivory Coast.

 

Three players - defenders Michael Keane and Mason Holgate, and winger Rolando Aarons - were recalled after recovering from injuries. Manchester United forward Rashford was also back in the squad by right, as Jesse Lingard was still recovering from the shin injury he'd sustained in that first UEFA Nations League match with Belgium in October.

 

Liverpool right-back Nathaniel Clyne was ruled out of contention a few days before the squad announcement, having damaged his foot in training. Mind you, Clyne would probably have been dropped by Catterall anyway, as he'd not played for the Reds since making a substitute appearance at Sunderland on 3 October.

 

Norwich City's Lewis Dunk and Callum Gribbin were dropped, with the latter returning to the Under-21s for their crucial European Championship play-off. There was also no room for Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, while Tottenham Hotspur trio Danny Rose, Kyle Walker and James Ward-Prowse remained out of favour.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-21s squad - for matches vs Czech Republic (A and H)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Brian Farrell             GK                  14/02/2001 (19)  Bury            1     0     6'2"   12st 6lbs  £150K   
Will Mannion              GK                  05/05/1998 (22)  Huddersfield    12    0     6'2"   13st 5lbs  £6.5M   
Aaron Ramsdale            GK                  14/05/1998 (22)  Luton           0     0     6'4"   10st 7lbs  £110K   
Alistair Rattray          SW, D (C)           17/02/2000 (20)  West Brom       4     0     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £1.4M   
Jordan Williams           D (RLC)             22/10/1999 (21)  Reading         3     0     6'1"   12st 12lbs £4.3M   
Joe Rankin-Costello       D (RC), M/AM (RLC)  26/07/1999 (21)  Burnley         14    1     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £7.25M  
Ben Sheaf                 D (RC), M/AM (C)    05/02/1998 (22)  Sheff Wed       7     1     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £5M     
Adam Mingay               D (C)               19/04/2000 (20)  West Brom       5     0     6'0"   11st 9lbs  £825K   
Reece Oxford              D (C), DM           16/12/1998 (21)  West Ham        14    0     6'3"   11st 11lbs £3.9M   
Trent Alexander-Arnold    D/WB (R), DM        07/10/1998 (22)  Derby           22    1     5'6"   9st 10lbs  £7M     
Josh Tymon                D/M (L)             22/05/1999 (21)  Arsenal         12    0     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £15.25M 
Ryan Sessegnon            D/M/AM (L)          18/05/2000 (20)  Leeds           6     0     5'11"  12st 6lbs  £425K   
Tom Davies                DM, M (C)           30/06/1998 (22)  Watford         28    3     5'10"  11st 0lbs  £7.75M  
Sam Field                 DM, M/AM (C)        08/05/1998 (22)  QPR             14    2     5'10"  12st 1lb   £8.25M  
Jonathan Leko             M (R), AM (RL)      24/04/1999 (21)  Brighton        9     1     6'2"   11st 2lbs  £6.75M  
Reiss Nelson              M (L), AM (RL)      10/12/1999 (20)  Leicester       15    4     5'10"  11st 11lbs £5.25M  
Calum Wilson              M (L), AM (RLC)     07/04/2001 (19)  QPR             1     0     6'0"   12st 3lbs  £525K   
Neil Campbell             M (C), AM (RC)      23/05/2001 (19)  Wolves          7     1     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £2.9M   
Callum Gribbin            M (C), AM (RC)      18/12/1998 (21)  Norwich         6     1     5'11"  11st 13lbs £14M    
Stuart White              M/AM (C)            12/10/2000 (20)  Newcastle       7     1     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £7.75M  
Lawrence Warner           AM (RC), ST (C)     28/12/2000 (19)  Brighton        8     6     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £12.5M  
Eddie Nketiah             ST (C)              30/05/1999 (21)  Cardiff         11    6     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £7M     
Chris Scott               ST (C)              23/01/2001 (19)  Leeds           1     1     5'11"  12st 12lbs £1.4M   

 

Some familiar faces returned to the England Under-21s fold ahead of the all-or-nothing European Championship play-off matches. Most notable among them was Gribbin, who rejoined David Byrne's Young Lions with two senior caps to his name. The on-loan Manchester United midfielder had recently come into form for Norwich after a somewhat slow start to his season.

 

Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson also returned just in time. The flamboyant Londoner's second loan spell at Leicester City had been badly disrupted by a groin muscle tear, which he'd sustained in mid-September. Also back in the running was Reading right-back Jordan Williams, who was the beneficiary of fellow Chelsea loanee Turner's unexpected promotion.

 

The two players to be cut from this squad were Championship widemen Jadon Sancho and Chris Willock, both of whom had been edged out by Gribbin and Nelson.

 

These Young Lions weren't just battling to secure qualification for the 2021 European Under-21s Championship in Italy. Some top-flight players had the chance to put themselves in contention to follow Gribbin and Turner into the main squad for March's opening FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

 

Catterall had already earmarked Brighton & Hove Albion winger Jonathan Leko as a potential senior player in the near future. The West Midlander had shown great improvement in recent months, even though Brighton were bottom of the Premier League. Leko's team-mate Lawrence Warner and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Neil Campbell were also being talked about in terms of being fast-tracked.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-19s squad - for matches vs France (A) and Kosovo (H)

GOALKEEPERS: Dave Booth (Man Utd), Jackson Stevens (Chelsea), Josh Vokes (Tottenham)

DEFENDERS: James Brown (Liverpool), Ray Butterfield (Oxford), Jordan Laing (Peterborough), Ted Lapslie (Watford), Joe Mooney (Barnsley), Stephen Nugent (Burnley), Tony Vincent (Colchester), Nick Ward (Arsenal)

MIDFIELDERS: Darren Bennett (Carlisle), Paul Hancock (Hull), Ross Moan (Man Utd), Petros Mavros (Hull), Peter Owen (Rochdale), Christian Smith (Derby), Ashley Wells (Reading)

FORWARDS: Ollie Elmes (Liverpool), Willie Field (Sheff Wed), Andre Forbes (West Ham), Anthony Hayward (Charlton), Henry Torpey (Brentford)

 

The Under-19s had a couple of friendly matches in November, as they would face France in Lyon before hosting minnows Kosovo in Doncaster. If the Young Lions could avoid defeat in both matches, the European champions would complete 2020 with an unbeaten record - a fantastic achievement at any level.

 

Only two players who had competed in the European Championship Qualifying Round the previous month were absent from these friendlies. Arsenal midfielder Tommy Miles was rested after spending four weeks out with a twisted ankle, while Charlton Athletic playmaker Ben Logan was dropped.

 

Arsenal left-back Tony Vincent, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Peter Owen and Brentford centre-forward Henry Torpey were among four newcomers to the squad. The other uncapped player was Manchester United's reserve goalkeeper Dave Booth, whose team-mate Ross Moan was one of a trio of returning Young Lions.

 

18-year-old Willie Field had continued his blistering form for loan club Sheffield Wednesday, scoring 13 goals in just 16 games to send the Owls soaring clear at the top of the Championship. It seemed only a matter of time before the quicksilver Liverpool trainee was propelled into the Under-21s, if not further.

[CFuller]

***

 

Before the various England teams went off for the first of their November internationals, an injury forced Mark Catterall to rejig both the Under-21s and Under-19s squad.

 

Chris Scott was set to enter the UEFA European Under-21s Championship Playoff encounter with Czech Republic in high spirits when the Leeds United striker scored his 13th goal in 17 Championship games against Bristol City. However, a collision with City defender Alfie Mawson saw the on-loan West Ham United teenager break a couple of ribs. That in turn forced him to withdraw from the Under-21s squad.

 

Taking Scott's place on the flight to Czech Republic was another player who'd netted 13 goals in the second tier this season. Sheffield Wednesday's 18-year-old hotshot Willie Field - on loan from Liverpool - was promoted from the Under-19s as reward for his relentless goalscoring in the Championship.

 

Field's promotion left a gap in the England Under-19s squad for the upcoming friendly in France. That place was filled by yet another exciting striker from the Liverpool conveyor belt. Agile frontman Ben Harvey, who'd joined the Reds from hometown club Derby County in July, was being strongly tipped to follow in the footsteps of Field and Lawrence Warner.

 

Harvey's international debut didn't get off to the most auspicious start. Just seconds after kick-off in Décines-Charpieu, the nervous East Midlander tripped up France midfielder Abdou Gado, conceding an early free-kick.

 

Following that early setback, Harvey settled down before roaring into life in the fifth minute. England playmaker Petros Mavros knocked the ball past French defender Philippe Marin to play Harvey clean through on goal, and a simple finish past onrushing goalkeeper Maxime Gomis stunned the home fans.

 

Les Bleus looked for a swift equaliser after six minutes, when Toulouse striker Christian Boukaka saw his close-range free-kick blocked by Mavros. Two minutes later, attacking midfielder Anthony Lelevé - already a veteran of 39 Ligue 1 matches for Guingamp - unleashed a powerful effort that just missed the target.

 

In the 17th minute, Lelevé was slide-tackled on the edge of the England penalty area by Henry Torpey. The Brentford striker's intervention only diverted the ball on to Boukaka, whose first-time strike came within inches of clipping the outside of Josh Vokes' right-hand post.

 

Torpey was not having the best of England debuts, but another of his attacking compatriots threatened to double the away lead on 26 minutes. West Ham United's Andre Forbes - playing on the left wing - exchanged passes with left-back Ted Lapslie before driving a tame shot into Gomis' hands.

 

Some brave defending from England then prevented France from equalising before half-time, with Joe Mooney particularly impressive at centre-half. In the 43rd minute, Mooney's partner Nick Ward clashed heads with French left-winger Ousmane Fall as he cleared a corner from Arnaud Kouame. Fall - a Real Madrid wonderkid who was playing regular Bundesliga football on loan at Wolfsburg - was concussed in the impact and had to come off.

 

The first half hadn't been a classic, but the Young Lions had done an excellent job of limiting their opponents' scoring chances. The second period saw more of the same, though Les Bleus did momentarily look like equalising in the 58th minute. Boukaka played in Kouame, only for the skilful Rennes midfielder to curl a shot wide from the 'D'.

 

Vokes was tested in the 63rd minute, catching a swerving attempt from Gado. That was only Vokes' second save of the match; his first had come in the 42nd minute from Fall, shortly before the concussion that forced one of France's key men out.

 

France keeper Gomis produced a series of fine saves midway through the half. He narrowly tipped wide a 65th-minute strike from Harvey to deny his adversary a brace, while Ollie Elmes - yet another Liverpool forward with a bright future - was thwarted about a minute later. Gomis did make slightly harder work of pushing away a long-range drive from Anthony Hayward in the 70th minute.

 

Gomis would later be replaced between the posts by Christian Arnal - another exciting Frenchman on Real's books. The 17-year-old certainly had plenty of potential, but a nervy cameo suggested that he was still a long way off being the finished product.

 

In the 85th minute, just four minutes after coming on, Gomis was beaten by an England debutant who'd entered the fray at the same time. Tottenham Hotspur's attacking midfielder Peter Owen - on loan with Rochdale in League Two - clinically dispatched a right-wing centre from Hayward to clinch victory for the Young Lions. After more than a decade, it was perhaps refreshing to see an Owen score for England again.

 

Moments after the restart, an excellent long ball from Owen presented Hayward with an opportunity to seal a 3-0 win. The Charlton Athletic striker was clean through, and Arnal was well off his line, so it looked almost a given. Alas, Hayward's shot was just inches off target, clipping the inside of the post before being hacked clear by Les Bleus' left-back Fabio Lambert.

 

Despite that late miss, England's Under-19s had still registered another fantastic result - their ninth consecutive victory, and their 21st match in a row without defeat. If Kosovo could end both those magnificent runs in Doncaster four days later, it would go down as an almighty shock.

 

12 November 2020: Under-19s International - at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu

France U19s - 0

England U19s - 2 (Ben Harvey 5, Peter Owen 85)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Josh Vokes (Dave Booth); James Brown (Jordan Laing), Joe Mooney (Ray Butterfield), Nick Ward (Stephen Nugent), Ted Lapslie (Tony Vincent); Ashley Wells (Christian Smith), Petros Mavros (Darren Bennett); Ross Moan (Anthony Hayward), Ben Harvey (Peter Owen), Andre Forbes (Paul Hancock); Henry Torpey (Ollie Elmes).

[CFuller]

***

 

In June 2019, England and Czech Republic contested the Final of the FIFA U20 World Cup, with the Young Lions eventually prevailing on penalties. Just 17 months later, these countries crossed paths again, in the Playoff round of the UEFA European Under-21s Championship. Only one of them could qualify for the tournament itself.

 

The Czechs had home advantage for the first leg, which they staged at U Nisy - the home ground of top-flight club Slovan Liberec. Their squad had a real mixture of home-based players and those who'd already earned moves abroad. Amongst the latter was Martin Stepanek - an 18-year-old central defender who had been loaned out by Manchester City to Dutch second-tier side NAC Breda.

 

Even though this was a crucial tie for the Czech Under-21s, several key men had been promoted to the senior squad instead. The likes of Stepanek's fellow City defender Ladislav Vaclik, Chelsea striker Lukas Nemec, and Olympiacos left-back Vaclav Dudl would be sorely missed by Under-21s coach Jaromir Blazek.

 

In contrast, England's head coach David Byrne had virtually a full complement to choose from. Striker Chris Scott's withdrawal through injury was only a minor disruption, as Brighton & Hove Albion's Lawrence Warner was always expected to be chosen to lead the attack.

 

Warner had recently formed a terrific partnership with attacking midfielder Stuart White at international level. The Manchester United starlet might have found first-team football hard to come by on loan at Newcastle United, but he almost put England ahead after just two minutes. Unfortunately, his strike from a Reiss Nelson centre was blocked by Petr Stepanek - one of three unrelated defenders named Stepanek in the Czech squad.

 

A couple of minutes later, it was the Czech Republic's turn to have their first attempt on goal. A long-range drive from Sparta Praha star Jan Kucera was well caught by Will Mannion - England's only ever-present in the qualifiers.

 

The home fans were optimistic that the opening goal would go their way, but they would be proven wrong after 13 minutes. England left-back Josh Tymon hoofed a long ball up the flank to White, who claimed it just before it could cross the byline. He then withstood the onrushing Petr Stepanek to whip in a cross that Warner shinned in at the near post. 1-0 to the Young Lions.

 

Czech Republic looked for an equaliser in the 19th minute, with a couple more namesakes heavily involved. After Slavia Praha striker Radek Kucera was tripped by England captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jan Kucera stepped up to flight a free-kick over the bar.

 

Fortunately for the Sky Sports commentators, the Czech Republic goalkeeper did not share a surname with any of his team-mates. Ales Zlamal demonstrated cat-like reflexes in the 25th minute to keep out White's powerful drive from an incisive pass by Warner. A couple of corners then followed in quick succession, but Nelson couldn't make the most of them.

 

Zlamal did face a more threatening corner delivery from Nelson in the 37th minute, punching the Leicester City forward's effort out of his box. Nelson's follow-up cross was then easily dealt with by Stepanek - that's Karel Stepanek, of Viktoria Plzeň. Karel played for the same club as Petr, but they weren't brothers.

 

To add to the confusion, Czech right-back Jan Nemec - who shared no blood with the absent Lukas Nemec - was booked in the 44th minute for tripping England winger Jonathan Leko. There seemed to be a severe shortage of surnames in the Czech Republic.

 

England midfielder Neil Campbell had a severe shortage of self-confidence at half-time, even though his compatriots went into the break 1-0 up. The Wolverhampton Wanderers playmaker was replaced at the interval by Joe Rankin-Costello, who had himself not been in the best of form for Burnley this term.

 

The opening stages of the second half offered little excitement, except when Czech striker Karel Jezdik was flagged offside in the 57th minute. After that decision, Blazek opted to take Jan Kucera off and bring on Martin Stepanek from the bench. That meant the hosts would have a trio of Stepaneks on the field for the best part of the remaining half-hour.

 

Though Jan's race was run, Radek Kucera carried on for a little longer. On 63 minutes, he took a through-ball from Martin Stepanek into the England penalty area before pulling a shot into Mannion's hands.

 

Radek was then replaced with Radim Jelinek - a Sparta Praha striker who'd scored five goals in 12 games while on loan at Slovan Liberec. Jelinek could have brought his home supporters off their seats when he tried to drive the ball home from 30 yards in the 69th minute. Mannion was not too worried about that effort, though he did have to parry a more hopeful strike from Lubos Dolezak eight minutes later.

 

After a couple more wayward strikes, Jelinek started to find his range on 84 minutes. Jezdik's searching pass into the England box was met with a sweet left-footed volley, which forced Mannion into his most difficult save of the evening.

 

The Young Lions had held onto a narrow lead, but they would compound their hosts' misery by scoring again in injury time. Substitute Calum Wilson flicked Nelson's in-swinging corner across the Czech penalty area for West Ham United defender Reece Oxford, who volleyed in what was remarkably the first competitive goal of his career!

 

England were now in a fantastic position to qualify for the European Under-21s Championship. Winning the away leg by two goals meant that the tie would be theirs to lose at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium three days later. It was surely too much to expect of the Czech Republic to come back now... surely?

 

13 November 2020: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Playoff Leg 1 - at U Nisy, Liberec

Czech Republic U21s - 0

England U21s - 2 (Lawrence Warner 13, Reece Oxford 90+3)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Will Mannion; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece Oxford, Alistair Rattray, Josh Tymon (Ryan Sessegnon); Tom Davies, Neil Campbell (Joe Rankin-Costello); Reiss Nelson, Stuart White, Jonathan Leko (Calum Wilson); Lawrence Warner.

[CFuller]

***

 

England were so close to qualifying for the UEFA Nations League Semi Finals that they could almost taste it. All Mark Catterall's team needed was a draw at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels against Belgium, and they would qualify as winners of Division A Group 2. Simple, right?

 

In truth, it was anything but simple. Were Belgium to make the most of home advantage and avenge the 1-0 defeat inflicted upon them at Wembley a month earlier, the Red Devils' fate would be in their own hands. If Belgium did win, they would pip England to top spot with a repeat performance in Austria four days later. Indeed, a draw would potentially be enough if they won comfortably here.

 

Then, of course, Belgium had the obvious advantage of being the reigning world champions. Their front four were all high on confidence, with attacking midfield megastars Yannick Carrasco, Kevin De Bruyne and captain Eden Hazard sitting just behind Chelsea's rising star Hicham Bennouna. This explosive 19-year-old of Moroccan descent had scored three goals in his first five senior internationals, including twice in the Red Devils' recent 4-1 win at home to Russia.

 

Speaking of 19-year-old Chelsea prospects, England had one of their own in right-back Peter Turner. However, the Stoke City loanee would surely have to wait for his senior international bow, as Catterall fielded arguably his strongest starting XI against the Belgians.

 

Manchester City's ball-playing defender John Stones was awarded his 50th cap, with club-mate Michael Keane playing alongside him on England duty for the first time since the UEFA Euro 2020 Final. Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland sought a third consecutive Nations League clean sheet to cement his status as England's new number 1.

 

As per usual, Harry Kane was leading the England frontline. In the second minute, he was tripped by former Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Jan Vertonghen just as he was about to latch onto colleague Dele Alli's direct ball towards the Belgian area. Vertonghen - now aged 33 and playing for Braga in the Primeira Liga - was issued with a yellow card by Norwegian referee Svein Oddvar Moen.

 

Yet another member of England's Spurs contingent took the resulting free-kick, but Eric Dier put it well over the bar. An earlier free-kick by Dier had gone much the same way. He did have another early set-piece chance in the sixth minute, but that attempt was blocked by Hazard in the Belgian wall.

 

England's first genuine scoring chance came a few moments later. Alli volleyed the ball first-time ahead of inside-forward Nathan Redmond, who surged past Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier and tried to beat Thibaut Courtois from a tight angle. Unsurprisingly, it was the Chelsea goalkeeper who prevailed, pushing Redmond's strike behind.

 

The visitors then came under some attacking pressure from the Red Devils. Paris Saint-Germain ace Hazard - winning his 123rd international cap at the ludicrously young age of 29 - was proving to be a particularly potent threat to Catterall's defence.

 

When Meunier cleared a Jordan Henderson free-kick out of the Belgium area after 21 minutes, the Red Devils put together a quick counter-attacking move. Hazard exchanged crossfield balls with Manchester City's Carrasco before firing a half-volley over the bar, much to Butland's relief.

 

Four minutes later, England went back on the offensive. Kane's excellent strike from a right-wing cross by full-back Calum Chambers was somehow kept out by Courtois' lightning-quick reactions. Henderson's corner was cleared by Dennis Praet, but the Three Lions quickly whipped in another cross, which Kane flicked well off target.

 

At the other end in the 34th minute, Butland needed to catch a close-range strike from Napoli midfielder Praet. Referee Moen then issued a couple more yellow cards over the next two minutes. Belgium's destroyer Radja Nainggolan was cautioned for upending Kane, while England left-back Luke Shaw also ended up in the ref's book after bringing Bennouna down.

 

Then, after 37 minutes, the deadlock was broken by a fantastic corner routine from Belgium. AFC Bournemouth left-back Jordan Lukaku flicked De Bruyne's corner on to Praet, whose half-volley proved irresistible as far as Butland was concerned.

 

England were now fully aware of Praet's threat. Centre-back Keane closed the 26-year-old down on the edge of the penalty area in the 39th minute and hoofed it up to Kane in the centre circle. Kane then played a through-ball ahead of Rolando Aarons, who would have marked his 25th England cap with a ninth goal had it not been for Courtois' fingertips.

 

Incidentally, Praet's goal was his fourth for Belgium. One of his compatriots also reached that mark in the 43rd minute, when Bennouna got behind Keane and Shaw to bury a brilliant drilled cross from Hazard. The Red Devils would carry a comfortable 2-0 lead into the break.

 

Of course, Catterall had overseen a comeback from 2-0 down against Belgium once before, even if England's valiant display in the 2018 World Cup Semi Final was ultimately for nought. The Three Lions manager sought to inspire another turnaround here with a change of strategy. Widemen Redmond and Aarons were ditched, with attacking midfielder Ross Barkley and centre-forward Callum Wilson slotting into a 4-4-2 diamond.

 

It was Wilson who had saved a point for England at home to Austria in their most recent Nations League match. The Chelsea striker horribly wasted his first chance to pull a goal back in Brussels on 52 minutes, shortly after captain Henderson had seen his piledriver blocked by Belgium's vice-skipper Toby Alderweireld.

 

The second half had started positively for England, but they could not keep it up. Not for the first time, Belgium were constantly outsmarting them with their quick, skilful football. However, some atypically sloppy passing from De Bruyne and Hazard meant that the Red Devils could not create many chances. It wasn't until manager Mircea Rednic took the underperforming pair off in the 63rd minute that things started to change.

 

One of the Belgian substitutes was Lyon's enigmatic winger Zakaria Bakkali. In the 68th minute, Bakkali breezed past Shaw and squared an excellent ball to Carrasco, who was thwarted by a determined block from Chambers.

 

The two managers then made their final changes, both in midfield. Youri Tielemans took over from Nainggolan in the middle for Belgium, while England playmaker Alli was rested in favour of Jack Wilshere.

 

Wilshere provided a much-needed energy boost for the Three Lions, but it was Kane and Wilson who really stepped up late on. In the 73rd minute, Wilson ran onto a deftly-played pass from his strike partner, only to have his powerful drive pushed behind by Courtois.

 

Two minutes later, the roles were reversed. Wilson dribbled outside to the right and then crossed to Kane, who skipped past Meunier and ruthlessly finished to halve the deficit to 2-1. Kane had now scored 30 international goals for England, becoming the ninth man to reach that landmark.

 

Belgium's late attempts to restore their two-goal cushion were laboured. Henderson blocked a Carrasco free-kick in the 81st minute, while Praet scuffed a half-volley from Bakkali's cross a minute later.

 

On 84 minutes, another Belgian sub - Chelsea midfielder Charly Musonda - curled a free-kick long and low to Bakkali on the edge of the area. Keane closed Bakkali down and pumped the ball ahead of Wilson, who held off the advances of Meunier as he bore down on goal. Alas, Wilson's shot was too close to Courtois.

 

England had a couple more rolls of the dice in stoppage time, only to come up with snake eyes. Chambers showed why he'd never scored for his country with an awful strike from Henderson's square ball in the first minute. A couple of minutes later, Barkley horribly mishit his attempted through-ball to Wilson, instead finding a thankful Courtois. The Three Lions' hopes of salvaging a point died at that very moment.

 

This was an all-too-familiar tale for Catterall. He'd lost a senior international for only the 10th time in 59 games, but this was his fourth defeat in five meetings with Belgium. Every clash between the Three Lions and the Red Devils in the Catterall era had been decided by a single goal.

 

As disappointing as this latest reverse was, Kane's consolation away goal did hold some significance. It ensured that England would have the slightest of edges over Belgium on head-to-head if the two teams finished level on points, which would be the case if the Red Devils only managed a draw in Vienna four days later.

 

To put it another way, England would qualify for the Nations League Semi Finals IF Austria avoided defeat against Belgium on 17 November. The Burschen were now confirmed as being relegated back to Division B, so there would be no pressure on them whatsoever. As far as the Belgians were concerned, it was a very different matter.

 

13 November 2020: UEFA Nations League Division A Group 2 - at Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels

Belgium - 2 (Dennis Praet 37, Hicham Bennouna 43)

England - 1 (Harry Kane 75)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Jack Butland; Calum Chambers, John Stones, Michael Keane, Luke Shaw; Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson; Rolando Aarons (Callum Wilson), Dele Alli (Jack Wilshere), Nathan Redmond (Ross Barkley); Harry Kane. BOOKED: Shaw 36.

[CFuller]

***

 

2020 had been an almost perfect calendar year for England Under-19s. Ledley King's Young Lions had won 13 of their 14 matches; the odd result was a 1-1 draw in the UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group Stage against Germany, whom they would go on to beat in the Final.

 

Every single opponent England had faced this year had been vanquished. That didn't augur well for Kosovo when the Balkan minnows were invited to Doncaster Rovers' Keepmoat Stadium to face the defending European champions.

 

As expected, England attacked from the outset, though they took a little while to get up to speed. Right-winger and captain Ross Moan had a shot blocked by Kosovo's left-back Valmir Veselaj in the third minute. Moments later, it was the turn of Young Lions left-winger Henry Torpey to have a go, though he could only flick full-back Jordan Laing's floating delivery wide.

 

Torpey would come good with his next attempt at goal in the eighth minute. The Brentford forward got behind Kosovan right-back Amir Krasniqi to latch onto a through-ball from Christian Smith and drill it into the far corner of the net.

 

England never looked back after Torpey's opener, which they built upon just two minutes later. Joe Mooney flicked Laing's corner across the goalmouth to his fellow centre-half Nick Ward, who flicked a header against the crossbar. The rebound fell perfectly for Liverpool's Ben Harvey, who followed up his debut goal against France earlier in the month by scoring again.

 

Harvey remained a thorn in the Dardanët's side throughout. Visiting goalkeeper Eduard Abazi had to catch a 14th-minute effort from Harvey, whose next effort a couple of minutes later was blocked by midfielder Visar Tahiri.

 

Kosovo's resistance didn't last much longer. In the 19th minute, Torpey knocked Smith's deep cross on to Andre Forbes, and the West Ham United striker unleashed an unstoppable strike for 3-0. This match was going exactly how many had expected it to.

 

Though Kosovo did stem the bleeding for a while, they were powerless to stop Harvey from sending them 4-0 behind after 31 minutes. Forbes rose bravely above away defender Kosovar Bogujevci to knock Ashley Wells' direct ball down to Harvey, who secured his brace with a sweet right-footed half-volley. That would go down as arguably the best goal England scored all game.

 

4-0 was how the scoreline remained at half-time, though the Young Lions did try to prolong the Kosovan agony on 33 minutes. Torpey hung an excellent cross up to Moan, but the Manchester United winger's header bounced harmlessly off target.

 

Harvey was denied a chance to pursue a hat-trick in the second half, as he was one of five players taken off by King at the interval. His replacement Peter Owen could have found the net just three minutes after the restart, but Abazi produced a strong catch. It would also be Abazi's last before he was taken off in favour of Shpetim Drenica.

 

Dave Booth only had one save to make between the England posts all night. That came in the 53rd minute, when the Yorkshire-born Manchester United goalkeeper caught a long-range strike from Kosovo striker Albion Memaj.

 

The Dardanët had further chances to restore some respectability to the scoreline after the hour mark. Florent Sefaj headed Lazio winger Andi Denajev's corner over the top of the crossbar in the 62nd minute. Memaj went even closer two minutes, firing a free-kick against the bar before England defender Ray Butterfield cleared it into touch.

 

England had coasted through the early stages of the second half, but they showed rather more aggression later on. That much was clear when Laing tripped Sefaj in the 67th minute, picking up a yellow card. Hull City playmaker Petros Mavros then had a couple of chances to make it 5-0 to the Young Lions a couple of minutes later, though one shot missed the target and the other was saved by Drenica.

 

Owen was also kept off the scoresheet in the 76th minute, with the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder's strike deflecting off Muhamet Alushi before Drenica claimed it. Another couple of minutes passed by before Stephen Nugent - England's captain for the latter stages - struck the woodwork from a free-kick.

 

Being in Doncaster, it seemed apt that a Yorkshireman should complete the scoring for the Young Lions. Hull left-winger Paul Hancock had the honour of doing so in the 86th minute, and he was feeling more than just 'good' after dispatching a cross by Liverpool right-back James Brown.

 

Mind you, Anthony Hayward did have time to try and steal Hancock's thunder. Charlton Athletic's on-loan Arsenal striker narrowly missed out on making it 6-0 in the 88th minute, when he lashed an incisive Owen pass inches over. Even so, 5-0 was still yet another strong result for England Under-19s, who completed the entire year without losing.

 

16 November 2020: Under-19s International - at Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster

England U19s - 5 (Henry Torpey 8, Ben Harvey 10,31, Andre Forbes 19, Paul Hancock 86)

Kosovo U19s - 0

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Dave Booth (Jackson Stevens); Jordan Laing (James Brown), Nick Ward (Ray Butterfield), Joe Mooney (Stephen Nugent), Ted Lapslie (Tony Vincent); Christian Smith (Petros Mavros), Ashley Wells (Darren Bennett); Ross Moan (Ollie Elmes), Ben Harvey (Peter Owen), Henry Torpey (Paul Hancock); Andre Forbes (Anthony Hayward). BOOKED: Laing 67.

[CFuller]

***

 

While England's Under-19s were nonchalantly sweeping Kosovo aside, the Under-21s were involved in another game across the Pennines. This one was unquestionably of much greater importance.

 

Manager Mark Catterall arrived at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, hopeful of seeing his rising stars secure their place at the UEFA European Under-21s Championship. They were 2-0 up on the Czech Republic after the away leg of their Playoff match, and surely only a disastrous home performance would prevent the holders from defending their title in Italy in June.

 

Catterall and head coach David Byrne experimented with their starting line-up for this second leg. Alistair Rattray was handed the captain's armband for the first time as he linked up with West Bromwich Albion team-mate Adam Mingay in the centre of the defence.

 

There was also an Under-21s debut for 18-year-old Liverpool striker Willie Field, whose recent form for loan club Sheffield Wednesday had seen him promoted from the Under-19s. Willie's rather more experienced namesake Sam Field was recalled to the starting XI as the anchor in England's midfield.

 

It was the younger Field who began England's attempts to increase their aggregate advantage in the seventh minute. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep his headed connection to Callum Gribbin's left-wing cross from floating harmlessly over the crossbar.

 

The Young Lions had begun brightly, and a couple of Arsenal prospects would combine to open the scoring after 11 minutes. Left-back Josh Tymon whipped a fantastic cross to Burnley loanee Joe Rankin-Costello, who stabbed in just his second international goal at this level.

 

Tymon swung in another killer delivery barely a minute later, this time to Willie Field. Though Czech goalkeeper Ales Zlamal parried Field's header against his right-hand post, the Lancastrian pounced on the rebound. He could not have got his Under-21s debut off to a much better start.

 

As Field took the plaudits, his fellow Liverpool hotshot Lawrence Warner sought to let everybody know that he was still around. After 15 minutes, a fantastic exchange of passes with right-back Jordan Williams resulted in Warner powering a header towards goal. Zlamal could only palm it into his own net, and England celebrated taking a 3-0 lead.

 

The Czech Republic's qualification dream was already dying a death, and things would get worse for the visitors on 18 minutes. Willie Field scampered after a long ball down the line from Tymon and then cut inside as he entered the penalty area. Just as he was about to drive a shot past Zlamal from a tight angle, he was upended by Czech defender Petr Stepanek, leaving the referee no option but to point to the spot.

 

Willie had won a penalty, and captain Rattray tasked him with taking it as well. The youngest player in the England squad was cool as anything when he stepped up and drove the spot-kick into Zlamal's top-right corner. In the space of just seven minutes, the Young Lions had built up a 4-0 lead and gone SIX goals clear on aggregate. There was surely no way they could possibly be deprived of qualification now.

 

England's defence must have thought the job was already done, as they dozed off momentarily just after that fourth goal. Czech midfielder Lubos Dolezal intercepted a slack pass from English counterpart Neil Campbell and lifted it forward for Radek Kucera to run onto. It looked like the visiting striker would claw back a consolation goal, but Young Lions goalkeeper Will Mannion tipped his effort behind.

 

Martin Stepanek's corner was a dreadful one, and England quickly countered. Willie Field exchanged a series of passes with Rankin-Costello as he pressed forward and chased a hat-trick. Zlamal's fingertip save made sure that he would have to wait for a little while longer.

 

Rankin-Costello and Gribbin eached wasted opportunities to continue the goal glut before the hour mark. The Czechs then had another chance in the 35th minute, but Kucera could only head Martin Stepanek's free-kick safely into Mannion's hands.

 

A nightmare first half for the visitors continued after 39 minutes, when left-back Petr Turek was accused of upending Warner in the penalty area. Willie Field stepped forward to take his second spot-kick of the evening, which had the same outcome as the first. A calm finish to Zlamal's right secured Field his hat-trick, and England an astonishing 5-0 advantage.

 

Sam Field then did his bit for the Young Lions in the 43rd minute, using his head to intercept a cross from Kucera. The Queens Park Rangers midfielder nodded it forward to Gribbin, who quickly set up a second goal of the night for Warner. 'Loz' had now scored nine goals in 10 caps for England Under-19s, with eight of those strikes coming in his last five appearances.

 

As a result, England went into the interval with an insurmountable 6-0 lead in the match, which increased to 8-0 on aggregate. Naturally, that killed off any realistic prospect of the second half being a spectacle rather than a 45-minute procession.

 

The Young Lions completely relaxed after the restart, making no effort to pile on any further humiliation for their demoralised opponents. To their credit, the Czech Republic did attempt to make something of an otherwise pointless second half, for a while at least.

 

Captain Jan Havelka had a couple of long-distance drives towards goal in the 51st and 59th minutes. The Slavia Praha midfielder's initial effort was nowhere near the target, though his next one did cajole Mannion into doing something that resembled hard work.

 

Mannion did have to make one further save, in the 67th minute. The Hull City keeper got across his goal to divert behind a low punt from Karel Jezdik and concede a corner. As it transpired, Martin Stepanek's delivery was no match for a straightforward interception from England midfielder Ben Sheaf.

 

A minute before then, though, Sam Field had picked up a potentially costly yellow card for tripping Czech striker Radim Jelinek. That was the Black Country boy's second booking of the qualifiers, which meant he would be suspended from England's first group game at the competition itself.

 

The referee brought out his yellow card again in the 85th minute to book Czech Republic midfielder Petr Vitek for a trip on England's substitute striker Eddie Nketiah. By then, though, arguably everyone at the Etihad was awaiting the final whistle.

 

When the referee did call time, England's players wildly celebrated securing their qualification for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21s Championship. They might not have done it as dramatically as in 2017, and they might not have won their preliminary group like in 2019, but this was still another great moment for the Young Lions to savour.

 

16 November 2020: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Playoff Leg 2 - at Etihad Stadium, Manchester

England U21s - 6 (Joe Rankin-Costello 11, Willie Field 12,pen18,pen40, Lawrence Warner 15,43)

Czech Republic U21s - 0

[England U21s win 8-0 on aggregate]

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Will Mannion; Jordan Williams, Alistair Rattray, Adam Mingay, Josh Tymon; Sam Field; Joe Rankin-Costello (Ben Sheaf), Neil Campbell; Callum Gribbin (Stuart White); Lawrence Warner (Eddie Nketiah), Willie Field. BOOKED: S Field 66.

[CFuller]

***

 

England's UEFA Nations League fate would be decided on the evening on 17 November. For once, though, the Three Lions had no direct involvement in determining whether they would top Division A Group 2 and progress to the Semi Finals in June.

 

It all came down to one match at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna between Austria - already confirmed as being relegated to Division B - and Belgium. The Belgians had to win if they were to pip England to top spot at the death. The Three Lions were reliant on Austria doing them a huge favour to send them into the Semis.

 

While that was going on, England concerned themselves with a home friendly at home to the Ivory Coast. It was important that Mark Catterall's team concluded an up-and-down 2020 in winning style, as this was the last match they would play before the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers began in the new year.

 

Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had displayed the patience of a Buddhist monk in awaiting his first England cap, having served as understudy to Jack Butland and Freddie Woodman since the conclusion of UEFA Euro 2020. The 26-year-old Wearsider finally got his opportunity here, though he was protected by a similarly inexperienced back four that - John Stones excluded - only had 10 caps between them.

 

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson continued to captain the Three Lions at the base of a midfield diamond. Further upfield, Chelsea's Callum Wilson and Manchester United's Marcus Rashford were hoping to cast their sub-standard club form aside and bag some goals.

 

This was the first time England had ever played against the Ivory Coast at senior level. Ranked 33rd in the world by FIFA, Les Éléphants were finishing their preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations, which they would host between mid-January and early February.

 

The Ivorians had some familiar faces in their starting line-up, particularly in defence and midfield. DefenderEric Bailly and captain Franck Kessié both played semi-regularly for Manchester United, while Joris Gnagnon and Kouassi Eboue were in Stoke City's squad.

 

Former Stoke, Manchester City and Swansea City forward Wilfried Bony - now aged 32 and playing in the United Arab Emirates - was the Ivorians' elder statesmen. Bony's strike partner here was 20-year-old Drissa Traoré - a cool finisher with plenty of dribbling ability and pace. Traoré had signed for Tottenham Hotspur in August, though he was immediately loaned out to Rennes in Ligue 1.

 

Traoré showed what he was capable of as early as the fourth minute. Rashford's cross was cleared out of the Ivorian penalty area by Gnagnon, whose long ball found Traoré in the England half. Traoré then ghosted past defender Brendan Galloway before letting rip a powerful strike that soared over the crossbar.

 

The subsequent goal kick from Pickford was flicked on by Rashford into the path of Wilson. The 28-year-old had scored just one league goal for Chelsea this term, and his lack of sharpness was clear when he took the ball into the box. Wilson's attempt from a tight angle was pushed behind by Mandé Sayouba in the Ivorian goal.

 

Sayouba produced another excellent save in the 13th minute to tip a Rashford header over the bar. However, he would be beaten by the subsequent corner delivery. Galloway knocked Henderson's hanging ball down for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, whose half-volley brought him just his fifth international goal.

 

One Everton player had given England a 1-0 lead, but another would lose it barely a couple of minutes later. Right-back Mason Holgate's attempted pass to Jack Wilshere was cut out by Kessié, who was heavily involved in the subsequent counter-attack. That move ended with defensive midfield playmaker Eboue threading Kessié's pass into the penalty area, where Traoré got behind the defence to equalise.

 

Traoré had an impressive international record for such a young man, and this was his 10th goal in just 13 caps. It was no wonder that many Ivorian football fans were expecting him to rival Didier Drogba as the greatest striker their country had ever produced.

 

Rashford and Barkley each missed opportunities to restore England's advantage in the 19th minute. Wilson was then off target twice midway through the half, and his woes continued when Gnagnon blocked another effort on 28 minutes.

 

The Three Lions were looking the more ambitious side, but they were up against a strong back four that could rival most major international teams. Bailly and Gnagnon in the centre were flanked by Paris Saint-Germain's Serge Aurier on the right, and Benfica's Ghislain Konan on the left. Curiously, Aurier had recently returned to PSG for £25million after a single season at Manchester City.

 

Rashford had England's next shot on target after 37 minutes. The 23-year-old Mancunian's vicious 25-yard drive was tipped over by Sayouba - formerly of Celtic, and now on the books of Danish side Brøndby. Sayouba proved his worth again in the 41st minute to divert away Barkley's drive from Rashford's square pass.

 

Three minutes before half-time, though, it all went horribly wrong for the Ivory Coast. Eboue - another player who previously had ties to Celtic - tried to play a backpass to Sayouba, only to see the ball dramatically slow down on the rain-soaked Wembley surface. That allowed Rashford to rush ahead of Bailly and take the ball before thrashing it home. All of a sudden, England were back ahead.

 

Rashford could've followed his sixth international goal by setting up Wilson for his 14th a couple of minutes later. Wilson was just about onside when he collected the pass in the middle of the box, but his strike wasn't ruthless enough, leaving Sayouba with a straightforward save.

 

England entered the second half with a narrow 2-1 lead, and with a couple of fresh legs on the field. Ball-winning midfielder Eric Dier and inside-forward Rolando Aarons had come on for Henderson and Barkley respectively as Catterall switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

 

Henderson's exit meant that Stones got the opportunity to captain his country for the first time. However, the Manchester City defender looked very suspect shortly after the restart. He pushed up too far as Éléphants midfielder Jean Michaël Séri weighted a pass to Bony, who dribbled into the box and looked set to equalise. That was until Holgate came in with a vital tackle, which helped deflect Bony's shot safely towards Pickford.

 

The second half was still in its early stages when Ivory Coast manager François Zahoui made four changes in one fell swoop. Among those who came on was Young Boys' 30-year-old left-back Adama Traoré. It was worth noting that this was not the same guy who played in midfield for West Ham United or at right-wing for Real Betis. Incidentally, both those Adama Traorés played for Mali at international level.

 

The Ivorian Adama Traoré gave England a real problem in the 59th minute with a dangerous cross into their area. Galloway's awkward clearance only went as far as Eboue on the edge of the box. Eboue leapt up to unleash a header that bounced past Galloway, Stones and Ben Chilwell before trickling beyond a despairing Pickford's reach.

 

Catterall recoiled in horror as some abysmal defending cost his team the lead once again. He immediately brought on a couple more substitutes in response. Pickford's England debut ended after an hour, with Freddie Woodman going in goal for the final 30 minutes. Woodman's colleague Calum Chambers also came on to replace Stones, who handed the captain's armband to Dier.

 

England showed more attacking intent after Eboue's leveller, but the quality of their shooting gradually worsened. Wilshere was guilty of an abysmal miss over the crossbar in the 63rd minute, and Rashford fared little better when he scuffed the Arsenal midfielder's cross wide six minutes later.

 

It was worth noting that England's profligacy was not the only reason why the scoreline remained at 2-2. 18-year-old Lille defender Serge Diallo threw himself in front of a 74th-minute shot from Rashford. His fellow teenage substitute Gaoussou Diabaté then showed why he was rated as one of Africa's most promising goalkeepers by catching a couple of headers from Dier and Aarons.

 

After 80 minutes, the Ivory Coast went close to taking a 3-2 lead - thanks in part to a former England international, no less. Crystal Palace's homegrown winger Wilfried Zaha had played for England in a couple of friendlies in 2012 and 2013, though he switched his allegiance to the country of his birth in 2016.

 

After Éléphants striker Nicolas Pépé's corner was intercepted by Aarons, Wilshere tried to dribble the ball out of harm's way. He was closed down by Zaha, who quickly sprayed the ball back out left to Pépé. The Sivasspor forward then crossed to the far post, where Eboue's header was caught by Woodman.

 

Diabaté also showed safe hands late on, denying Aarons and Rashford potential late winners for England. By then, Catterall had thrown star players Harry Kane and Dele Alli on to try and force a way through a rigid Ivorian defence, but to no avail.

 

A frustrating evening for the Three Lions would end with Dier being booked for an injury-time trip on Diallo. Drissa Traoré then had a chance to secure a shock victory for Les Éléphants with a 20-yard free-kick. However, he got under it and comfortably cleared the crossbar, meaning that the visitors would have to be satisfied with a 2-2 draw.

 

17 November 2020: International Friendly - at Wembley, London

England - 2 (Ross Barkley 13, Marcus Rashford 42)

Ivory Coast - 2 (Drissa Traoré 16, Kouassi Eboue 59)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Jordan Pickford (Freddie Woodman); Mason Holgate, John Stones (Calum Chambers), Brendan Galloway, Ben Chilwell; Jordan Henderson (Eric Dier); Ross Barkley (Rolando Aarons), Lewis Cook; Jack Wilshere (Dele Alli); Callum Wilson (Harry Kane), Marcus Rashford. BOOKED: Dier 90+1.

 

Boos rang out across Wembley as England's players made their way down the tunnel. The Three Lions had produced more than their fair share of mediocre performances in 2020, but some supporters could argue that failing to beat the 33rd-best team in the world on home soil represented a new nadir.

 

Catterall shared his fans' frustrations as he addressed the squad in the dressing room at full-time. While assistant manager Michael Burke was scrolling through his phone, Catterall asked his players, "Did you hear those boos, lads? The fans aren't happy with how you played tonight, and quite frankly, neither am I!

 

"The Ivory Coast are a strong team who deserved to be shown respect. What I saw from some of you was not respect, but arrogance. You thought it was gonna be a walkover when it wasn't!

 

"Some of the defending I saw out there was just awful, particularly for their second goal. If I were managing a Sunday League team and I saw them do that, I would've hit the roof and sacked the defence! That's how f***ing crap it was!"

 

Stones stood up and claimed, "Yeah, it weren't great, gaffer. We all have to take t' flak, but Chilly especially. You shoulda got to that header, mate."

 

Left-back Chilwell nodded, "I'll hold my hands up. I lost focus at a bad time."

 

Catterall growled, "There's never a good time to lose focus when you're playing for England. Before you know it, the fans will be making effigies of you and burning them on Bonfire Night. Count yourself lucky that we're already past that date."

 

Burke then got off his seat and whispered into Catterall's ear, "Catts, I've gotta tell you something."

 

"What the f*** is it?" Catterall asked impatiently.

 

"Belgium lost. Austria beat them 2-0."

 

Burke had been looking up the result of the final Nations League group match on his phone. Austria had prevailed against world champions Belgium in Vienna, with Alessandro Schöpf and Louis Schaub getting the decisive goals. That meant England had finished top of Group 2, just a single point ahead of the Belgians.

 

2020/2021 UEFA Nations League Division A Group 2 (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     England                4     2     1     1     4     3     1     7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          Belgium                4     2     0     2     5     5     0     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.    R     Austria                4     1     1     2     4     5     -1    4

 

Catterall acknowledged the result and then told his players, "You should also count yourselves lucky that Belgium were even worse than you lot tonight! Thank your Austrian friends as well, because they're the reason you'll be playing in the Semi Finals of the Nations League next summer."

 

There were some somewhat muted cheers across the dressing room. Celebrations were rather more contained than they had been when England had got to the latter stages of the World Cup and the European Championship, which Catterall reminded his players of.

 

"People expect so much from you now, lads," he said. "You're one of the top teams in Europe, if not the world, but you haven't really proven it since the Euros. I suggest you pull yourselves together next year, 'cos it's far from a given that we'll be going to the World Cup playing like we are right now.

 

"When we get round to the qualifiers, I only want players who are fully committed to the England cause. I only want players who will give their all for their country, from kick-off to full-time. Don't think you can cruise back into the squad, 'cos you are ALL fighting for your places."

[CFuller]

Chapter 45 - Broken & Fixed

 

Thanks in part to some Belgian incompetence in Vienna, England had somehow made it into the UEFA Nations League Playoffs. Mark Catterall and his Three Lions would discover the identity of their Semi Final when the draw was made behind closed doors on the morning of Wednesday 2 December.

 

Standing between England and a place in the Nations League Final would be none other than their old rivals Germany. On 11 June, they would visit Berlin's Olympiastadion for another big showdown with the Mannschaft, whom they had famously trounced 4-0 in Munich in the Quarter Finals of Euro 2020.

 

The other Semi Final paired Spain together with Italy, with that match due to be played at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in Seville on 19 June. The two Semi winners would then advance to the Final on 22 June, at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. Whoever won that match would succeed France as Nations League champions.

 

Qualification for the Nations League Semis would further complicate England's attempts to book their place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Their home match against Bosnia & Herzegovina was pushed back three days to 14 June, which also meant their meeting with Armenia in Yerevan would now take place on 17 June.

 

The scheduling really was a mess from England's point of view. Suffice to say, it widely criticised by many football figures, not least the Football Association's former chairman Clark Gregory.

 

Gregory explained, "The draw for the World Cup qualifying groups took place far too early. If FIFA had waited until this December, and not December last year, they would have been able to put the four Nations League Semi Finalists into five-team groups. That would have allowed them to play the Nations League in June and the World Cup qualifiers during the other international breaks, instead of potentially having to play four matches in June.

 

"This fiasco goes to show that those overpaid administrators who run international football have no common sense whatsoever. It's high time those daft brushes running FIFA and UEFA bring in some people who actually know a thing or two about logistics."

 

Catterall agreed with Gregory's criticism, and he shared his thoughts with assistant Michael Burke when the two long-time friends brought their families to dinner at a restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent later that evening. After a brief chat about football, the discussion soon turned more personal.

 

Mark's wife Jenny asked Michael's spouse, "How've you been keeping, Julia?"

 

"I've been great, thanks, Jenny," Julia said. "I've just started a new job, and I'm loving it."

 

"Is this another teaching assistant job?"

 

"No, I'm a carer now. I help look after the elderly and the terminally-ill at their homes. A lot of them have no family to care for them, so I really feel like I'm making a positive difference. What about you?"

 

"I'm still in IT... which doesn't quite sound so important now."

 

Michael politely argued, "Every job is important in some way, Jen. Jules looks after those who need help, while you keep them computer systems running. And as for me and Catts..."

 

Mark finished the sentence, "We just give hope to the country's football fans."

 

"And you put smiles on all our faces if England win," added Mark's son Luke.

 

Michael asked Luke, "So what are you gonna be when you grow up, Lukey boy?"

 

"Well, Uncle Mick... I think I'm gonna be a musician. Performing at Nan's funeral was a big responsibility for me, but it also gave me a lot of confidence. So, yeah, I'll be a musician... or Doctor Who."

 

Michael cheekily remarked. "I ain't sure a boy can be Doctor Who anymore!"

 

Jenny then asked, "Speaking of jobs, what are your kids up to now?"

 

"Joshua's dropped out of university, hasn't he?" Julia replied, with some disdain. "Apparently, the tutors were too 'conservative' for him."

 

Michael added, "Now he's got a temp job working for one of them Labour MPs in Sheffield. Can't remember who, exactly, but I think they're one of Corbyn's allies."

 

"As for Charlotte, she's now a manager at the Costa on Orchard Street. At least she's turned out fine... even if she's got herself pregnant."

 

Jenny was stunned. "Did you say Charlie's pregnant?"

 

Mark asked, "So this means you're gonna be grandparents? Well... congratulations!"

 

Michael sighed, "Cheers, Mark. She's expecting in June."

 

"You don't sound too chuffed."

 

"I mean... we're pleased for her, of course, but... we kinda wish she'd got married to Cyrus before they started having kids. We're a bit traditionalist like that."

 

Luke said, "Mum and Dad got married when I was six years old. Isn't that right, Mum?"

 

Jenny laughed nervously, and as a female waiter approached the table with their meals, she said, "Ah... here come our starters!"

 

While the Catteralls and Burkes were enjoying their starters, several people had gathered at the nearby bar to watch a televised football match. As a series of 'oohs' went up, Luke observed, "It sounds like a football match is going on."

 

"We don't need to worry about football right now, Luke," Jenny said. However, Mark was intrigued, and glanced at the screen.

 

"Yeah, I think that's Everton vs Burnley, in the EFL Cup Quarter Final," Mark nodded, before glancing at his watch. "It's five to eight, so I think it's just kicked off."

 

Mark then heard someone cry in a Scouse accent, "S****in' hell! I think he's done himself in there!"

 

Mark turned towards the TV and was startled at the sight of an Everton player who was crouched on the turf clutching his ankle. He got off his seat, prompting Jenny to hiss, "Sit down, Mark!"

 

"Not right now, love," Mark insisted. He approached the bar and asked the Everton fan, "What's just happened, mate?"

 

"It's Holgate. Looks like he's twisted his f***ing ankle!"

 

Michael then shouted, "Can you tone down the language, please? We've got a f***ing child over here!"

 

Mark held his head in his hand as right-back Mason Holgate was stretchered off the pitch with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury. He groaned, "That don't look like no twisted ankle. That's an Achilles injury if ever I've seen one. My daughter tore hers a few weeks back, and it looked just like that."

 

The Everton supporter - a portly bloke who looked to be in his late-thirties or early-fourties - then asked, "Hang on... you aren't Mark Catterall, are you?"

 

Michael got off his seat and approached the bar, quipping, "Nah, he's the guy off Time Commanders, obviously! Who the hell do you think he is?"

 

The fan gasped, "You are Mark Catterall? For real?" He then offered his hand and smiled, "Put it there, mate! You're the greatest England manager since Sir Bobby!"

 

Mark shook the man's hand and said, "You're welcome, mate. We're just here having a meal with our families, but I saw Holgate go down and wanted to see what was going on."

 

Another Everton supporter - an older gentleman with a broad Staffordshire accent - said, "Holgate's a bloody good defender for such a young lad. We'll miss him badly if that injury's as bad as it looks, and I reckon you'll miss him and all."

 

"Yeah," Mark sighed. "I think that's his season over. A real shame."

 

"I'm gutted for him too," Michael nodded. "But at least you guys have still got Calum Chambers, right?"

 

The Scouser replied passionately, "He's boss, man. That lad's gonna get us into the Champions League, I tell you!"

 

His older friend scoffed, "Alright, Barry, I think you've had one too many now."

 

Back at the table, Julia told Jenny, "That's the life of a football widow for you!"

 

"Yeah, you can't take those two away from it for one minute," Jenny laughed. "But we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we signed up, didn't we?"

 

"Of course. I've been with Michael for... close to 35 years now. For all his obsessions and for all his faults, he's my best friend, and I wouldn't swap him for anyone else."

[CFuller]

***

 

England had won their first UEFA European Under-21s Championship in Italy in 2019. After a tumultuous qualification campaign, David Byrne's Young Lions ensured that they would return to the country to defend their title two years later.

 

The Group Stage of the 2021 tournament was scheduled on 10 December 2020, in the southern Italian city of Andria. England head coach Byrne attended the draw ceremony alongside manager Mark Catterall.

 

While the 2019 event had been staged exclusively in northern Italian cities such as Bologna and Cesena, the 2021 competition would be played throughout the country. Matches were to be staged as far north as Mantova in the Lombardy region, and as far south as Sciacca on the island of Sicily.

 

England had secured their finals place courtesy of winning a play-off against the Czech Republic. Portugal - beaten finalists in 2019 - had also progressed after finishing top of the Young Lions' group without losing a single match. France and Spain had ambitions of getting beyond the Semi Finals, where they had fallen last time around.

 

Most of the big western nations had qualified, with Germany and the Netherlands each making up for their failure to reach the 2019 finals. Belgium missed out again, which was a major surprise for a country with such a vast pool of talent.

 

Russia had qualified for the Under-21s Euros for only the second time this century, having missed the last three tournaments. They would be considered as rank outsiders alongside Denmark and Poland. As well as host nation Italy, the 12-team line-up was completed by Croatia and Serbia.

 

The Group Stage format was still the same as it had been in 2017 and 2019. There would be three groups of four teams apiece, with only the group winners and the best runners-up booking their places in the Semi Finals.

 

2021 UEFA European Under-21s Championship Group Stage draw

GROUP A: Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain

GROUP B: Croatia, England (holders), France, Portugal

GROUP C: Denmark, Germany, Italy (hosts), Serbia

 

Would you Adam and Eve it? For the third European Under-21s Championship in succession, England and Portugal would have to confront each other... but not in the Final this time!

 

All eyes would be on Group B when the previous two champions went head-to-head once again, with the likelihood being that only one would progress further. The Esperanças would have the slight edge, having not lost any of their previous five encounters with England within 90 minutes.

 

The Young Lions were already very familiar with their Portuguese adversaries, but a few players were perhaps worth noting again. Porto right-back Diogo Dalot and Benfica striker Joao Santos had both progressed to the senior squad, with Everton's beastly holding midfielder Samuel Mota expected to be next in line. Teenage attacking midfielder Miguel - distinguishable by his 'shocking pink' dyed hair - had made a handful of Premier League appearances for Manchester City this term.

 

France were the other Group B team that England had to be very concerned about. Nice left-back Malang Sarr was on course to take part in his third Under-21s Euros, while Liverpool midfielder Nicolas Janvier was also very experienced at this level. As far as younger French players were concerned, the standout man was perhaps 19-year-old striker Arnaud Fofana, who'd scored on his league debut for Arsenal in October (at home to Chelsea, no less).

 

Though regarded as the group minnows, Croatia could not be simply dismissed as cannon fodder. The likes of Sporting CP's big centre-forward Sandro Kulenovic and Porto's on-loan Manchester City playmaker Danijel Marcec would be keen to ensure that the Vatreni did more than simply make up the numbers.

 

Croatia would be England's first opponents at this tournament, with the sides meeting in Sciacca on 17 June. The Young Lions would then fly north to Mantova for that titanic tussle with Portugal on 23 June, followed by a swift return to Sciacca to play France three days later.

 

Catterall lined up four friendly matches for his Under-21s prior to the tournament. March would see the Young Lions host Germany in Sheffield before an away trip to Denmark. England would also take on Serbia in Sheffield on 5 June, and then Spain in Pontevedra on 10 June, before arriving in Italy for the finals.

 

The draw for the qualifying rounds of the 2023 European Under-21s Championship - due to be held in the Czech Republic - took place a few weeks later. As luck would have it, England would end up in the same group as their inescapable foes Portugal yet again!

 

While the Young Lions and the Esperanças were likely to squabble over automatic qualification once again in the next tournament cycle, Group 3 was not necessarily a clear-cut two-horse race. Serbia would provide very stiff opposition to those two teams, as perhaps would Austria. The group was rounded off by outsiders Montenegro and Northern Ireland.

[CFuller]

***

 

The 2020/2021 Premier League season had turned into a two-way title battle between holders Manchester United and nearest challengers Arsenal. The Gunners had held top spot for several weeks during the winter, but by the time mid-March came around, it was the defending champions who were soaring towards yet another victory.

 

José Mourinho was not renowned for attacking football, but his direct, uncompromising style was quite simply overpowering any team that stood in Manchester United's way. The Red Devils had scored 70 goals - 28 of them from the incredible Robert Lewandowski - to lead the Premier League by seven points, with just nine matches to play.

 

United had slipped up in the EFL Cup and the FA Cup - losing penalty shoot-outs early in both competitions - and had been beaten by Bayern Munich in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Last 16 clash. However, they had emphatically wrapped up the FIFA Club World Cup in December, thrashing Saudi side Al-Ahli 12-0 before demolishing Palmeiras of Brazil 7-1 in the Final.

 

That Club World Cup was the latest addition to left-back Luke Shaw's growing medal cabinet. A series of consistent, spirited displays had cemented the 25-year-old's status as one of world football's foremost full-backs. However, Shaw was no longer the only Englishman who featured regularly in Mourinho's defence.

 

As promised, centre-half Brendan Galloway had enjoyed more Premier League gametime this time around. The 24-year-old ball-playing defender's nine league starts in the first seven months of this season were almost double the number he received in his first season-and-a-half at Old Trafford.

 

Mourinho had also taken to rotating Axel Tuanzebe, 23, into the heart of his backline. The Congolese-born Mancunian had impressed the Portuguese so much with his positional awareness and bravery that he'd been awarded with 32 appearances in all competitions so far this term. Granted, a lot of those appearances had come from the bench, but Tuanzebe had proven that he was ready to challenge for a starting berth at club and international level.

 

Tuanzebe's emergence at Old Trafford ultimately sparked the end of Chris Smalling's career with the Red Devils. Having been effectively consigned to the reserves since 2019, Smalling issued another transfer request, finally getting his wish when Stoke City bought him for £3million in January. Though Smalling quickly returned to form with the Potters, at 31 years of age, it was probably too late for him to revive his England career.

 

Phil Jones was another centre-back who wanted out of United after losing his first-team place, but he failed to earn a transfer away in January. Enigmatic forward Marcus Rashford had also failed to reclaim a regular starting place at the expense of either Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembélé or Bernardo Silva. Reports linking Rashford with what would arguably have been a beneficial transfer to Chelsea proved to be little more than speculation.

 

Arsenal had been title favourites throughout December and January, but some poor post-Christmas results allowed United to overtake them and then surge well clear. Nevertheless, the Gunners were still on course to match their 2nd-place finish from last season under Rafa Benítez.

 

Jack Wilshere had blown hot and cold in the Arsenal midfielder this term, while left-back Josh Tymon continued to rival Scotland's Kieran Tierney for a starting place. Wilshere and Tymon were now the only English first-teamers at the Emirates Stadium, as winger Theo Walcott had ended his 15-year association with the Gunners after signing for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.

 

Liverpool were some way behind the north Londoners in 3rd place. England left-back Ben Chilwell and midfielder Jordan Henderson were still enjoying fine seasons at Anfield, even though Henderson had recently been criticised for some costly errors in a Merseyside derby defeat at Everton. Right-back Nathaniel Clyne was still largely out of favour with manager René Weiler, who much preferred to field Giovanni Troupée.

 

Sitting in 4th place were Tottenham Hotspur, whose 2-0 home triumph over Manchester United was the only PL loss that the champions had sustained all season. Star striker Harry Kane's haul of 20 league goals thus far this term was the second-highest in the Golden Boot standings, though it was greatly dwarfed by Lewandowski's.

 

Spurs midfielders Dele Alli and Eric Dier were still considered undroppable for club and country, and full-back Danny Rose was battling hard to regain his place with the latter. Midfield playmaker James Ward-Prowse had to wait until the new year for another extended run in the first-team at New White Hart Lane.

 

Everton were still putting up a strong challenge for a Champions League place. While goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, right-back Calum Chambers and midfielder Ross Barkley weren't exactly setting the league alight, they were all enjoying solid seasons. Unfortunately, centre-half Mason Holgate's season had been effectively curtailed by an Achilles injury sustained in December.

 

Manchester City - with Michael Keane and John Stones in defence - were continuing to underachieve by their sky-high standards. Stefano Pioli was dismissed as manager midway through another disappointing campaign, with youth coach Lee Carsley being placed in caretaker charge until the end of the season.

 

Unlike when City were looking for Pep Guardiola's successor the previous year, England boss Mark Catterall was not under consideration to replace Pioli on a full-time basis. That was because the Citizens had already struck a deal for Real Madrid's esteemed manager Zinedine Zidane to take the helm at the Etihad Stadium in the summer. The prospect of one of the greatest footballers of his - and indeed any - generation finally setting foot in the Premier League left many British football journalists salivating.

 

Chelsea had also lost patience with their head coach in January, as owner Roman Abramovich finally ridded himself of Antonio Conte after yet another title challenge failed to materialise. Hit-and-miss striker Callum Wilson scored in four consecutive matches following the arrival of former Germany coach Roger Schmidt at Stamford Bridge, though he worryingly hadn't found the net since.

 

Norwich City were going well in Europe, and another top-six finish was still a realistic proposition for Mark Hughes' Canaries. Manchester United loanee Callum Gribbin was not quite scoring as regularly as in his first season at Carrow Road, though the 22-year-old was making up for that with more assists. Also in contention for England places were left-back Sam McQueen and right-winger Michail Antonio.

 

Stoke's on-loan Chelsea full-back Peter Turner had experienced a slight dip in form following his shock call-up to the senior England squad in November. To be fair, the mid-table Potters had not quite been firing on all cylinders since sacking manager Ryan Giggs in December. Ian Cathro left Celtic to succeed Giggs at the Britannia Stadium, and though Stoke's recent results had not been great, a relegation battle was not on the horizon.

 

The same couldn't be said about West Ham United, who were facing another serious battle for Premier League survival. Rather ironically, their form had actually improved since winger Rolando Aarons sadly broke his leg in an FA Cup Round 3 win over League Two side Colchester United in January. Aarons would be out for the rest of the season, not to mention England's first two FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

 

Catterall could still find a couple of encouraging signs at West Ham. 22-year-old defender Reece Oxford had finally broken out and become a regular starter, while 25-year-old midfielder Harry Winks had impressed since joining the Hammers from Tottenham Hotspur for £7million in January.

 

Elsewhere, winger Nathan Redmond and midfielder Lewis Cook were set for mid-table mediocrity with Southampton and AFC Bournemouth respectively. The same applied to a Leicester City side featuring the likes of Reece Burke, Danny Drinkwater and Demarai Gray.

 

Meanwhile, Sunderland had lost 12 out of 13 league games since 20 December and were now odds-on to be relegated to the Championship. In a desperate bid to avert disaster, the Black Cats' new manager Peter Bosz had given the club captaincy to homegrown keeper Jordan Pickford, stripping it from centre-half Papy Djilobodji. It remained to be seen whether the newly-capped England custodian could literally save his beloved Wearsiders.

[CFuller]

***

 

Thursday 11 March 2021 was a big day at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The Executive Committee of European football's governing body was about to vote on who would host the 2028 UEFA European Championship.

 

The Football Association had high hopes about their bid to stage this competition, having narrowly missed out on the 2030 FIFA World Cup. FA vice-chairman Dexter Poyner had headed up the bid, which proudly emphasised England's diversity, not to mention its readiness to host a major tournament after a 32-year wait.

 

England would face competition from five other bids, one of which came from the other ends of its borders. Scotland and Wales had launched a joint Celtic bid for the tournament, with legendary strikers Ally McCoist and Craig Bellamy both travelling to Nyon to make their case.

 

Euro 2004 hosts Portugal were back in the running, but with the tournament having expanded from 16 teams to 24 since then, the chances of a relatively small country winning the vote were rated as slim. The same applied to Belgium, who were ambitiously going it out on their own after sharing Euro 2000 hosting duties with their big neighbours from the Netherlands.

 

The bookmakers' favourites in the race to stage the 2028 championship was Turkey. Incredibly, this was the sixth Euros in a row in which they had at least expressed an interest in welcoming the continent's top national teams. Turkey had most controversially lost the Euro 2016 ballot to France by a single vote, and were then overlooked in favour of a pan-European 2020 tournament when they had looked odds-on to host it by themselves.

 

And then there was the most curious bid of all. Despite having been entrusted with the 2030 World Cup, Spain fancied their chances of putting on another major event two years beforehand. Outside of their own country, Spain's bid was generally dismissed as opportunistic and regarded as having no chance of prevailing.

 

On the afternoon of the big vote, representatives from all six bidding parties gathered at Nyon to make their final pleas to the Executive Committee. Helping to promote England's cause alongside Poyner were FA chairwoman Angela Ruskin... and national team manager Mark Catterall. Having been little more than a bystander during the World Cup bidding process, Catterall had been given a more prominent role this time around.

 

Once the late schmoozing was done, the 16 Executive Committee members made their way to the UEFA boardroom to carry out a secret ballot. An hour later, UEFA's President Aleksander Čeferin - who had just been elected to a second term in office - returned to the auditorium to make an announcement.

 

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience," the Slovenian former lawyer began. "First off, I would like to congratulate all seven bidding nations on putting forward strong cases to stage UEFA Euro 2028. Alas, only one bid can succeed, so there will understandably be a lot of disappointed people here today.

 

"About one hour ago, the Executive Committee held a ballot on who will host the European Championship in seven years' time. I can now confirm that one bid obtained more than 50% of the vote during the first ballot."

 

Sitting in the audience either side of Catterall and Ruskin, an optimistic Poyner smiled, "That sounds positive. I think we've won at the first attempt."

 

Catterall said, "I wouldn't be so sure. If they only needed one ballot, then that probably means Turkey have won."

 

"That's a good point, Mark," Ruskin nodded. "How long have they been trying to host the Euros?"

 

"20 years. Basically a whole generation. If this ain't our day, I wouldn't mind seeing them win."

 

Čeferin was then handed a golden envelope by a UEFA official. After taking a quick glance at the Henri Delaunay Trophy next to him, he opened the envelope and began his announcement, "I can announce that the host nation for UEFA Euro 2028 will be..."

 

"That's the Celts out, then," Catterall muttered.

 

Čeferin slowly pulled out a piece of card from the envelope, gradually revealing the name of the host nation. He then declared, "SPAIN! Felicidades a España!"

 

While the Spanish bid committee celebrated wildly, the rest of the auditorium fell deafly silent, stunned that the 'no-hopers' had succeeded. Spain would now host Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup back-to-back!

 

"Oh, crumbs," Poyner uttered with obvious anguish. "That was not what we were hoping for."

 

Ruskin reassured him, "It's not your fault, Dexter. You did your very best. And for what it's worth, I thought Spain's bid was a very strong one as well."

 

Catterall was rather more cynical, saying, "Either the Spanish are very charming and persuasive... or something fishy is going on. When was the last time a team got to stage the Euros and the World Cup in two years?"

 

"I don't know, Mark," Ruskin shrugged.

 

"Never, that's the answer! You're supposed to share your big tournaments around! If you were running the ICC, you wouldn't give England all those seven different Cricket World Cups in a few years!"

 

When the England bid team returned to the foyer in disappointment, Catterall caught a glimpse of Čeferin, who flanked by a couple of bodyguards. Against Ruskin's wishes, Catterall walked across the room to confront the UEFA President.

 

"President Čeferin!" Catterall barked. "A word!"

 

"You want me to take care of him, Mr President?" one of the bodyguards asked Čeferin, who told him, "No, thank you, Pedro. Everything is fine."

 

Catterall then asked, "What's the deal, eh? Spain have already got the World Cup, so why've you given them the Euros as well?"

 

Čeferin said, "Mr Catterall, let me tell you that Spain made the strongest bid; ergo, they won the most votes."

 

"I'm not convinced. It's not as if you ain't given Italy the Under-21s Championship twice in a row!"

 

"Every bidding nation acted with the utmost integrity, and no attempts were made to manipulate the vote. Now, Mr Catterall, what do you think of my suit? It's from Zara. Looks nice, does it not?"

 

Catterall hissed, "Don't change the subject! Summat ain't right here!"

 

Čeferin calmly suggested, "I'll tell you what, Mr Catterall. For the sake of transparency, how about I personally invite you to the boardroom, so you can assess the voting results for yourself?"

 

"Sure. If only Elizabeth Warren had that option, eh?" Catterall's remarks referred to the 2020 Democratic nominee for the Presidency of the United States. Warren had narrowly lost the presidential vote to Republican incumbent Mike Pence, who had been in office since Donald Trump was impeached earlier that year over a series of sexual liaisons.

 

Čeferin showed Catterall into the Executive Committee's boardroom, showing him the piles of ballot papers. The President then counted the pile of votes for England, saying, "One vote... two votes. Not enough for England."

 

The various piles showed Scotland/Wales as having one vote, Belgium and Portugal three votes each, and Turkey seven. However, Catterall's eyes were drawn to a rather larger heap of papers next to a nameplate titled "ESPAÑA".

 

Catterall picked up one of the ballot papers which had a cross next to Spain's name, prompting Čeferin to politely say, "Please don't tamper with the ballots, sir."

 

Upon picking up another ballot paper and comparing, Catterall hummed with curiosity. He then sifted through the other Spain votes, saying, "It looks like someone took one paper and then photocopied it many times over!"

 

Čeferin sternly warned, "Please stop this, Mr Catterall, or I will have to call security."

 

"There must be, what, 40 votes here for Spain? Something don't add up here..."

 

Čeferin promptly stormed down the corridor and yelled, "SECURITY!"

[Drogba11CFC]

Looks like every newspaper in the country has just had their front page written for them.

[CFuller]

1 minute ago, Drogba11CFC said:

Looks like every newspaper in the country has just had their front page written for them.

I cannot possibly comment before tomorrow's part. 

[CFuller]

***

 

Mark Catterall returned to St George's Park in Staffordshire on Friday morning, with his name once again in the news for the wrong reasons.

 

On Thursday afternoon, England's manager was seen being forcibly removed by two burly bodyguards from UEFA's Swiss headquarters. The incident had come in the wake of Spain being controversially awarded the 2028 European Championship at the Football Association's expense. Catterall and the rest of the FA delegation flew back home later that evening to mull over their latest disappointment.

 

The Friday papers were divided on whether to cover England's snub or Catterall's antics. Under the headline "SPANISH INQUISITION", The Sun openly accused UEFA of rigging the voting process in Spain's favour. Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph claimed that Catterall had found evidence to back up those allegations.

 

On the other side of the debate, the Daily Mirror showed the Three Lions boss being escorted off UEFA premises on its front page and asked, "IS THIS HOW AN ENGLAND MANAGER SHOULD BEHAVE?"

 

Upon his arrival at St George's, Catterall was confronted by the FA's communications director Ava Leggett. She sternly asked, "Can we talk, Mark?"

 

Catterall sighed, "Look, Ava. What happened yesterday... it's not as bad as it looks."

 

"So why were a couple of strongmen lifting you out of UEFA's HQ like you were a reveller who'd had one drink too many?"

 

"Come on, Ava, that's hardly fair. You know I'm teetotal!"

 

Leggett stated, "Jonathan Woodgate Suite, 9 o'clock. No later."

 

Catterall reluctantly arrived at the suite 15 minutes later, where he sat down with Leggett and FA chief executive David Whiteman for a frank discussion on recent events.

 

"I'm sure you've had a look through the papers, Mark," Leggett said. "The coverage... it doesn't look good for you from a PR perspective."

 

Whiteman added, "One must express the same concerns as Ms Leggett on this issue. We are all educated from a very young age regarding the need to be respectful and gracious in defeat or adversity. Mr Catterall, from what information I have ascertained from my colleagues on the Football Association board, it appears your conduct in Switzerland yesterday did not reflect that."

 

Catterall bowed his head and said, "I understand. I might have gone too far."

 

Leggett asked, "So what exactly happened yesterday?"

 

"Basically, I confronted President [Aleksander] Čeferin after the vote and demanded answers."

 

Whiteman readjusted his glasses and asked, "To which particular questions did you request answers, Mr Catterall?"

 

"For starters, why were Spain even in the bidding process, considering they've got the 2030 World Cup? Giving them the Euros as well... it's like letting London host the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics!"

 

"That's actually not a terrible idea, to be fair," Leggett replied, in a rather more light-hearted tone.

 

"So, in which manner did Mr Čeferin respond to your question?" Whiteman asked.

 

Catterall replied, "He invited me into the boardroom and actually showed me the ballot papers, in the name of transparency. Our bid only got two votes."

 

"Those must have come from the Netherlands and Hungary, then," Leggett said. "They're the only two European countries who like us anymore after Brexit."

 

"And Spain, on the other hand, they got... how many people are there on UEFA's ExCo?"

 

Whiteman answered, "A considerable amount of time has passed since one last encountered the Executive Committee of UEFA, but on the most recent count, I believe that there were 17 members."

 

"Well, there were a lot more than 17 votes for Spain."

 

"In all fairness, it would not be unheard of for an organisation such as UEFA to alter the voting process for major tournament hosting rights at extraordinarily short notice. Perhaps the situation here was that, in lieu of the Executive Committee, every member organisation received voting privileges."

 

"That can't have been right, but even if that were true, it still don't add up. There's 55 nations in UEFA, but I saw at least 60 ballot papers. And a lot of Spain's votes looked like they'd been photocopied as well!"

 

Leggett asked, "Do you have any evidence of that?"

 

"Not physical evidence, no. Even if I had caught anything on my phone, UEFA would only have made me delete it. They're so stringent when it comes to security."

 

"They're stringent on security, yet you were allowed to walk straight into the UEFA boardroom, with only the President for company?"

 

Whiteman nodded, "I too find Mr Catterall's claim to be... remarkably peculiar."

 

"So you think there's been some vote-rigging going on, Mark, but you can't back it up," Leggett sighed. "I don't see how we at the FA can support your claims without everyone else saying that we're just sore losers."

 

Catterall asked, "So you're suggesting I drop it?"

 

"Unfortunately, yes... for now. You're the England manager, so I'd suggest you carry on doing what you do best."

 

Whiteman admitted, "As greatly as I echo your reservations regarding the selection process for a European Championship host nation, I also must concur with Ms Leggett that we cannot reasonably pursue this further in the foreseeable future."

 

"Understood," Catterall nodded sadly. It was at that point that his assistant manager Michael Burke burst into the room, gasping, "About yesterday's vote... you've gotta see this."

 

Catterall, Leggett and Whiteman followed Burke into another room, where a large television was switched on to Sky Sports News. It was being reported that the chief executive of Spain's successful bids for Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup had been found dead in his hotel room in Nyon. 56-year-old Ricardo Arce was understood to have been discovered collapsed on his bed by a cleaner.

 

Catterall said, "I know that name. He's the guy who got food poisoning before the World Cup vote. The Sun made a huge hoo-ha about it at the time."

 

"They called him Chiqui Arce, didn't they?" Leggett asked.

 

"Señor Arce," Catterall corrected her. "Chiqui Arce was a Paraguayan defender."

 

Burke muttered, "And then he bloomin' keels over and dies just after Spain get the Euros."

 

"I think summat really fishy is going on, Mick," Catterall said.

 

"I don't think you're wrong there, Catts."

[CFuller]

Chapter 46 - Field Day

 

Mark Catterall was in his office on the morning of Thursday 18 March, scrutinising footage from Manchester United's 3-0 UEFA Champions League home win over Bayern Munich the previous night. In just a few hours, he would announce the senior England squad for their opening FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which would take place later in the month.

 

The Three Lions would open up with a 3,500-mile trip east to Astana, where they would play Kazakhstan - one of their weaker opponents in Group 5 - on 25 March. They would then return to Wembley three days later for an encounter with Greece, who were likely to provide their toughest tests in the qualifiers.

 

Also in Group 5 were Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and lowest seeds Liechtenstein. Qualifying matches would take place throughout 2021, with only the group winners certain to qualify for the following summer's World Cup in Morocco. Only the three best runners-up across the 10 groups would join them, so 2nd place was not a reliable safety net here.

 

Just as United scored the third goal which effectively secured their Champions League Quarter Final place, Catterall was interrupted by a knock on the door. He paused the match and called out, "Who is it?"

 

"It's Mick," came the reply from Catterall's assistant Michael Burke. "We need to sort our squad out, don't we?"

 

Catterall nodded, "Of course, come in."

 

Burke entered the room by putting on a jovial Irish accent and declaring, "Top o' the morning to you, Mark! I hope you had a cracking St Paddy's last night!"

 

Catterall smirked and said, "You know I'm not Irish, Mick. Neither are you for that matter, even though you look it."

 

"I know. I just wanted to brighten you up a bit... after your shenanigans in Switzerland."

 

"They were hardly 'shenanigans'. The usual suspects in the media are just exaggerating what happened and trying to give me a bad name. Bollocks to them."

 

Burke sat down on a chair and said, "Indeed. Now... the squad. What are you feeling we should do this time around?"

 

"I feel like we need to inject some more fresh blood into the team."

 

"I can't disagree with you there, Catts," Burke nodded. "Some of the older players in particular are just coasting through England games and not really pulling their weight."

 

"Like Callum Wilson, and Ross Barkley."

 

Burke was surprised to hear the Everton midfielder's name. "Barkley? He's the most versatile central midfielder we've got, and he's having a great season with Everton. I mean, they might be a Champions League team soon!"

 

"Yeah, but you never know what to expect with Ross. He's just not consistent enough; he'll give me a good performance about four times out of 10. When it comes to England, I need players that I can trust to perform on seven, maybe eight times out of 10."

 

"So you can trust someone like Jack Wilshere or Dele Alli, but not Ross Barkley?"

 

Catterall stroked his chin, "It's funny you mentioned Jack and Dele. I was just about to say that they've both got tremendous talent, and they have the ability to change games, but sometimes they goes missing. Those two are just about worth the frustration for all the skills they have."

 

Burke turned to another area of contention. "Now... strikers. Harry and Studge are in for sure, but who else do we take? Not Marcus Rashford, surely?"

 

"Definitely not Rashford," Catterall stated forcefully. "Like I suspected, he's not even getting off the bench for Man United nowadays. Granted, he did score against the Ivorians last time, but only 'cos they gifted him a goal."

 

Burke suggested, "I was thinking about James Wilson, at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He's got 13 Premier League goals already this season. Only Harry Kane has more when it comes to English strikers."

 

"Replacing one Wilson with another might be poetic," Catterall admitted, "but I've got doubts about James. He's in his mid-20s, yet only now has he really kicked on and started scoring goals at the highest level. For all we know right now, this might just be a flash in the pan. If he can prove that he's not a one-season wonder, I'll pick him."

 

Burke nodded, "That's why I said I was thinking about him. He can be incredible in some games, but in quite a lot of others this season, he's looked very ordinary. However, there's this kid in the Championship..."

 

"Willie Field."

 

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Meat Loaf."

 

"How can you forget about him when he's breaking all sorts of records this season?"

 

Before the 2020/2021 season began, Willie Field was a reserve striker at Liverpool who had yet to make his league debut. After racking up countless goals with the Reds' Under-23s and Under-18s sides, he was loaned out to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.

 

Field immediately took to competitive football like a duck to water, racking up 34 goals and 15 assists to put the Owls firmly on track for an immediate return to the Premier League. Those statistics were all the more amazing from a player who wasn't due to turn 19 for another fortnight or so.

 

Catterall said, "I usually wouldn't look at the Championship for senior players, but how can you ignore Field's records? He's an amazing young talent, and I'm sure he'll do very well in the Premier League next term."

 

Burke added, "Plus, any England player who scores a hat-trick on their debut for the Under-21s must have something pretty damn exciting about them."

 

"Two of those goals were penalties, but I see where you're coming from."

 

Catterall pondered Field's qualities for some time and wondered if it was too early to throw him into the deep end. He eventually decided, "F*** it. If he's good enough, he's old enough."

 

ENGLAND squad - for matches vs Kazakhstan (A) and Greece (H)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Jack Butland              GK                  10/03/1993 (28)  Stoke           14    0     6'5"   14st 13lbs £17.25M 
Jordan Pickford           GK                  07/03/1994 (27)  Sunderland      1     0     6'2"   12st 1lb   £6.5M   
Freddie Woodman           GK                  04/03/1997 (24)  Everton         5     0     6'1"   11st 2lbs  £4.6M   
Calum Chambers            D (RC)              20/01/1995 (26)  Everton         23    0     6'0"   11st 6lbs  £18.5M  
Michael Keane             D (RC)              11/01/1993 (28)  Man City        36    0     6'1"   13st 3lbs  £27.5M  
John Stones               D (RC)              28/05/1994 (26)  Man City        51    1     6'2"   12st 3lbs  £34M    
Peter Turner              D (RC), WB/M (R)    09/03/2001 (20)  Stoke           0     0     5'11"  11st 11lbs £3.5M   
Eric Dier                 D (RC), DM, M (C)   15/01/1994 (27)  Tottenham       60    6     6'2"   13st 7lbs  £39M    
Brendan Galloway          D (LC), DM          17/03/1996 (24)  Man Utd         6     0     6'2"   14st 0lbs  £26.5M  
Axel Tuanzebe             D (C)               14/11/1997 (23)  Man Utd         0     0     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £11.75M 
Luke Shaw                 D/WB (L)            12/07/1995 (25)  Man Utd         44    2     6'1"   11st 11lbs £35M    
Danny Rose                D/WB/M (L)          02/07/1990 (30)  Tottenham       38    2     5'8"   11st 6lbs  £12.25M 
Jordan Henderson          DM, M (C)           17/06/1990 (30)  Liverpool       79    4     6'0"   10st 7lbs  £13.25M 
Jack Wilshere             DM, M/AM (C)        01/01/1992 (29)  Arsenal         74    11    5'9"   10st 3lbs  £22.5M  
Callum Gribbin            M (C), AM (RC)      18/12/1998 (22)  Norwich         2     0     5'11"  11st 13lbs £15.5M  
Michail Antonio           M/AM (RL)           28/03/1990 (30)  Norwich         7     0     5'11"  12st 8lbs  £4.9M   
Nathan Redmond            M/AM (RL), ST (C)   06/03/1994 (27)  Southampton     19    4     5'8"   11st 6lbs  £18.5M  
Jesse Lingard             M/AM (RLC)          15/12/1992 (28)  Celta           8     0     5'6"   10st 3lbs  £17.25M 
James Ward-Prowse         M/AM (RC)           01/11/1994 (26)  Tottenham       18    3     5'8"   10st 5lbs  £23.5M  
Dele Alli                 M/AM (C)            11/04/1996 (24)  Tottenham       63    6     6'1"   12st 1lb   £37.5M  
Willie Field              AM (LC), ST (C)     20/03/2002 (18)  Sheff Wed       0     0     5'9"   10st 12lbs £12.25M 
Daniel Sturridge          AM (C), ST (C)      01/09/1989 (31)  Valencia        52    27    6'0"   12st 6lbs  £5.25M  
Harry Kane                ST (C)              28/07/1993 (27)  Tottenham       62    30    6'3"   13st 0lbs  £40M    

 

Catterall made no fewer than seven changes to the England squad that had lost to Belgium and drawn with the Ivory Coast in November. The most eye-catching selection was that of Willie Field, who had enjoyed a meteoric rise from the Under-19s to the Under-21s and then to the senior team.

 

Field's astonishing return of goals and assists for Championship club Sheffield Wednesday had been rewarded by Catterall, who oversaw the on-loan Liverpool striker's lack of top-flight experience. The Lancastrian was now in line to win a first senior cap against Kazakhstan, just five days after his 19th birthday.

 

Only three outfield players this century had featured for England's senior team whilst in the second division: David Nugent in 2007, Jay Bothroyd in 2010, and Wilfried Zaha in 2012. Field would join an exclusive club if he did get a chance in Astana, or even at Wembley against Greece.

 

Stoke City right-back Peter Turner was no longer a teenager, but he was still in contention to become the first full England international born after the Millennium, having been a benchwarmer for both November internationals. Turner's recent form for the Potters had not been great by any stretch, though it was still deemed good enough for him to retain his place ahead of Liverpool's Nathaniel Clyne.

 

There was a third potential debutant in this England squad. Born in DR Congo but brought up in Manchester, 23-year-old centre-back Axel Tuanzebe joined his fellow Manchester United defenders Brendan Galloway and Luke Shaw on international duty. However, their colleague Marcus Rashford was dropped.

 

Another relatively young United player - attacking midfielder Callum Gribbin - was recalled from the Under-21s after an upturn in form for loan club Norwich City. Norwich's powerful wideman Michail Antonio earned a somewhat surprising recall at the age of 30.

 

Tottenham Hotspur left-back Danny Rose - also aged 30 - came back into the England squad after Liverpool's Ben Chilwell had ousted him for the past two international breaks. Also returning were Tottenham midfielder James Ward-Prowse and Celta Vigo forward Jesse Lingard. The fact that Celta were 16th in La Liga and struggling to survive didn't necessarily hurt Lingard's international prospects.

 

Long-term injuries had sadly forced Everton defender Mason Holgate and West Ham United winger Rolando Aarons out of the squad. The other players to miss out this time around were Ross Barkley, Lewis Cook and Callum Wilson.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-21s squad - for matches vs Germany (H) and Denmark (A)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Callum Bickerstaff        GK                  07/09/2001 (19)  Sheff Utd       0     0     6'6"   14st 0lbs  £170K   
Will Mannion              GK                  05/05/1998 (22)  Huddersfield    14    0     6'2"   13st 5lbs  £6.5M   
Aaron Ramsdale            GK                  14/05/1998 (22)  Luton           0     0     6'4"   10st 7lbs  £115K   
Alistair Rattray          SW, D (C)           17/02/2000 (21)  West Brom       6     0     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £1.4M   
Jordan Williams           D (RLC)             22/10/1999 (21)  Reading         4     0     6'1"   12st 12lbs £4.3M   
Ben Sheaf                 D (RC), M/AM (C)    05/02/1998 (23)  Sheff Wed       8     1     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £4.8M   
Adam Mingay               D (C)               19/04/2000 (20)  West Brom       6     0     6'0"   11st 9lbs  £700K   
Reece Oxford              D (C), DM           16/12/1998 (22)  West Ham        15    1     6'3"   11st 11lbs £4.7M   
Trent Alexander-Arnold    D/WB (R), DM        07/10/1998 (22)  Derby           23    1     5'6"   9st 10lbs  £6.75M  
Josh Tymon                D/M (L)             22/05/1999 (21)  Arsenal         14    0     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £16.5M  
Joe Wright                D/M (C)             04/09/2000 (20)  Derby           3     0     6'4"   14st 0lbs  £1.3M   
Ryan Sessegnon            D/M/AM (L)          18/05/2000 (20)  Leeds           7     0     5'11"  12st 8lbs  £425K   
Leon Rowe                 WB (L), DM, M (C)   19/07/2001 (19)  Coventry        0     0     5'8"   11st 2lbs  £625K   
Sam Field                 DM, M/AM (C)        08/05/1998 (22)  QPR             15    2     5'10"  12st 1lb   £7.5M   
Jonathan Leko             M (R), AM (RL)      24/04/1999 (21)  Brighton        10    1     6'2"   11st 2lbs  £6.75M  
Jadon Sancho              M (L), AM (LC)      25/03/2000 (20)  Hull            3     0     6'0"   12st 1lb   £825K   
Neil Campbell             M (C), AM (RC)      23/05/2001 (19)  Wolves          9     1     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £4.2M   
Gareth Robinson           M (C), AM (RC)      25/07/2001 (19)  Huddersfield    0     0     5'7"   10st 1lb   £575K   
Charles Ameobi            M/AM (L), ST (C)    29/07/2001 (19)  Huddersfield    1     0     5'7"   10st 1lb   £4M     
Stuart White              M/AM (C)            12/10/2000 (20)  Newcastle       9     1     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £7.75M  
Mark Leonard              AM (R), ST (C)      16/01/2001 (20)  West Brom       0     0     6'2"   13st 7lbs  £5.5M   
Lawrence Warner           AM (RC), ST (C)     28/12/2000 (20)  Brighton        10    9     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £8M     
Ben Brereton              ST (C)              18/04/1999 (21)  Nottm Forest    3     0     6'1"   13st 0lbs  £8.25M  

 

England's friendlies at home to Germany and away to Denmark would be their last before the squad for the UEFA European Under-21s Championship was announced. With that in mind, Catterall named an experimental squad, with several fringe players and rookies being showcased.

 

West Ham United goalkeeper Callum Bickerstaff - on loan at League One mid-tablers Sheffield United - was one of five uncapped players. Attacking midfielder Gareth Robinson and frontman Mark Leonard got their first call-ups for the Under-21s, while opportunity knocked for keeper Aaron Ramsdale and midfield destroyer Leon Rowe again.

 

Robinson was having a fine season on loan at Huddersfield Town from his parent club Liverpool. Another Terriers loanee earned a recall in Arsenal winger Charles Ameobi, who'd scored 11 Championship goals thus far this term.

 

Young Lions captain Trent Alexander-Arnold was joined in the squad by another Liverpool prospect who'd been loaned to Derby County, with defensive stopper Joe Wright aiming to add to his three caps thus far. Hull City's Jadon Sancho and Nottingham Forest's Ben Brereton were also on three apiece as they returned to the fold.

 

Tom Davies and Joe Rankin-Costello - two relatively experienced midfielders - were 'rested', in part due to a lack of first-team football. In fairness to Rankin-Costello, Burnley's on-loan Arsenal star had just sat out three months with a broken foot. Injury was also a big reason in leaving behind Leicester City's flamboyant forward Reiss Nelson, who'd sustained a hernia in mid-February and was not quite fully fit.

 

Chris Scott failed to regain his place following injury, while Brian Farrell and Eddie Nketiah were also absent. Nketiah had scored 21 league goals for Cardiff City this term, but his 'axing' was not so much down to any loss in form as Catterall's desire to give other strikers their time to shine.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-19s squad - for European Under-19s Championship Elite Round

GOALKEEPERS: Dave Booth (Man Utd), Josh Vokes (Southend)

DEFENDERS: James Brown (Liverpool), Ray Butterfield (Oxford), Derek Howard (Plymouth), Ted Lapslie (Watford), Joe Mooney (Barnsley), Stephen Nugent (Burnley), Nick Ward (Arsenal)

MIDFIELDERS: Darren Bennett (Carlisle), Paul Hancock (Hull), Ross Moan (Man Utd), Petros Mavros (Hull), Peter Owen (Rochdale), Ashley Wells (Reading)

FORWARDS: Ollie Elmes (Liverpool), Ben Harvey (Liverpool), Anthony Hayward (Charlton)

 

The European Under-19s Championship Elite Round would take place late in March. England had to negotiate three tough matches against Germany, Croatia and Italy - and finish top of Group 6 - if they were to defend their title in Greece later in the year.

 

There was only one new face in the Young Lions squad this time around. Plymouth Argyle's Derek Howard - an 18-year-old Cumbrian on loan from Everton - got the nod after some excellent performances for the League One leaders.

 

Despite making an £875,000 transfer from Derby County to Newcastle United in January, midfielder Christian Smith could not retain his place in the England set-up. Andre Forbes, Jordan Laing, Jackson Stevens, Henry Torpey and Tony Vincent were other victims of Catterall's cull from 23 players to 18.

[CFuller]

***

 

The first international period of 2021 had arrived. England's senior players were all present and correct at St George's Park, where they began their preparations for their opening FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Greece.

 

England spent the second half of their Monday morning training session working on set-pieces. Technical coach David Platt oversaw proceedings, observing every little aspect of the defending and attacking of said set-pieces with his typical minute precision.

 

"Alright, lads!" Platt called out. "This is free-kick number 14! Yellow team to take it - seven yards right, five yards back from Blue team's near-left corner of their penalty area."

 

"You what, mate?" asked a bemused Brendan Galloway, wearing a blue bib.

 

Galloway's fellow 'blue' defender - and Manchester rival - John Stones exclaimed, "Can't we just gerron wi' this, Platto? We ain't got all day, y'know!"

 

Platt insisted, "Attention to detail, lads. That's what it's all about."

 

The free-kick was then swung into the box from the right by James Ward-Prowse, whose 'yellow' team-mate Daniel Sturridge duly jumped ahead of Galloway to nod it home. Sturridge then produced his trademark goal celebration as his colleagues congratulated him, only for Platt to state, "Brilliant header, Studge. In a regular game, though, that would've been disallowed, 'cos you were clearly holding Stones down there."

 

Sturridge shook his head in disappointment as Stones handed the ball back to Platt. The coach then lined up the next set-piece before declaring, "Free-kick number 15 now! Yellow team to take it - NINE yards right..."

 

An exasperated Galloway interrupted, "Enough, coach! We've got it now!"

 

Platt muttered, "Your loss," as Ward-Prowse prepared to curl this latest set-piece into the area. On that occasion, though, the delivery was a poor one, which Galloway intercepted and booted upfield.

 

Ward-Prowse put his hand up and told his team-mates, "Sorry, lads. Not good enough."

 

Platt put a hand on Ward-Prowse's shoulder and said, "Yeah, if you'd put a little bit more elevation into that free-kick, I think Studge or Hendo might've got to it." The coach then said, "Okay, lads! Swap places now! Now it's Blue to attack!"

 

As the players repositioned themselves, manager Mark Catterall called out from the touchline, "Try not to get too physical with each other now, lads! I don't want to see any more grappling! Got it?"

 

"Sure thing, gaffer," nodded 'yellow' defender Michael Keane as he and his team prepared for a free-kick from the right-hand touchline by 'blue' midfielder Jack Wilshere. He didn't strike the dead ball particularly cleanly, though he still got it into the box. Keane's awkward interception saw the ball go loose before being stabbed home by the blue-clad teenage striker Willie Field, who was relishing his first training session with the England training team.

 

"Great composure, Will!" Catterall beamed as he applauded the 19-year-old, who had earned a surprise call-up after scoring a hatful of Championship goals for his loan club Sheffield Wednesday. His delight was shared by a small group of teenage girls and young women, who cheered gleefully from behind a nearby gate.

 

"I guess that was a popular goal," said assistant manager Michael Burke.

 

The blue team's next set piece was taken by Dele Alli, who floated it towards the far post. Much to everyone's astonishment at St George's Park, Field broke away from his marker to chest Alli's delivery before lashing a right-footed volley into the far corner of the net. Jack Butland looked especially stunned in the yellow team's goal, standing with his hands on his hips as Field was mobbed by blue bibs.

 

There were further cheers from the primarily-female group outside the training ground, which had now swelled by a few more members. That caught the England coaches' attention again, with Burke asking Catterall, "D'you want me to have a word with them, Catts?"

 

"Let them be, Mick," Catterall said. "They're harmless. Besides, the lads could do with some outside encouragement."

 

"Yeah, I s'pose they're harmless. I can't imagine any of them being in Combat 18."

 

Field left the field before the next free-kick, as Platt had told him to have a rest after his quickfire double. When the youngster sat down on a chair beside Burke and Catterall, an overzealous woman declared, "WE WANT WILLIE!"

 

"I see the Willie Field fan club's in full voice," remarked defensive coach Warren Joyce.

 

Burke replied, "Either that, or there are a lot of undersexed call girls round these parts."

 

"I don't think I've seen a bunch of girls this excited about a young Merseysider since that massive pop group was on the Hit Parade all them years ago."

 

"What? You mean Kerry Katona and Atomic Kitten?"

 

"I was thinking more Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas myself..."

 

Burke gasped, "Billy J Kramer... bloomin' heck. I know you're getting on a bit, Joycey, but I didn't think you were that ancient!"

 

When another woman loudly proclaimed that she wanted Field to marry her, Catterall told the budding striker, "I can see why you're so popular, Will. You ain't a bad-looking lad if I may say so. Take it from me; I was the Blackpool Beckham before David Beckham was even a professional!"

 

Field smiled, "Blackpool? Funny you say that, 'cos I'm a Preston boy!"

 

Catterall chuckled, "Just be glad my old man ain't around to hear that! He hated North End almost as much as he hated the Germans."

 

"Oh, no, I ain't a Preston fan, gaffer. Liverpool 'til I die. Me dad's got a season ticket at Anfield, and it's my dream to play there one day."

 

"Well, lad, I'm sure you'll be playing there every other week if you keep progressing as you are. Now go on; I s'pose some of them lasses want autographs."

 

"I ain't too good at autographs yet..."

 

"No better time to start practicing, then!"

 

Field got up and approached the women, many of whom squealed excitedly as he started signing autographs. Out of curiosity, Catterall turned around to catch a proper glimpse of the group. One young mixed-race woman in particular caught his eye.

 

"Ashley?" he gasped. "What the hell?"

 

Mark walked towards the gate and caught Ashley's attention, asking her, "What are you doing here, Ashley? I thought you were still recovering from your injury."

 

Ashley replied uncertainly, "Yeah, kinda. Liverpool have sent me here to continue my rehab." Three months after tearing her Achilles tendon on her senior England debut, she still walked somewhat gingerly.

 

"How long have you got to go?"

 

"They say it might be another two or three months before I can play again. I'm still hoping I can get fit in time for the Euros."

 

"Just remember not to rush into your recovery."

 

"Course, Dad," Ashley nodded. She then asked for the whereabouts of her boyfriend - England Under-21s striker Lawrence Warner. "D'you know where Loz will be, by any chance?"

 

"The Under-21s are training two pitches up the path, to your left. If you're still struggling to find it, it'll be called the Tom Huddlestone Pitch now."

 

Ashley beamed, "Cheers, Dad! Love ya!"

 

"Love you too, Ash," Mark said, waving Ashley farewell as she limped up the pathway. He then turned back towards the pitch, just in time to see Platt get struck in the face by a flying football. The impact was so hard that it knocked Platt to the turf.

 

"Sorry!" came the swift apology from Keane.

 

His best mate Stones quipped, "Just as well it weren't no medicine ball this time, eh, Keano?"

 

"It's okay, lads," Platt winced as he gradually got back onto his feet. "I kinda had that coming after being so pedantic with you lot, didn't I?"

 

A few players stood and nodded uncertainly, prompting Platt to exclaim, "Come on! Free-kick number 20, Blue team to take it, 15 yards back from Yellow team's penalty arc! Chop, chop!"

[CFuller]

***

 

The last thing England needed before the Elite Round of the UEFA European Under-19s Championship was an injury crisis. That was just what Ledley King's Young Lions got, as no fewer than three of their initial 18-man squad were ruled out of the Group 6 opener against Germany through injury.

 

Their most significant loss was that of captain Stephen Nugent, who would miss the whole Elite Round after dislocating his hip in training. Burnley's on-loan Manchester United starlet was replaced by another Mancunian centre-half. Norwich City's Adam Byrne was an 18-year-old Stockport-born stopper who had spent the past two months on loan at Scunthorpe United.

 

Nugent's fellow Manchester United prospect Dave Booth would miss the Young Lions' opening match as well, with the goalkeeper having been concussed in an Under-18s match at Liverpool. Meanwhile, the Reds' highly-rated striker Ben Harvey was laid low with a nasty virus. Both Booth and Harvey hoped to be back to full fitness in time for subsequent games against Croatia and Italy.

 

That meant England were nowhere near full-strength for Germany's visit to Ewood Park. This was a rematch of the 2020 European Under-19s Championship Final, which the Young Lions won 3-2 after extra-time. At least one of these teams would be forced to miss the 2021 tournament.

 

Just three minutes into the match, the Young Lions had yet another injury concern to deal with. Petros Mavros twisted his ankle in a collision with Germany captain Claus Distel and was in some agony afterwards. The Chelsea attacking midfielder needed to come off for some treatment, but he later returned to the pitch.

 

By the 12th minute, Mavros had forgotten all about his ankle problem. He swung a lovely ball out left to Liverpool striker Ollie Elmes, who cut past German centre-half Gabriel Uzoho and placed a fantastic finish into the far corner. Mannschaft goalkeeper Ronny Zander could not have done a great deal about it.

 

Five minutes after falling behind, Germany almost restored parity through Schalke 04 striker Eldin Kazic. He got past defender Ray Butterfield to latch onto Nico Flader's first-time pass and drive it goalwards. Josh Vokes awkwardly parried it behind to concede a corner, which England made light work of.

 

Distel headed an Uzoho free-kick wide in the 20th minute, and Germany would soon find themselves falling further behind. England assumed full control of proceedings after 32 minutes, when Hull winger Paul Hancock met Elmes' cross with a deft header that evaded Zander. 2-0 to the Young Lions.

 

The Mannschaft were already getting a tad desperate, but a series of corner deliveries from Uzoho late in the first half gave them fresh hope of a comeback. The Bayer Leverkusen defender's best set-piece came three minutes from time, but winger Paul Neubauer nodded it over the crossbar.

 

England almost grabbed a third goal on the stroke of half-time, but Mavros could only volley Elmes' flick-on into the side netting. Mavros would be replaced at the interval by Charlton Athletic's on-loan Arsenal forward Anthony Hayward. Nick Ward - another Arsenal prospect - was taken out of the Young Lions' defence, with Byrne entering the fray for his international debut.

 

Six minutes into the second half, Neubauer skipped past a mistimed slide tackle from England right-back James Brown and drilled a low cross into the box. Kasic's close-range strike from the six-yard box was parried by Vokes, and Butterfield then cynically upended the striker to prevent him from tapping home the follow-up. That was a clear Mannschaft penalty if ever there was one.

 

Vokes had saved a German penalty once before in his England Under-19s career. The Tottenham Hotspur custodian - on loan at Southend United in League One - would rise to the occasion again here. The visitors' holding midfielder Maurice Preetz looked a bundle of nerves during his run-up to the penalty spot, and it showed when Vokes comfortably pushed a tame kick wide.

 

England's 2-0 lead remained intact, but they would soon lose another player. Hayward strained his knee ligaments after a hefty challenge with German midfielder David Dall in the 54th minute. Just nine minutes after coming on, the Londoner limped off to be replaced with Carlisle United's Darren Bennett.

 

As Hayward went down the tunnel for some treatment, another of England's Arsenal contingent celebrated a career highlight. After 65 minutes, Watford loanee left-back Ted Lapslie flicked in his first international goal, with a beautiful connection to captain Ross Moan's right-wing cross putting the Young Lions 3-0 up.

 

The Germans were now battling to simply restore some dignity before subsequent matches against Croatia and Italy. Substitute winger Ahmet Çolak - another Leverkusen prospect - targeted a consolation goal in the 71st minute but could only blaze it well off course.

 

On 75 minutes, England's injury predicament got even more ridiculous. Hancock came off worse in an aerial clash with Mannschaft wideman Robin Nachtigall, sustaining a nasty gash to his head. The still 16-year-old Yorkshireman had to leave the field briefly to have his wound strapped up, but he bravely soldiered on.

 

Shortly after Hancock's return a minute later, Germany dealt what proved to be simply a superficial blow to England. Borussia Dortmund's Robert Hartmann had scored 10 goals on loan at Ingolstadt in the 2. Bundesliga this season, so there was no real surprise when he dirtied Vokes' clean sheet, beating him at his near post.

 

However, the last laugh would be England's. Moan was delighted when he prodded a first-time pass from Peter Owen past Zander to give the Young Lions an insurmountable 4-1 lead four minutes from full-time. Like 'man of the match' Lapslie earlier, the Manchester United winger celebrated breaking his international goalscoring duck.

 

England had overcome Germany once again, with a 4-1 win sending them straight to the top of Group 6. Their next opponents Croatia also enjoyed a winning start against Italy, thanks to a solitary second-half goal from Marko Zupan.

 

22 March 2021: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Elite Group 6 - at Ewood Park, Blackburn

England U19s - 4 (Ollie Elmes 12, Paul Hancock 32, Ted Lapslie 65, Ross Moan 86)

Germany U19s - 1 (Robert Hartmann 76)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Josh Vokes; James Brown, Ray Butterfield, Nick Ward (Adam Byrne), Ted Lapslie; Peter Owen, Ashley Wells; Ross Moan, Petros Mavros (Anthony Hayward (Darren Bennett)), Paul Hancock; Ollie Elmes. BOOKED: Brown 90.

 

As suspected, it was game over as far as Hayward's and Mavros' Elite Rounds were concerned. Both men were forced to withdraw from the England squad for the next two group games.

 

Their misfortune meant reprieves for a couple of players who'd featured for the Under-19s previously. Hayward's Charlton team-mate Ben Logan was called up to provide extra midfield cover, while Brentford striker Henry Torpey was also reinstated.

[CFuller]

***

 

Three days after England trounced Germany in the Elite Round of the UEFA European Under-19s Championship, Ewood Park in Blackburn was ready to stage another Anglo-German confrontation. This time, it was the Under-21s who were doing battle in a friendly international.

 

Both teams had qualified for the upcoming European Under-21s Championship in Italy, albeit in contrasting styles. Germany had won nine of their ten qualifying matches, surprisingly drawing the other at home to Azerbaijan, and went through automatically. England finished 2nd in their group and needed to get through a play-off against the Czech Republic to continue their defence of the title they'd won in 2019.

 

Both teams had a number of players who'd come up against one another at the Final of the Under-19s Euros in Belfast the previous summer. German wunderkinds such as left-back Emanuele Amoruso and striker Takis Giannarakis would be out to exact revenge on their English counterparts, who included Charles Ameobi and Leon Rowe.

 

Leeds United midfielder Rowe - on loan at Coventry City - was one of four players who would make their Under-21s debuts here. Centre-forward Mark Leonard was given his bow from the start, while Rowe, Callum Bickerstaff and Gareth Robinson would all come off the bench during the second half.

 

Germany were first to try and draw blood, after five minutes. Hertha BSC midfielder Dominik Schwarz' searching pass was volleyed goalwards by Giannarakis, but the Borussia Dortmund goal-getter - enjoying a fine season on loan with second-division Augsburg - was thwarted by England keeper Will Mannion.

 

That brings us onto England's own frontman Leonard. The Manchester United youth product had taken a long time to score his first Premier League goals for loan club West Bromwich Albion, and then scored four in one match at home to Crystal Palace earlier in March. His first couple of shots for the Young Lions belied that recent upturn in form.

 

Leonard was very unlucky to flick a left-wing cross from Josh Tymon against the crossbar in the seventh minute. His next miss - from fellow Old Trafford starlet Stuart White's incisive pass two minutes later - was a less forgivable one that sailed over the crossbar. Leonard cleared the bar again in the 14th minute, though he did get somewhat closer to finding the net.

 

Schwarz, Giannarakis and Salih Özcan then missed chances for Germany midway through the first period. Özcan was, at 23, the oldest player in this Mannschaft squad. The attacking midfielder was in his first season at Borussia Dortmund, having been the subject of an £18million summer transfer from hometown club 1.FC Köln.

 

In the 32nd minute, Germany winger Alek Tkalcic curled a long-distance free-kick to Giannarakis just outside the England penalty area. Giannarakis' half-volley was charged down by White, thus wasting Tkalcic's good work. Things wouldn't get any better for Tkalcic when the Bayern Munich teenager tore his knee ligaments in a challenge from English counterpart Jonathan Leko three minutes later. His game was up.

 

After Jadon Sancho missed the target for England late in the first half, head coach David Byrne made a host of personnel changes. Amongst those who came on was Nottingham Forest's target man Ben Brereton, who almost got an assist to his name after 50 minutes. Brereton knocked Sancho's free-kick down to Leko, whose half-volley was pushed behind by Germany goalie Christian Früchtl - a recently-capped senior international who was being groomed as Manuel Neuer's long-term successor at Bayern.

 

England's disappointment would grow further in the 53rd minute. West Bromwich Albion defender Alistair Rattray made a total mess of his interception from Özcan's long ball to Giannarakis, allowing the striker to race behind and beat Mannion when one-on-one. Both Mannion and Rattray would be substituted immediately after Germany's opening goal.

 

Two minutes after gifting their visitors the lead, the Young Lions got back level through a moment of magic. Rowe was 10 minutes into his first cap for the Under-21s when he volleyed Mannschaft defender Philipp Pradl's headed clearance into the goal from 20 yards out. It was arguably amongst the most spectacular goals scored by an England level at any level in recent years.

 

The scoreline was now at 1-1, though Germany soon threatened to restore their lead. England's substitute goalkeeper Bickerstaff caught attempts from Özcan and Giannarakis in the 56th and 58th minutes. He then showed great acrobatics in the 72nd minute to stop a drive from RB Leipzig's teenage roaming playmaker Tim Rösler.

 

England's chances to win the game were somewhat limited. Früchtl was only seriously troubled once by the Young Lions after Rowe's stunner. That was in the 64th minute, when he pushed over Brereton's vicious attempt from Lawrence Warner's knock-down. Warner never remotely looked like getting the goal that would have taken his Under-21s tally into double figures.

 

An evenly-contested match ended somewhat tamely, though Byrne and his German adversary Stefan Kuntz were perhaps satisfied to share the spoils. Both sides had shown glimpses of their title-winning credentials in this first formal warm-up match for the European Championship.

 

25 March 2021: Under-21s International - at Ewood Park, Blackburn

England U21s - 1 (Leon Rowe 55)

Germany U21s - 1 (Takis Giannarakis 53)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Will Mannion (Callum Bickerstaff); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Jordan Williams), Alistair Rattray (Ben Sheaf), Adam Mingay (Reece Oxford), Josh Tymon (Ryan Sessegnon); Joe Wright (Sam Field), Neil Campbell (Leon Rowe); Jonathan Leko (Lawrence Warner), Stuart White (Gareth Robinson), Jadon Sancho (Charles Ameobi); Mark Leonard (Ben Brereton).

[CFuller]

***

 

While England's Under-21s were battling their German rivals in Blackburn, Mark Catterall and his senior side were over 3,500 miles away in Central Asia. The Three Lions could not have ventured further from home to begin their pursuit of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which they hoped would end in glory in Morocco 472 days later.

 

England's first qualifying match took place in the 30,000-capacity Astana Arena against Kazakhstan - arguably one of the weakest teams they would face in Group 5. These teams had met only twice previously, with the Three Lions recording a couple of convincing wins in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

 

Ranked 118th in the world by FIFA, Kazakhstan had very few players based outside the former Soviet Union. One of them was chief playmaker Bauyrzhan Islamkhan, who had graced Ligue 2 with Stade Reims for the previous four seasons. Islamkhan almost missed this match after bruising his shin in training, but the 28-year-old was given the all-clear by the Kazakh medical team.

 

Catterall was confident that he would brush the Qarşığalar - which translated into English as 'The Hawks' - aside, so he benched several regular starters for what was likely to be a tougher test at home to Greece three days later. As a result, he fielded one of the least experienced starting XIs picked by an England manager in recent times.

 

There were no fewer than three debutants in the line-up - Manchester United centre-half Axel Tuanzebe (aged 23), Stoke City right-back Peter Turner (aged 20), and Sheffield Wednesday's explosive goal machine Willie Field (aged 19). Field and Turner shared the honour of being the first full England internationals who were born in the 2000s.

 

Tuanzebe was one of three Manchester United defenders to feature from the outset, alongside Luke Shaw and Brendan Galloway. Their attacking midfield club-mate Callum Gribbin - on loan at Norwich City - made his first senior international start at the age of 22, following a couple of substitute appearances.

 

There were, though, two stalwarts in England's midfield. Captain Jordan Henderson was awarded his 80th cap, and Jack Wilshere his 75th. Catterall bargained that their experience and cool-headedness would help the younger players to settle quickly.

 

Rather worryingly, England didn't enjoy the best of starts. Galloway was booked after just two minutes for pushing Sergei Khizhnichenko - Kazakhstan's all-time top scorer, with 16 goals. The 29-year-old Irtysh Pavlodar striker then had had a fifth-minute free-kick saved by Jack Butland, following Tuanzebe's trip on Islamkhan.

 

At the other end, the Kazakhs wasted no time in giving Field a baptism of fire. The teenage Lancastrian suffered a slight thigh strain after just three minutes, and was the victim of a rough challenge from home defender Denis Drozdov four minutes later. Henderson took the subsequent free-kick, which deflected off Khizhnichenko in the wall and was safely caught by Stas Pokatilov.

 

The referee booked another England player in the 11th minute, cautioning Shaw for tripping Kazakhstan's teen winger Anatoly Romanov. The hosts then put together another promising attacking move, though Khizhnichenko's shot from the 'D' didn't seriously trouble Butland.

 

Things got a little more awkward for Pokatilov in the 14th minute, when he frantically pushed away a 20-yard drive from England forward Michail Antonio. The Qarşığalar survived another stern test ten minutes later, as midfielder Sergey Scherbakov blocked an attempt from Wilshere.

 

The remainder of the first 30 minutes passed by without England creating any real openings. Wilshere was being deployed as a deep-lying playmaker, rather than a more advanced one, and he didn't look particularly comfortable in that role. Antonio, Field and Jesse Lingard didn't get much in the way of service until the half reached its latter stages.

 

In the 37th minute, Henderson intercepted Islambek Kuat's attempted knockdown to Islamkhan on the halfway line. He then hoisted it ahead of Field, who burst behind the defence and looked odds-on to score a dream debut goal. Alas, his shot was too close to Pokatilov, who tipped it wide.

 

Field's confidence dropped after that great opportunity passed him by. His next two efforts before the half-time whistle each failed to find the target. More encouragingly, Wilshere did have a 43rd-minute free-kick saved by Pokatilov.

 

Though the half-time scoreline was 0-0, Catterall wasn't overly concerned. England's first ever encounter with Kazakhstan in 2008 had been goalless for the opening period, before the Three Lions turned on the style and won 5-1. The prospect of a similar second-half rout could not be discounted.

 

Catterall reverted to a 4-4-2 diamond for the second half and made a couple of substitutions. Danny Rose replaced the cautioned Shaw at left-back, while Eric Dier joined the midfield at the expense of Antonio. Lingard moved up front alongside Field.

 

The manager kept faith in Field, hoping that the 19-year-old would settle down in the second half. He did not. Five minutes after the restart, a promising attempt from Wilshere's pass into the Kazakh box fizzed just past Pokatilov's right-hand post.

 

Gribbin too was starting to resemble the proverbial rabbit in the headlights. A dismal free-kick in the 55th minute was followed two minutes later by a similarly disappointing strike from Field's through-ball. On that occasion, the ball ballooned well over the top.

 

As the wait for a breakthrough goal continued, a third England goal lost his discipline. Rose bundled Romanov over in the 62nd minute to pick up his yellow card from Paolo Valeri, who then booked Kazakhstan midfielder Andrei Garkusha a minute later for upending Field.

 

With about a quarter of the game to go, Catterall got increasingly desperate for a goal. He turned to vice-captain Harry Kane on the subs' bench and told him, "You're up, Harry."

 

Kane was visibly raring to go. When asked by Catterall if he knew what he had to do, the 27-year-old Tottenham Hotspur striker said, "Go out there, get some goals."

 

"I'd happily take just one goal right now," Catterall admitted as the fourth official raised his substitution board. Much to the surprise of many England fans in Astana, it wasn't Field's number 9 that was lit up in red, but Lingard's number 11. The Celta Vigo forward shook his head in bemusement as he reluctantly made way for Kane, who would partner Field up top until the conclusion.

 

That 'one goal' the England boss had been hoping for almost came after 69 minutes. Galloway flicked Wilshere's corner to his United colleague Tuanzebe at the back post, but the newcomer nodded just wide.

 

Dier wasted another chance for the Three Lions on 72 minutes before Wilshere had a couple of attempts saved by Pokatilov. The 28-year-old Kairat Almaty goalkeeper would not have to do much more in the final 15 minutes, as England's attackers ran out of steam.

 

Kazakhstan had to play the final seven minutes of the match with just ten men, after left-back Gafurzhan Suiumbaev tore his hamstring in a clash with Kane. Despite that, it was the Qarşığalar who looked most likely to get a late winner.

 

The match concluded with three anxious minutes of stoppage time as far as England were concerned. The Three Lions had to defend against a couple of late Kazakh corners, between which Dier picked up his team's fourth yellow card for tripping Garkusha.

 

Though England avoided the ultimate humiliation of losing the points late on, the full-time scoreline was still a shocking one. ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley concluded his shift by grimly telling viewers, "Do not adjust your sets. Here at the Astana Arena, it really has finished Kazakhstan 0, England 0."

 

Catterall was as stunned as anyone in the stadium when he shook the hand of Kazakhstan's manager Talgat Baisufinov at the final whistle. England had suffered one of the most humbling results in their history, failing to score even once against a team considered by the FIFA World Rankings to be weaker than the likes of Mauritania, Sierra Leone and Curaçao.

 

The Three Lions' record of 32 successive victories in major tournament qualifiers - 20 of which had come under Catterall's management - had been blown apart in the most unexpected manner. As far as Group 5 was concerned, they were now already playing catch-up with Greece (who destroyed Liechtenstein 5-0 at home) and Bosnia & Herzegovina (who saw off Armenia 3-1).

 

England really needed to get back on track, sharpish. In less than 72 hours' time, they would return to Wembley desperate for a redemptive victory over Greece. Catterall knew that another poor result there would not go down at all well with the Three Lions' long-suffering supporters.

 

25 March 2021: FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualifying Group 5 - at Astana Arena, Astana

Kazakhstan - 0

England - 0

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Jack Butland; Peter Turner, Axel Tuanzebe, Brendan Galloway, Luke Shaw (Danny Rose); Jack Wilshere, Jordan Henderson; Jesse Lingard (Harry Kane), Callum Gribbin, Michail Antonio (Eric Dier); Willie Field. BOOKED: Galloway 2, Shaw 11, Rose 62, Dier 90+3.

 

The England manager was understandably unwilling to talk to the press after his darkest hour yet, and the ITV punditry team wasted little time in laying into his plans.

 

Ian Wright said, "As an England fan, and as an ex-England striker, I was embarrassed with what I saw tonight. I mean, our passing was proper slapdash, and we missed so many great opportunities in front of goal that it was unreal.

 

"I'm all for giving the kids a chance with England, but not when you're so far from home in an atmosphere like this. Axel did alright, to be fair to the lad, but Turner and Field never looked comfortable out there. Tough away games like these are when you need your experienced players to step up and get it won, get it done. No messing around with trying out tactics or players that you don't know much about."

 

Lee Dixon declared, "I'll come out and say it. Mark Catterall is the most overrated manager in world football.

 

"England might have achieved so much in five years, but look at how they managed all that. At the World Cup, no disrespect, but they only had to beat Uruguay and Switzerland to reach the Semi Finals. At the Euros, they needed penalties to beat Denmark in the Semi. And in the Nations League last autumn, they needed Austria to do them a huge favour after blowing their chance in Brussels."

 

Wright argued, "I wouldn't argue that Catts is overrated, Dicko. I just thought he didn't have the right gameplan for tonight."

 

"But here's the thing, Ian. We've been here before with Catterall so many times in the past! We've been here in matches against Slovenia, Lithuania, Moldova - matches that were still 0-0 with not long to go, before England eventually found a way through. I didn't see anything tonight that suggested England could get over the line.

 

"It was only a matter of when Catterall's tactics got figured out. As much as you can praise the quality of Kazakhstan's defending and tactical awareness, you also have to say, Ian, that a more astute manager would've figured out what the problem was and fixed it by now."

 

Presenter Mark Pougatch then said, "We'll continue this debate a bit later, gents, but let's now hear what our Soviet football expert makes of this quite extraordinary result. Are you there, Dave?"

[EvilDave]

8 hours ago, CFuller said:

Presenter Mark Pougatch then said, "We'll continue this debate a bit later, gents, but let's now hear what our Soviet football expert makes of this quite extraordinary result. Are you there, Dave?"

"I am indeed Mark, and it is an honour to be here on what is a famous night for Kazakhstan. Football might struggle with dead goat polo for popularity, but if a result like this doesn't get a nation excited I don't know what will.

"Looking back through their history - and you have to remember there's only 30 years of it, this is without a doubt the biggest result the Қаршығалар have ever managed. I mean, they beat Serbia 2-1 in a Euro 2008 qualifier, and held Belgium to two draws in that same round of qualifying, but the fact of the matter is that this is a side with just four wins from 24 matches with Georgia, Armenia, Latvia and the Faroe Islands. Despite the vast landmass, the Kazakhs are far from a superpower.

"That said, the Kazakhstani government has been pouring money into sports facilities, especially in the capital, and it's beginning to pay off - who could forget that famous goalless draw between Astana and Atletico Madrid in the 2015 Champions League? Then of course you have Andrei Arshavin signing for Kairat in 2016, and going the other way Konstantin Engel being signed by Osnabruck, Alexandr Merkel in the Dutch leagues - players are starting to get noticed outside of their homeland.

"So we may have the beginning of a golden generation of Kazakh footballers on our hands, or we may have simply another false dawn for this proud but young nation. Indeed, we're already hearing reports that the manager Talgat Baisufinov is being considered for the vacant Lokomotiv Moscow manager's role. That would be oddly apt of course, because Baisufinov's father once worked on the railways in Stepnogorsk in the 1970s..."

*The line to Dave is cut as the camera pans back to a studio of snoring ITV presenters*

[CFuller]

1 minute ago, EvilDave said:

*The line to Dave is cut as the camera pans back to a studio of snoring BBC presenters*

Oops. Looks like one of my cats touched the remote control and changed the channel. 

I've switched it back to ITV, but now they're on another ad break. 

[EvilDave]

Continuity error, what continuity error?! 

[CFuller]

***

 

The goalless draw against Kazakhstan had left England manager Mark Catterall in a state of utter disbelief. He endured a restless night at the team's hotel in Astana as he fretted over what he anticipated would be a furious reaction back home.

 

After waking up on Friday morning, Catterall checked his email inbox. One of the messages he'd received was from Ava Leggett - the FA's Director of Communications.

 

"Good morning, Mark," Leggett wrote, seemingly with some disdain. She had attached a series of images to the email; these were scans from the front pages of the morning newspapers back in London.

 

The Sun did not hesitate to lampoon Catterall once again, depicting him as Sacha Baron Cohen's fictional Kazakhstani journalist Borat Sagdiyev donning a green 'mankini'. Their headline read, "WHAT A JAGSHEMASH," echoing one of Borat's catchphrases.

 

In the inside pages, The Sun also used one of Catterall's former controversies as ammunition against him. "CATTS ON THE VODKA" referred not just to one of Kazakhstan's most popular exports, but also to allegations that the manager his assistant Michael Burke had once plied an England player with such a beverage.

 

The Daily Mirror's front page labelled England's football as "CATT-ATONIC", with reporter Mark Owens claiming, "England have been sleepwalking since the Euro Final. If Catterall cannot awake them from their stupor soon, embarrassing draws against Ivory Coast and now Kazakhstan might not be the lowest they fall."

 

Catterall's decision to select three debutants in his starting XI attracted strong criticism from The Daily Mail, whose headline read, "THE KIDS AREN'T ALL RIGHT: Rookies flop as England held in Kazakhstan".

 

Catterall was dismayed to read those headlines, and he was determined to remind his team of what was expected of them. After showing and getting changed, he knocked on the doors of all his players' rooms to deliver a simple message, "Emergency meeting, executive lounge, 9 o'clock. NOT OPTIONAL."

 

At 9:00am, all the players and coaching staff convened at the executive lounge. Catterall stood before them to say, "I was going to leave this meeting until we got back home... but after last night's appalling, SHAMEFUL result, I feel like I've gotta get some things off my chest as soon as."

 

Captain Jordan Henderson nodded, "Go ahead, boss. Be honest. Don't hold back."

 

"We've played seven matches since the European Championship Final," Catterall said. He then held up two fingers as he continued, "We've won two of them, both by a single goal. WHAT THE F*** has happened since then?"

 

Centre-half John Stones shrugged, "I dunno. I guess t' other teams have took us more serious than before. T'opposition weren't giving our forwards much space last night."

 

Catterall nodded, "That may be true, but don't give the attacking players an excuse. You have to adapt and overcome; be more patient and draw the defenders of position out when they're sitting deep. Don't keep trying to batter them into submission, because that'll only make the defenders stand their ground even more!"

 

"Maybe we wouldn't be rushing into things if you didn't put us under so much pressure," Daniel Sturridge argued. "And to be honest, boss, it don't exactly give me much confidence that you'd rather play a 19-year-old up front."

 

Catterall responded, "Leave Willie Field out of this! He didn't have a great time of it last night, but at least he got into some promising positions. That's more than I could say about your recent performances."

 

Sturridge was stunned. "What's the deal, gaffer? Seriously? What are you biting my head off for?"

 

Playmaker Jack Wilshere argued, "Why are you having a go at us experienced players? We didn't ask to have a load of kids thrown into the team at short notice!"

 

Dele Alli nodded, "I agree with Jack. You need your best players in the World Cup quallies, no matter who you're playing. I think only Shaw, Wilshere and Hendo from the starting line-up last night have played for England regularly. That was nothing like our strongest team."

 

Harry Kane concurred, "Yeah, whatever Dele said. And whatever Jack said, obviously."

 

Catterall stressed, "Lads, I don't have strongest teams or second-string teams. I have 23 excellent footballers, and all of you should be capable of beating whatever's in front of you. Anyway, I was hardly gonna throw Dele and Harry and the Man City boys on last night when we've got Greece at home in two days!"

 

"We all want to play when we can," Alli insisted. "We never wanna miss any games when we're representing our country."

 

"That's usually not possible, Dele. Sometimes you need to be realistic and accept that certain matches are more important than others."

 

Luke Shaw asked, "Can I say something?" to which Catterall nodded.

 

The left-back then stated, "At United, José [Mourinho] likes us to play direct, counter-attacking football. We've beaten pretty much everyone except the New England Patriots playing that way. Why don't we do that with England?"

 

Catterall flatly dismissed Shaw's suggestion, "The day England start playing counter-attacking football on my watch is the day I retire."

 

Shaw fumed, "That's the problem! You're stuck in your old ways! It's all well and good trying to keep the ball and pass it around like Barcelona, but we don't actually do anything with it!"

 

Shaw's comments drew a round of applause from several team-mates. Though slightly taken aback, Catterall went back on the offensive.

 

"Counter-attacking football is just not the English way, Luke, and that's not the way I like my teams to play football. I will not abandon my principles just to satisfy a load of overpaid nancy boys who don't give a s*** about playing for their country!

 

"If you truly cared about England, you wouldn't have let last night's catastrophe happen! You would have taken your fingers out of your arses and done whatever you damn could to make sure we came out of that match with all three points, not to mention the country's dignity and pride!"

 

The room fell so deafly silent upon Catterall's remarks that one could hear a pin drop. After an awkward silence, Henderson shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, boss, but that's uncalled for."

 

"I've had enough of this!" Shaw exclaimed. "I'm out of here. Who's joining me?"

 

Jesse Lingard growled, "Let's go, SQUAD!" as he and most of the England players got off their chairs and walked out of the room. Only six stayed behind - Michail Antonio, Brendan Galloway, Nathan Redmond, Axel Tuanzebe, Peter Turner and Freddie Woodman.

 

Manchester United defender Galloway said, "I don't agree with everything the others are saying, but I see where they're coming from. We could do with a bit more freedom to express ourselves on the pitch."

 

Southampton winger Redmond - the most-capped player who hadn't walked out - added, "They've made their point, gaffer. Things ain't right. Something has gotta change."

 

Catterall sighed, "Alright. I'll figure something out for Sunday. In the meantime, it would help if you could try and get the rest of the lads back on side. A dressing-room split is the last thing we need right now."

 

"Of course, gaffer. We'll do all we can."

[CFuller]

***

 

England went into the second match of the European Under-19s Championship Elite Round without three of their star men. Anthony Hayward and Petros Mavros had each sustained serious injuries during their opening Group 6 win over Germany, while skipper Stephen Nugent had been forced out of the squad beforehand.

 

Fortunately, goalkeeper Dave Booth and striker Ben Harvey were back training again after recovering from injury and illness respectively. They both made it onto the flight to Croatia for the Young Lions' next group game in Dugopolje, but they were likely to be benchwarmers at most.

 

Ledley King's side were on a high after extending their winning streak to 11 consecutive matches. Croatia were also in fine fettle as well, though, having scraped past Italy 1-0 in their first group match. The winner of this confrontation would move on to six points, and thus all but secure qualification for July's finals tournament in Greece.

 

Less than four minutes after kick-off, England took what appeared to be a huge stride towards the finals. Injury replacement Henry Torpey marked his international recall by imperiously rising to flick goalkeeper Josh Vokes' drop-kick ahead of his strike partner Ollie Elmes. The Liverpool forward then got past Croatian centre-back Mladen Skerjanc to half-volley in the opening goal.

 

The hosts' three-man defence looked in further disarray in the seventh minute. Dario Soljic's awful clearance of a cross by Ted Lapslie only fell as far as England midfielder Ashley Wells, who volleyed the ball inches off target.

 

Attacking midfielder Ben Logan - another late call-up to the Young Lions squad - went for goal in the 15th minute. Charlton Athletic's loanee from Arsenal struck from just inside the Croatian 'D', but his effort was stopped by an excellent diving catch from Ante Rog.

 

Having survived most of England's early advances, Croatia started to put some attacking pressure on their hosts. Vatreni striker Ante Sunjic was caught offside in the 26th minute, but it was he who would create the equalising goal four minutes later.

 

Kristijan Petkovic's corner delivery was flicked out right by Deni Camber to Skerjanc, who'd been booked earlier in the first half for a trip on Elmes. Skerjanc skipped past a mistimed sliding challenge from Torpey and then swung a deep cross to Sunjic, who played the ball back for Slaven Belupo wideman Vedran Tomic to blast home.

 

Tomic almost turned from scorer to creator within a minute of his leveller. A fantastic ball over the top found striker Marko Zupan, who had just Vokes to beat. However, the 17-year-old from Dinamo Zagreb couldn't follow up his match-winning goal in Croatia's group opener versus Italy, as his strike fizzed past the far post.

 

The momentum was now Croatia's, though they were temporarily knocked off their stride when Petkovic was taken out by a slide tackle from Wells in the 38th minute. Petkovic dislocated his shoulder in the resulting fall and was stretchered off the field, to be replaced by another midfielder in Djuro Brekalo.

 

If Petkovic's injury had silenced the home supporters, Sunjic sent them roaring again in the final minute of the first half. Sunjic got behind England defender Nick Ward to run onto a pinpoint pass from Zupan, which he subsequently chipped over a despairing Vokes to put Croatia 2-1 up at the interval.

 

Ward was replaced by winger Ross Moan during the interval as England opted for a more ambitious approach. The greater emphasis on their attack left them somewhat vulnerable at the back. Croatia's defensive midfielder Ivica Kocijan almost squirmed a daisy-cutter underneath Vokes in the 49th minute, but the Young Lions custodian did well to turn it round his left-hand post.

 

Vokes saved another Kocijan shot in the 51st minute, before tipping over a dangerous left-wing cross from Brekalo six minutes later. His Croatian counterpart Rog then denied Darren Bennett an equaliser for the Young Lions shortly before the hour.

 

Vokes was doing a fine job in the English goal, but he would be compromised by further shoddy defending on 66 minutes. England's back four were all over the place as Camber exchanged passes with Vedran Zelic, whose drilled cross teed up a lethal finish from fellow second-half substitute Ivan Corluka.

 

The Young Lions were not used to trailing by two goals, but they showed great determination to try and salvage a point from a tough position. Defender Joe Mooney's 73rd-minute free-kick was charged down by Corluka, who played for the magnificently-named West Virginia Chaos in the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid.

 

On 74 minutes, Wells rifled in a half-volley that Rog caught confidently. Rog produced a more spectacular save five minutes later, using his fingertips to divert away an ambitious piledriver from Elmes.

 

Peter Owen also went for the spectacular in the 83rd minute, when he drove Logan's square ball goalwards from the edge of the 'D'. The England substitute midfielder couldn't have fired it any more sweetly into Rog's top-right corner, thus reducing the Young Lions' arrears to 3-2.

 

Sadly for the away supporters, Owen's strike would be the last their team could muster all game. The Vatreni kept England in their half for what little time remained, even threatening to restore their two-goal cushion on a couple of occasions. Vokes' excellent late saves from Camber and Kocijan would ultimately mean little in the context of the result.

 

This was the first match England's Under-19s had lost since Portugal eliminated them from the 2019 European Championship at the Semi Finals. 20 victories and three draws had followed that loss, but now Croatia had finally figured how to get the better of King's men.

 

Croatia's triumph meant that they would secure qualification for the Euros with a draw in their final group match, at home to Germany on 30 March. The Mannschaft had kept alive their slim hopes of finishing top after a 3-0 home win over Italy, who were eliminated from contention with a second consecutive defeat.

 

If England were to have any hope of qualifying at the Vatreni's expense, they would have to beat Italy in Palermo, and hope that the Germans did themselves a favour. If not, the Young Lions' title defence would end before the finals themselves had even started.

 

26 March 2021: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Elite Group 6 - at Hrvatski Vitezovi, Dugopolje

Croatia U19s - 3 (Vedran Tomic 30, Ante Sunjic 45, Ivan Corluka 66)

England U19s - 2 (Ollie Elmes 4, Peter Owen 83)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Josh Vokes; Derek Howard, Adam Byrne (Ray Butterfield), Nick Ward (Ross Moan), Ted Lapslie; Joe Mooney; Ashley Wells, Darren Bennett (Peter Owen); Ben Logan; Henry Torpey, Ollie Elmes.

[CFuller]

***

 

Around 72 hours after that night in Astana, England's supporters expected an immediate return to something resembling the form of UEFA European Championship finalists. Manager Mark Catterall expected the same as well at Wembley, where the Three Lions prepared to face Greece in their first home qualifier for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

 

Catterall's players entered their dressing room to find that a dining table had been placed in the middle of the room. On the table were five bowls, all of which were filled with screwed-up or shredded pieces of newspaper.

 

Southampton forward Nathan Redmond seemed particularly perplexed by the display. He turned to Catterall and asked, "Erm, gaffer... what's this?"

 

"You'll see, Nathan."

 

Once everyone had made their way inside, Catterall said, "I suppose you're wondering what the hell this is about."

 

Assistant manager Michael Burke said, "I don't know about you lads, but I'm wondering what the hell has happened to the Wembley catering budget."

 

Coach Tony Adams asked, "This ain't 'cos of them FA budget cuts, is it? F***ing austerity."

 

Catterall explained, "What you're seeing are recycled newspaper reports for the Kazakhstan game. If you don't win tonight, that is your post-match dinner. If you do win, we'll send all this off to the press box."

 

Captain Jordan Henderson asked, "So you want them journos to eat their words? Literally?"

 

"Yes, Jordan," Catterall nodded. "They've been very critical of us lately - and they've been justified sometimes. Now you've got the chance to make them think again about what they write 'bout this team at full-time."

 

A curious Burke picked a screwed-up cutting out of one of the bowls. He unfurled it and said, "This is from the Mirror, ain't it? I can see Mark Owens' writing from a mile off."

 

"Yep." Catterall then pointed to each of the other five bowls in turn, saying, "That one's the Telegraph... the Mail... the Times... and the Express. You might want to avoid that last bowl if you've got a nut allergy, 'cos it's full of bollocks."

 

Redmond asked, "What about The Sun?"

 

Catterall scoffed, "Come on, Nathan! I wouldn't even feed The Sun to my boy's dog... if my boy had a dog, that was."

 

Vice-captain and striker Harry Kane asked, "So you want us to go out there and get some goals, else we're eating this? What about if we win?"

 

"You can eat whatever you want."

 

"Even fish and chips?"

 

"NO, NOT..." Kane then looked at the floor sadly, prompting Catterall to backtrack, "Ah, fine, you can have fish and chips if you want to!"

 

"Cheers, boss," Kane smiled. "You know how to make us feel better."

 

Left-back Luke Shaw was still a little sceptical, saying "This looks a bit naff, to be honest, gaffer. What have you got planned for Greece?"

 

Catterall replied, "Nothing on the culinary front, Luke. In terms of the match, I want you and the other wide players to cause as many problems as you can. Stretch their defence out and exploit the spaces they leave."

 

Shaw nodded, "Sounds like a plan. By the way... sorry about what happened in the hotel on Friday. I got a little bit heated and shouldn't have kicked off like I did."

 

"Don't mention it, Luke," Catterall said before putting a hand on Shaw's left shoulder. "I said some regretful things in Astana myself, but that's in the past now. As far as tonight goes, I just want you to focus on carrying out your duties and making sure we don't repeat past mistakes."

 

The England line-up for this match of a familiar look to it than that which had toiled to an embarrassing goalless draw in Kazakhstan. Big-hitters such as Manchester City defenders John Stones and Michael Keane, and Valencia forward Daniel Sturridge, were reinstated.

 

There were four Tottenham Hotspur players in this England XI, including Kane. The 27-year-old striker would skipper the Three Lions at the start of a competitive international for the first time, as Henderson was amongst those players who were dropped to the bench.

 

Unlike England, Greece had begun their Group 5 campaign by ruthlessly despatching a minnow nation, thrashing Liechtenstein 5-0 in Piraeus. The Galanolefki were managed by Michael Skibbe - a 55-year-old German who'd been at the helm for over five years, but had yet to guide his team to a major tournament.

 

Chelsea centre-back Kostas Manolas was the Greece player that English supporters were arguably most familiar with. Rival supporters at Fulham could be excused for wishing they'd forgotten about Kostas Mitroglou. The towering centre-forward failed to score during a brief stint at Craven Cottage in 2014, but suddenly rediscovered his golden touch upon joining Benfica, for whom he'd now bagged 78 Primeira Liga goals in six years.

 

The teams emerged from the tunnel to subdued applause from a capacity crowd at Wembley. England clearly needed to get off to a strong start in order to rouse their supporters.

 

Just two minutes after kick-off, James Ward-Prowse chipped a promising long free-kick into the Greece box. Shaw got above Galanolefki defender Panagiotis Retsos to power a header towards goal from the edge of the area, but Stefanos Kapino made an assured catch.

 

Kane had England's next attempt at goal in the 10th minute. It was an audacious 25-yarder that ricocheted off Greek full-back Marios Oikonomou before Manolas cleared it out of harm's way.

 

Greece's first attack three minutes later was a weak one. Olympiacos midfielder Kostas Fortounis' free-kick ricocheted off Nathan Redmond in the England wall, and goalkeeper Jack Butland made light work of Manolas' follow-up cross. The Three Lions then launched a counter-attack that resulted in Sturridge pulling Eric Dier's incisive pass wide of goal.

 

Redmond would later emerge as England's main attacking threat. In the 20th minute, he dribbled past Andreas Samaris and cut inside before unleashing a powerful strike that Kapino tipped wide. Greek captain Samaris would be booked barely a minute later for a trip on Kane.

 

The momentum then shifted back towards the Galanolefki, who had a couple more chances to take a shock lead. Fortunately for the hosts, Butland displayed assured goalkeeping skills to catch free-kicks from Fortounis in the 24th minute and Samaris in the 28th. The latter free-kick had been awarded after Mitroglou was upended by Stones, who collected a yellow card from Spanish referee Luis Rubio.

 

England survived that encouraging spell from Greece and were soon on the attack themselves. For a while, they remained unable to break down a typically stubborn Greek defence, which Redmond would eventually unlock after 37 minutes.

 

It was captain Kane who arguably deserved most credit for ending the stranglehold. Upon receiving a Sturridge pass 25 yards from goal, Kane held the ball up brilliantly, and then laid it off to Redmond just as Manolas was lunging at him. Redmond brushed past Retsos to latch onto the killer ball, and his subsequent finish prompted a large collective roar of relief across Wembley.

 

That Redmond goal turned the tide inexorably towards England. Though Kapino prevented Sturridge from doubling England's lead in the 38th minute, he would soon be beaten for a second time.

 

In the 40th minute, Borussia Mönchengladbach's young centre-half Stefanos Evangelou paid the price for a clumsy challenge on Kane. The England skipper's Tottenham colleague Ward-Prowse stepped forward to take the resulting free-kick 30 yards from goal. He swerved it majestically over the wall and into the top corner, albeit with more than a little help from the woodwork.

 

Another Tottenham midfielder attempted to score from another direct free-kick in the 42nd minute, following Oikonomou's foul on Sturridge. Dier's effort was rather less impressive than Ward-Prowse's, soaring over the bar.

 

Two minutes later, though, England took another huge step towards securing victory. Redmond rounded off an excellent first period with a delightful delivery to Sturridge, who lashed in an unstoppable finish at the far post. That was the Brummie's 28th international goal, but his first since the UEFA Euro 2020 Group Stage win over Switzerland.

 

England's seven-minute surge left them with a comfortable 3-0 lead to protect in the second period. Catterall only felt the need to make a single personnel change before the restart, subbing on Henderson for Dier.

 

The Three Lions began the second half brightly, seeking a fourth goal on 50 minutes. Dele Alli played a fine pass into the Greece penalty area for Kane, who selflessly squared the ball to Redmond after being crowded out by four blue shirts. Redmond's strike couldn't get the better of Kapino, as the Wolverhampton Wanderers keeper restored some pride with an excellent reflex save.

 

A couple of early England corners amounted to nothing, while Greek attacks were almost non-existent. Mitroglou had done hardly anything all evening, so it was no shock when Skibbe replaced the languid 33-year-old with the more energetic PAOK Salonika forward Giannis Mystakidis after 56 minutes.

 

As the Galanolefki continued to struggle, England put together one of their best passing moves in the 64th minute. Redmond really should have rounded it off with a fantastic finish from just inside the penalty box, but he was disappointed to power it clean over Kapino's bar.

 

When the second half reached its halfway point, Catterall shifted his focus towards future matches. Stones was already on a booking, so he didn't want to risk the 26-year-old ball-playing defender picking up another. Manchester United's Axel Tuanzebe took his place for the closing stages as the 23-year-old made his England home debut.

 

Replacing his most experienced defender with a relative rookie was a gamble that could've backfired on Catterall on another day, against a stronger team than Greece. The visitors threatened to pull a goal back after 69 minutes, when Mystakidis' piledriver drew a fingertip save out of Butland. Fortounis also unleashed a powerful effort a minute later, narrowly clearing the bar.

 

The England boss decided to blood another of his rising stars for the final 15 minutes, resting Kane in favour of teenage wonderkid Willie Field. The 19-year-old Sheffield Wednesday striker had wilted on his Three Lions debut against Kazakhstan, but he looked rather more composed during this cameo.

 

Indeed, Field almost sent the Wembley crowd to raptures in the penultimate minute. Tuanzebe eased the ball off Greek substitute Dimitris Melikiotis and punted it ahead of Field, who cleared the defence and struck a half-volley from 20 yards out. Sadly, the young Lancastrian's effort swerved inches wide.

 

Though the second half ended goalless, this was a welcome return to form for England. The only real disappointment to come out of this game was that Shaw had received another yellow card in the 80th minute, following a mistimed challenge on Greece's Angers winger Giorgos Manthatis. Catterall would now be without his first-choice left-back through suspension for England's next fixture - the UEFA Nations League Semi Final in Germany on 11 June.

 

England's 3-0 victory saw them leapfrog Greece into 2nd place. Their next opponents in the World Cup qualifiers would be Bosnia & Herzegovina, who now topped Group 5 by a couple of points after scoring four goals without reply in Liechtenstein.

 

And what became of Kazakhstan after their historic clean sheet against the Three Lions? The Qarşığalar only went and produced another stunning result, defeating Armenia 2-1 in Yerevan to move up to 3rd place. Nobody was calling them 'minnows' anymore, that was for certain!

 

28 March 2021: FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualifying Group 5 - at Wembley, London

England - 3 (Nathan Redmond 37, James Ward-Prowse 40, Daniel Sturridge 44)

Greece - 0

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Jack Butland; Calum Chambers, Michael Keane, John Stones (Axel Tuanzebe), Luke Shaw; Eric Dier (Jordan Henderson), James Ward-Prowse; Daniel Sturridge, Dele Alli, Nathan Redmond; Harry Kane (Willie Field). BOOKED: Stones 28, Shaw 80.

 

"Well, Mark, that was... quite a different experience to the first qualifier, wasn't it?"

 

That question from ITV's omnipresent reporter Gabriel Clarke left Catterall smiling rather awkwardly. The manager replied, "After what happened in Kazakhstan, I'm just delighted the lads turned up and put on a performance when we absolutely needed to. I expect Greece to be in the top two or thereabouts come the end of this year, so we knew we couldn't take them lightly at all."

 

"Would you say it was a bit of a struggle at first, until Redmond opened the scoring?"

 

"I always thought we'd make the breakthrough eventually. It was just a case of biding our time and waiting for the Greeks to expose themselves at the back. Harry could've been greedy and gone for goal, but when he was crowded out, he found Nathan in a more open position... and the rest was ancient history."

 

"It's been a while since Redmond scored for England. How much of a boost will that do his confidence going into the Nations League Semi Final?"

 

Catterall nodded, "He'll be very confident, I'm sure. I've always rated Nathan highly as an enigmatic forward who can give us something that little bit different. Last season was a real struggle for him both with Southampton and with England, but I think leaving him at home for the Euros has given him the hunger to push for better. He also has good memories of playing Germany, so I'm sure he'll be champing at the bit for that game."

 

"Axel Tuanzebe and Willie Field made their home debuts. Your thoughts on their performances?"

 

"I've learned a lot about their characters over the last week or so. Axel was strong, confident and at ease; he looks ready to hold down a place in this team for the long-term. Willie was a tad unlucky not to score late on, but he got into the right positions. He'll probably drop back into the Under-21s now for the Euros, but if he can keep on performing like he has done, I'd have no qualms giving him more opportunities at this level."

 

2022 FIFA World Cup UEFA Qualifying Group 5 (After 2 rounds)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Bosnia & Herzegovina   2     2     0     0     7     1     6     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          England                2     1     1     0     3     0     3     4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Kazakhstan             2     1     1     0     2     1     1     4
4.          Greece                 2     1     0     1     5     3     2     3
5.          Armenia                2     0     0     2     2     5     -3    0
6.          Liechtenstein          2     0     0     2     0     9     -9    0

 

[CFuller]

***

 

With the country's pride in its senior national team restored, attention turned towards the fortunes of England's Under-21s. David Byrne's Young Lions followed up a creditable friendly draw against Germany in Blackburn with a trip to Denmark.

 

The venue for this match was the MCH Arena in Herning - the home of Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland. Denmark's Under-21s featured a couple of prospects who plied their trade for the Wolves, including attacking midfielder Frank Nielsen. Another player that England had to be wary of was Brøndby's Oliver Grønning - a 19-year-old two-footed striker who was quick, strong, and lethal from close range.

 

For several England starlets, this was their last chance to impress manager Mark Catterall before he named his squad for the UEFA European Under-21s Championship. One of those who was on the fringes of selection was Manchester City's inside-forward Jadon Sancho, who took just four minutes to show what he was capable of.

 

In truth, the move that led to Sancho opening the scoring was more akin to pinball than any free-flowing tiki-taka that he would've been used to at the Etihad Stadium. Denmark left-back Nick Mathiesen Høgh blocked a cross from England right-winger Jonathan Leko, whose team-mate Stuart White did get a delivery into the box. Centre-half Casper Ankersen stuck a leg out to try and deflect the ball clear, but he could only send it to Hull City loanee Sancho, who drove it past a flat-footed Danish keeper in Filip Djukic.

 

Sancho's goal was his first in an England Under-21s jersey, after four previous goalless appearances. However, it would be cancelled out within six minutes, thanks to one of Denmark's dangermen.

 

Nielsen lit the fuse for the Danish Dynamite with an excellent searching ball to Sander Johansen on the left wing. Johansen searched clear of England defenders Jordan Williams and Joe Wright before crossing to Grønning, who equalised at the near post.

 

England attacked again almost immediately after being pegged back. Lawrence Warner chipped a pinpoint ball to Brighton & Hove Albion team-mate Leko, whose strike was clawed away by Djukic. Warner himself had an attempt on goal in the 13th minute, though the on-loan Liverpool striker was some way off target.

 

By the 16th minute, the match had been turned on its head by Nielsen's head. He got above the Young Lions' skipper Reece Oxford and flicked it ahead of the run of Grønning, who drilled in his fifth goal in as many matches for Denmark's Under-21s. Within six minutes, he had taken the hosts from 1-0 down to 2-1 up.

 

AGF midfielder Bo Andersen looked to further strengthen Denmark's position in the 21st minute, putting a free-kick wide after Grønning had been upended by Wright. Andersen had another attempt two minutes later, but was denied by a block from England's versatile midfielder Ben Sheaf.

 

Sheaf's midfield colleague Sam Field was cautioned in the 27th minute, having felled Denmark captain Nikolas Nartey from behind. Nartey was a hard-working midfield general on 1.FC Köln's books, though he'd spent the past couple of seasons on loan at lower-league Würzburger Kickers.

 

FC København goalkeeper Djukic produced a couple of saves for Denmark in the 33rd and 38th minute, respectively preventing Warner and White from equalising. England had one last chance to draw level before the interval, but Leko drove it into the side netting.

 

England made several changes for the second half, and Charles Ameobi quickly made his mark after coming on. In the 47th minute, the Huddersfield Town left-winger - on loan from Arsenal - played a one-two with Warner before 'Loz' thundered a shot against the post. Denmark's giant centre-half Christoffer Frederiksen then put the loose ball behind for a corner.

 

Though White's corner was cleared by Johansen, the Newcastle United midfielder would go on to finish a promising England move by equalising moments later. Ameobi outjumped Danish right-back Kenneth Jørgensen and flicked the ball into the path of White, who blasted it emphatically into Djukic's top-left corner.

 

Once again, a goal against the run of play turned the tide. In the 53rd minute, Ameobi got himself another assist with an excellent run that saw him evade Jørgensen's slide tackle before drilling the ball across goal for Warner to finish. Warner had now scored 10 times for the Young Lions at this level, taking just 12 matches to reach the landmark.

 

Considering what had happened before, a 3-2 England lead did not necessarily look comfortable. PSV winger Nikolai Laursen attempted to change the game again when he shot from just outside the Young Lions' penalty area in the 55th minute, though he got nowhere near the goal.

 

England were pressured again in the 64th minute, when full-back Jordan Williams clumsily stuck a leg out to bring Johansen to ground close to goal. Williams accepted his yellow card from the referee, and then intercepted Oliver Frandsen's free-kick.

 

By the 72nd minute, the Young Lions were threatening to increase their narrow advantage. Sancho kept Adam Mingay's long ball in play just before it passed the byline and crossed to Nottingham Forest forward Ben Brereton, whose header was caught by Danish keeper Frederik Olsen.

 

A minute later, Sancho won England a free-kick in a dangerous position, having been brought down by Brian Stefansen. Neil Campbell took the free-kick, but the playmaker - now a veteran of over 100 league games for Wolverhampton Wanderers, despite still being a teenager - couldn't keep it on target.

 

The Young Lions' lead remained at a single goal, but importantly, Denmark couldn't cancel it out. Luton Town's Aaron Ramsdale marked his long-awaited debut in the England Under-21s goal by securing a couple of late attempts from Jonas Wind and Nielsen. The Danish Dynamite fizzled out as their visitors went home victorious.

 

29 March 2021: Under-21s International - at MCH Arena, Herning

Denmark U21s - 2 (Oliver Grønning 10,16)

England U21s - 3 (Jadon Sancho 4, Stuart White 47, Lawrence Warner 53)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Callum Bickerstaff (Aaron Ramsdale); Jordan Williams (Neil Campbell), Joe Wright (Alistair Rattray), Reece Oxford (Adam Mingay), Ryan Sessegnon (Josh Tymon); Sam Field (Trent Alexander-Arnold), Ben Sheaf (Leon Rowe); Jonathan Leko (Charles Ameobi), Stuart White (Gareth Robinson), Jadon Sancho (Mark Leonard); Lawrence Warner (Ben Brereton). BOOKED: Field 27, Williams 64.

[CFuller]

***

 

There was all to play for going into the final round of Elite Group 6 at the 2021 UEFA European Under-19s Championship. Three teams - Croatia, England and Germany - were still in contention for qualification to the finals in Greece later that year.

 

Croatia had the upper hand with two wins from their first two group matches, and only needed a home draw against Germany to secure their place at the finals. If Germany won, they would qualify... unless England could defeat Italy, who were already eliminated. That would leave three teams level on six points apiece, in which case top spot would be decided by head-to-head records.

 

England welcomed back Manchester United goalkeeper Dave Booth and Liverpool striker Ben Harvey to their line-up for their decisive match in the Sicilian city of Palermo. Booth and Harvey had both been injured for the opening win over Germany, and neither got off the bench for the subsequent defeat in Croatia.

 

Only two players - Arsenal defenders Ted Lapslie and Nick Ward - had started all three of England's matches in the Elite Round. It was Lapslie who had the Young Lions' first chance to score after five minutes, but the Watford loanee struck the woodwork with a through-ball from fellow Hornets youngster Ben Logan.

 

Four minutes later, Logan went for goal himself. He exchanged passes with midfield colleague Peter Owen and then swerved in a shot from the Italian 'D', only for the Azzurri's Real Madrid goalkeeper Teodoro Catapano to get up and catch it.

 

Italy's first serious advance towards the English goal didn't come until the 21st minute. Fiorentina winger Christian Galeotti was halted mid-run by a terrible tackle from England right-back James Brown, who was quickly issued with a yellow card. As that was Brown's second of the competition, he would be suspended from the opening group match of the European Championship... if his country qualified.

 

Italy were already missing three players from this match from suspension, leaving head coach Roberto Baronio with only four substitutes. Baronio would have to use one of them in the 26th minute, when Marco Gemma sprained his ankle whilst tackling Harvey on the edge of the byline. The stricken centre-back was replaced by a centre-forward in Sergio D'Andria, which perhaps showed just how bad the Azzurri's situation was.

 

Booth would only have to save one shot in the first half. The Yorkshireman was unruffled by Galeotti's 30th-minute free-kick, which flew safely into his grasp.

 

Italy then survived a couple of close shaves before half-time. Harvey's half-volley from a poor defensive clearance by D'Andria in the 33rd minute drifted just wide. Ward went even closer to scoring three minutes later, when his header from a Logan free-kick clipped the crossbar and deflected behind.

 

A goalless draw at half-time was doing England no good. However, it was Germany - and not Croatia - who were now in the driver's seat of Group 6 after Claus Distel gave them a 1-0 lead in Dugopolje. Ahmet Çolak would double the Mannschaft's advantage five minutes into the second half, and Croatia never recovered.

 

Events in Croatia meant that England would move to the top of the group if they broke the deadlock in Palermo, so long as Germany didn't build a huge lead.

 

That being said, the Young Lions were fortunate not to fall behind early in the second half. Booth saved a couple of half-volleys in the 47th and 53rd minutes from D'Ambria. Those saves came either side of a booking for Lapslie, who'd fouled Italian winger Matteo Inzaina. The referee would soon draw out his yellow card again for the Azzurri's makeshift right-back Samuele Bussi, following his trip on England's substitute forward Ollie Elmes.

 

England now had an all-Liverpool strike partnership in Elmes and Harvey. Both men would waste chances shortly before the hour mark, leaving Mark Catterall an increasingly frustrated figure as he watched on from back home in Staffordshire.

 

A third English name went into the referee's notebook after 65 minutes, when Logan tripped Inzaina on the touchline. The Young Lions' foul count was steadily rising, but Italy couldn't pounce on their opponents' vulnerability. They would ultimately pay a heavy price.

 

As the match was about to tick into his 80th minute, Catapano hoisted a free-kick deep into England's half, only for Lapslie to intercept it and punt it forward again. Elmes escaped the attentions of Italian midfielder Nicola Nuzzo to reach the ball as it bounced up the left flank.

 

Elmes took a while to compose himself as he entered the Azzurri penalty area and awaited the run of his strike partner Harvey. When the time was right, Elmes whipped a superb ball to the Derby-born forward, whose venomous strike beat Catapano and sent the visiting fans into raptures. England were now 1-0 ahead, and on course to top Group 6 on head-to-head!

 

Not content with merely putting his team in front, Harvey now wanted to rubber-stamp victory. His attempt to pick Elmes out in a crowded Italian area in the 81st minute was scrambled behind by a desperate Catapano.

 

The Azzurri had one final chance to change the outcome of qualification after 89 minutes. It wasn't to be, though, as AC Milan striker Ilario Salerno headed Bussi's outswinging corner over the bar. A few minutes later, the final whistle confirmed that England had pulled off the great escape and topped Group 6 by the width of a hair. They would get to formally defend their European title after all!

 

30 March 2021: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Elite Group 6 - at Renzo Barbera, Palermo

Italy U19s - 0

England U19s - 1 (Ben Harvey 80)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Dave Booth; James Brown, Ray Butterfield, Nick Ward, Ted Lapslie; Peter Owen, Darren Bennett (Ashley Wells); Ross Moan (Joe Mooney), Ben Logan, Paul Hancock (Ollie Elmes); Ben Harvey. BOOKED: Brown 21, Lapslie 49, Logan 65.

 

2021 UEFA European Under-19s Championship Elite Group 6 (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     England U19s           3     2     0     1     7     4     3     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          Germany U19s           3     2     0     1     6     4     2     6
3.          Croatia U19s           3     2     0     1     4     4     0     6
4.          Italy U19s             3     0     0     3     0     5     -5    0

 

England had qualified for the European Under-19s Championship for the fourth season in a row. That was an incredible achievement, considering that only two other teams from the 2020 finals - Czech Republic and Greece - would be present in the 2021 tournament. Mind you, Greece were already pre-determined to be there as the host nation.

 

Serbia and Portugal - the respective champions from 2018 and 2019 - had both fallen short in the Elite Round. To be fair, they were both in the same group as France, who qualified with six successive victories and would be amongst the favourites to regain their title.

 

Big things would also be expected from Belgium and Spain at the finals, with Sweden and Ukraine completing the eight-team line-up. The draw would take place in June, before the tournament itself began in mid-July.

[CFuller]

Chapter 47 - The Hunted

 

England were the reigning European Under-21s and Under-19s champions, and the world champions at Under-20s level. In the space of about two months, they would put all three of their titles on the line - and put Mark Catterall's renowned 'remote management' approach under intense scrutiny.

 

The Young Lions' first title defence would officially begin in late May, with the start of the 2021 FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland. Two years earlier, they had lifted their first global championship since 1966, with Eddie Nketiah's penalty winning a dramatic Final shoot-out in Bordeaux against the Czech Republic.

 

Like most of his colleagues, Nketiah had gone on to bigger and brighter things with England Under-21s. Indeed, only a handful had not been capped at that level since the Under-20s' finest hours. The likes of Arsenal left-back Josh Tymon and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Neil Campbell were widely expected to progress even further and earn senior caps in the near future.

 

History would be very much against England's latest batch of up-and-comers defending the U20 World Cup on Polish soil. No team had successfully retained the cup in its current post-2005 guise, though Brazil, Portugal and Argentina had all won back-to-back titles when it was known as the FIFA World Youth Championship. Indeed, it had until recently been the case that the holders of this title rarely even qualified for the next event.

 

England got the opportunity to challenge for a second successive World Cup win as a result of lifting the 2020 UEFA European Under-19s Championship. The other three Semi Finalists from that event - Georgia, Germany and Italy - qualified as well. European representation was completed by the Netherlands, who won a play-off tournament in early 2021, and host nation Poland.

 

Some neutrals would have been disappointed to see that South Africa were absent from the list of finalists. The surprise 2017 champions missed out altogether after failing to make the finals of the 2021 African Youth Championship.

 

Brazil were once again nowhere to be seen, though Argentina did make the cut after missing the 2019 tournament. Other non-European teams that were perhaps worth keeping an eye on included Iran - who gave England a run for their money in the 2019 Semi Final - and Ghana.

 

This competition would be staged between 22 May and 13 June, with England hoping to still be in the running come the big climax. This was what the Group Stage draw threw up when it took place in April:

 

2021 FIFA U20 World Cup Group Stage draw

GROUP A: England (holders), Morocco, United States, Uruguay

GROUP B: Georgia, Ghana, Iran, New Zealand

GROUP C: Ivory Coast, New Caledonia, Poland (hosts), United Arab Emirates

GROUP D: Canada, Ecuador, Netherlands, South Korea

GROUP E: Australia, Chile, Costa Rica, Italy

GROUP F: Argentina, Germany, Mexico, Nigeria

 

England were the very first team drawn out, and they would end up with a deceptively difficult group. None of their three opponents in Group A could be taken lightly at all.

 

Uruguay were arguably the biggest obstacle in England's way, with the diminutive Chelsea Under-23s playmaker Fernando Giménez amongst the Albiceleste's star players. Morocco were the defending African youth champions, and the United States also looked fairly strong, even if their star striker happened to share his name with Gillingham legend Andy Hessenthaler.

 

England's home base for the tournament was Kraków - Poland's second-largest city. It was there where the Young Lions would formally kick off their defence against Uruguay on 23 May and Morocco three days later. They would then move south to Zabrze, where they would face the USA in their final group match on 29 May.

 

Under-19s head coach Ledley King had led the Under-20s to glory last time out, so Catterall was happy to trust him with the reins once again. Catterall did pick the 21-man squad, but he would stay at home to watch King's Young Lions go for more glory.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-20s squad - for 2021 FIFA U20 World Cup

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Callum Bickerstaff        GK                  07/09/2001 (19)  Sheff Utd       6'6"   14st 0lbs  £180K   
Brian Farrell             GK                  14/02/2001 (20)  Bury            6'2"   12st 6lbs  £350K   
Josh Vokes                GK                  15/04/2002 (19)  Southend        6'2"   12st 12lbs £575K   
Daniel Marshall           D (R)               04/06/2001 (19)  Middlesbrough   6'1"   14st 0lbs  £300K   
Joe Mooney                D (RC), DM          28/01/2002 (19)  Barnsley        6'1"   13st 3lbs  £235K   
Nick Ward                 D (LC)              04/03/2002 (19)  MK Dons         6'1"   12st 8lbs  £725K   
Howard Martin             D (C), DM, M (C)    11/01/2001 (20)  Preston         6'1"   12st 12lbs £450K   
James Errington           D (C), ST (C)       08/02/2001 (20)  Rangers         5'8"   11st 0lbs  £2.5M   
Tony Vincent              D/WB (L)            21/03/2003 (18)  Colchester      6'0"   12st 1lb   £1.3M   
Ted Lapslie               D/M (L)             18/06/2002 (18)  Watford         5'11"  11st 11lbs £4.9M   
Leon Rowe                 WB (L), DM, M (C)   19/07/2001 (19)  Coventry        5'8"   11st 2lbs  £650K   
John Harrison             M (R), AM (RC)      25/07/2001 (19)  Swansea         5'7"   10st 1lb   £3.1M   
Graham Hartmann           M (RC), AM (C)      24/05/2001 (19)  Rotherham       5'9"   10st 12lbs £500K   
Ben Logan                 M (RC), AM (C)      24/07/2002 (18)  Watford         5'4"   9st 6lbs   £205K   
Thomas Stacey             M (C)               02/08/2001 (19)  Newcastle       5'9"   11st 2lbs  £475K   
Gareth Robinson           M (C), AM (RC)      25/07/2001 (19)  Huddersfield    5'7"   10st 1lb   £575K   
Glenn Sheppard            M (C), ST (C)       08/08/2001 (19)  Celtic          5'11"  12st 1lb   £7.5M   
Dion Sabin                M/AM (L)            13/06/2001 (19)  Nottm Forest    5'4"   9st 8lbs   £1.3M   
Mark Leonard              AM (R), ST (C)      16/01/2001 (20)  West Brom       6'2"   13st 7lbs  £8.5M   
Reece Nicholls            AM (L), ST (C)      16/03/2001 (20)  Reading         5'10"  11st 6lbs  £8.5M   
Chris Scott               ST (C)              23/01/2001 (20)  Leeds           5'11"  12st 12lbs £1.4M   

 

Three of England's U20 World Cup winners from 2019 were eligible to play in this tournament, but none of them were recalled. Midfield playmaker Neil Campbell was set to play in the upcoming UEFA European Under-21s Championship, while goalkeepers Terry Cowling and Steve Hilton were considered outsiders for David Byrne's squad.

 

No fewer than 10 players who were selected had previously won caps at Under-21s level. The most experienced of them were Chelsea strikers Reece Nicholls and Glenn Sheppard, who'd each had difficult seasons on loan at Reading and Celtic respectively. Though Sheppard was on course to win a Scottish Premiership winner's medal, he'd only played 10 league matches for the perennial league champions north of the border.

 

Nicholls and Sheppard also had experience of winning the European Championship with England's Under-19s the previous summer. In fact, almost a full starting XI's worth of players had graduated from that team and been offered the opportunity to become world champions with the next age group.

 

Goalkeeper Josh Vokes, left-back Ted Lapslie, and centre-half Joe Mooney were three such players. Having all been born in 2002, they were still eligible to compete in another Under-19s Euros tournament later in the summer. Indeed, they were all set to 'double-up' unless the Under-20s enjoyed another lengthy World Cup run.

 

Ben Logan, Tony Vincent and Nick Ward - three other active Under-19s internationals - were also in line to compete in two major tournaments this season. Colchester United's on-loan Arsenal left-back Vincent was the youngest member of this England squad, and the only one who could potentially play at the next U20 World Cup in 2023.

 

It was perhaps worth stating that Ward was not in Catterall's initial selection. The Milton Keynes Dons defender was only drafted in as a late replacement for Portsmouth's Andrew Gray, who had unfortunately dislocated his shoulder a few days before he was expected to link up with the squad ahead of the finals.

 

All but two squad members had previously represented England at Under-19s and/or Under-21s level. The only exceptions were centre-back Howard Martin and left-winger Dion Sabin. Both men were contracted to Everton and had enjoyed solid seasons on loan at Championship sides Preston North End and Nottingham Forest respectively.

 

Sabin would arrive in Poland as one of the Young Lions' form players. Another was West Ham United's imposing centre-forward Chris Scott, who'd scored 20 goals for loan club Leeds United in the Championship this term. Attacking midfielder Gareth Robinson would also be on a high after the Liverpool loanee helped Huddersfield Town to secure promotion to the Premier League and reach an improbable FA Cup Final.

[CFuller]

***

 

England were nothing if not suitably prepared for their defence of the FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland. Ledley King and his Young Lions spent a fortnight at their training camp in Kraków before they even got to kick a ball in anger.

 

England's first two group games would be played at the Henryk Reyman City Stadium - home to Ekstraklasa giants Wisła Kraków. They opened up against a formidable Uruguay team who were hoping to better their run to the Final of the U20 World Cup in 2013.

 

Just three minutes after kick-off, though, La Celeste were rocked by a quickfire English attack. Chris Scott's fierce shot deflected off Uruguayan centre-halves Pablo Díaz and José Adolfo Rodríguez before falling towards Glenn Sheppard, who half-volleyed in England's opener.

 

Sheppard had not enjoyed the best of seasons on loan at Celtic, but the Chelsea striker looked reinvigorated when he donned an England jersey again. He attempted to score a second goal three minutes later from Gareth Robinson's incisive pass, only to swerve it into the hands of Uruguay goalkeeper Jonathan Cabrera.

 

England captain Graham Hartmann and centre-back James Errington missed further chances for the champions during the opening quarter-hour. Then, in the 17th minute, right-back Daniel Marshall swung a cross to Sheppard in the middle of the penalty area. Sheppard's volley crashed against the underside of the crossbar and was then cleared into touch by Celeste right-back Alfredo Herrera.

 

As rain started to pour down in Kraków, Uruguay found themselves having to weather an England storm. Cabrera - who'd been strongly fancied to replace Fernando Muslera as his country's number 1 - proved his worth by tipping away a powerful strike from Scott in the 24th minute. He then caught a couple more efforts to thwart both Sheppard and Scott, whose long-standing friendship dated back to when they were schoolboys playing together in the Bristol City junior teams.

 

After a strike from Robinson in the 40th minute whistled past the post, England took a narrow 1-0 lead into the interval. In truth, their defence had hardly been troubled by Uruguay during that first half, thanks in large parts to a determined performance from Stoke City full-back Marshall.

 

England took just three minutes to score in the first half, and history repeated itself after the resumption. Marshall had not found the net even once in his 29-game loan spell at Middlesbrough this season, yet that didn't prevent him from breaking his international duck in spectacular style. The right-footed Londoner got into the Uruguayan 'D' and met Hartmann's square ball with a majestic left-footed volley into the top corner of Cabrera's goal.

 

Another three minutes passed, and then the Young Lions looked to stretch their 2-0 lead further. Hartmann looked good for another assist when Scott smashed his pass goalwards from the edge of the box. Unfortunately, the Bristolian's drive struck the bar and was then cleared by Díaz.

 

La Celeste were very much under the cosh, but England frequently let them off the hook with some profligate shooting. Midfielders Robinson and Leon Rowe each failed to hit the target in subsequent minutes.

 

England's frustration was clear in the 69th minute, when Hartmann upended Marcel Ramírez as the Uruguay striker advanced into the oppositon half. There was no question of Hartmann receiving a yellow card from the Mongolian referee Zultsetseg Uuganbayar.

 

Despite that, Callum Bickerstaff was hardly tested in the England goal until the final 15 minutes. The West Ham United keeper - and Sheffield United loanee - produced his first save in the 78th minute to push behind a drilled cross from Uruguay winger Germán Mangiarotti. Bickerstaff also beat away a 20-yard drive from Santiago Barrios a couple of minutes later.

 

In the 81st minute, though, Bickerstaff's goalkeeping was rather more suspect. He charged off his goal line to try and claim a right-wing cross from Barrios, only to spill it into the path of Daniel Neves. The Uruguay midfielder wasted little time in powering the ball into a poorly-guarded net, and it was game on again.

 

All of a sudden, England became increasingly stressed. Substitute midfielder Ben Logan skimmed a shot over the bar in the 85th minute, while Hartmann headed a cross from Scott off target three minutes later. Those misses would prove particularly costly to the Young Lions in the penultimate minute of normal time.

 

Further disaster struck for Bickerstaff when the England goalkeeper misjudged a cross from Uruguay left-back Óscar Mora. He was beaten to the delivery by Barrios, who flicked it over the despairing custodian and completed an excellent late comeback. Bickerstaff had almost single-handedly cost the Young Lions two goals and two points.

 

England's next match three days later would see them face Morocco, who'd opened Group A with a 2-1 win over the United States. If this U20 World Cup was to follow the pattern of the previous two, England would surely follow up an opening draw with victory at the second attempt. Frankly, they couldn't really afford not to.

 

23 May 2021: FIFA U20 World Cup Group A - at Henryk Reyman City Stadium, Kraków

England U20s - 2 (Glenn Sheppard 3, Daniel Marshall 48)

Uruguay U20s - 2 (Daniel Neves 81, Santiago Barrios 89)

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Callum Bickerstaff; Daniel Marshall, Howard Martin, James Errington, Ted Lapslie; Joe Mooney (Nick Ward); Graham Hartmann, Leon Rowe (Thomas Stacey); Gareth Robinson (Ben Logan); Chris Scott, Glenn Sheppard. BOOKED: Hartmann 69.

[CFuller]

***

 

After the heartache of squandering a two-goal lead against Uruguay, England went into their second FIFA U20 World Cup Group A match with Morocco under pressure to get a win on the board. Another disappointing result in Kraków would leave the Young Lions with it all to do against the United States in Zabrze if they were to progress any further.

 

Morocco's squad was full of home-based players, with a few exceptions in Troyes striker Nabil Hajji and a couple of left-backs situated in Italy. With the North African country set to host the senior FIFA World Cup in a little over 12 months, the hope was that one or two of the Under-20s players would soon graduate to the senior national team.

 

As far as England were concerned, manager Mark Catterall and head coach Ledley King made a host of changes to their starting line-up. Following his game-costing errors against La Celeste, goalkeeper Callum Bickerstaff was unsurprisingly dropped. Instead, it was Chelsea's Brian Farrell who went between the sticks this time.

 

There was also an international debut for Everton winger Dion Sabin, who got his England career off to a great start after less than two minutes. The Nottingham Forest loanee intercepted a poor clearance from Moroccan full-back Mokhtar Omari and flicked it into the path of striker Mark Leonard, who dribbled towards the penalty area before swerving in an excellent strike.

 

England were already 1-0 up, and a clumsy challenge on Morocco midfielder Hicham Zeriouh on Leon Rowe in the fifth minute gave them the chance to quickly boost their lead further. James Errington took the set-piece, but he could not keep it on target.

 

England continued to take the game to their opponents in the opening stages of the first half. Leonard snatched at an opportunity to double his tally in the 12th minute, while defender Nick Ward also missed the target with a header from another Errington free-kick four minutes later.

 

Morocco looked most threatening in the 22nd minute, when Les Lions de l'Atlas were awarded a free-kick close to the penalty area. Sadly for them, Imran Largou's delivery into the box was almost instantly cleared away by Sabin. Within moments, Sabin had surged all the way into the opposite area to finish off an incisive England counter-attack by converting fellow winger John Harrison's cross at the far post. 2-0 to the Young Lions.

 

On 24 minutes, Morocco racked up what would be their only shot on target in the first period. Raja Casablanca winger Omar Mansour went directly for goal from a 30-yard free-kick, which never remotely looked like evading Farrell. The North Africans' goalkeeper Hicham El Alami also looked in fine nick when catching a header from Leonard two minutes later.

 

More opportunities would arise for England to build a comfortable 3-0 lead before half-time. They eventually struck gold in the 42nd minute, with midfielder Ben Logan skilfully threading the ball through the Moroccan backline for Leonard to stab in a second goal. The Manchester United striker and his Young Lions colleagues then engaged in an impromptu 'Chicken Dance' celebration, which was arguably less amusing than it was simply bemusing.

 

Mind you, Morocco weren't going to chicken out just yet. Their Dutch coach Mark Wotte - who had previously managed the likes of ADO Den Haag, Southampton and (ahem) Scotland Under-16s - used all three of his substitutions at half-time to try and bring about a comeback.

 

Among those who came on was the aforementioned Hajji, who'd scored in Les Lions' earlier group win over the United States. With a couple of Ligue 2 goals for Troyes on his CV, Hajji was perhaps the most likely Moroccan to find a way past Farrell. He should've at least hit the target from a defence-opening square ball by fellow substitute Yassine Aharrar in the 58th minute, but he blazed it horrifically over the crossbar.

 

Morocco had another chance to make the scoreline more admirable on 67 minutes. Pacey 17-year-old left-winger Khalid Afkir dribbled past a host of English defenders before firing an ambitious right-footer into Farrell's hands.

 

Farrell was tested again in the 79th minute, when he pushed behind a right-wing cross from Largou. Sabin then made light work of Largou's follow-up corner, comfortably heading it away.

 

In truth, England never looked like losing this game. Neither did they threaten to add to their half-time lead, except when Leonard latched onto an excellent long ball from Errington in the 80th minute. His shot hit the side netting, though, and the West Bromwich Albion loanee's opportunity to secure an England hat-trick had passed him by.

 

The Young Lions had accrued four points from their first two group games and were top of Group A. Morocco were on three points, as were the United States, who'd surprisingly defeated Uruguay 2-0 earlier that afternoon. La Celeste were bottom with just a single point to their credit.

 

England therefore found themselves in the same situation they had been in at this stage of the last U20 World Cup. A draw against the USA in their final group fixture would see them qualify for the Last 16 regardless. However, if the Young Lions lost, and Morocco defeated Uruguay, they would be reliant on results elsewhere to get them through as one of the four best 3rd-placed teams.

 

Back in 2019, England had fluffed their lines in their last group game against Algeria, only sneaking through via that 'back door' of finishing 3rd. They went on to win the tournament, exacting revenge on Algeria in the process. That was just an observation...

 

26 May 2021: FIFA U20 World Cup Group A - at Henryk Reyman City Stadium, Kraków

Morocco U20s - 0

England U20s - 3 (Mark Leonard 2,42, Dion Sabin 22)

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Brian Farrell; Daniel Marshall (Joe Mooney), Nick Ward, James Errington, Tony Vincent; Thomas Stacey, Leon Rowe (Glenn Sheppard); John Harrison, Ben Logan (Gareth Robinson), Dion Sabin; Mark Leonard.

[CFuller]

***

 

After two matches in Kraków, England's Under-20s moved on to the southern Polish city of Zabrze. Awaiting them there would be the United States, who provided the opposition in the Young Lions' final Group A match at the U20 World Cup.

 

Sitting top of the group by a point, England knew that a draw against their American counterparts would be enough to send them through to the Last 16. Were they to lose, and were Morocco to defeat Uruguay in Kraków, the Young Lions would have to hope that they were amongst the four best 3rd-placed teams in order to progress.

 

England had shown in their previous matches against the Uruguayans and the Moroccans that they could start quickly and almost instantly take the initiative. Unlike their group rivals, the USA did shut England's attack for the first three minutes, only to have their defences breached in the fifth.

 

Chelsea forward Reece Nicholls began his first appearance of the tournament by knocking Daniel Marshall's right-wing cross into the path of his club-mate Glenn Sheppard. A fantastic left-footed volley rocketed past American goalkeeper Preston Bossman, and England were already bossing proceedings.

 

Team USA's plight would worsen in the sixth minute, when defender Jim Roman tripped England winger Gareth Robinson close to goal. That resulted in an early yellow card for the left-back, who played for Ventura County Fusion back home.

 

Young Lions captain Graham Hartmann swung in the free-kick from the right. A headed clearance from Brian Anderson only went as far as Robinson, whose first-time volley from 25 yards deflected into the net off USA midfielder David Attinella's back. That was the Liverpool starlet's first goal for his country.

 

The Americans first ventured forward in the ninth minute, as they sought to erase part of their 2-0 deficit. FC Boston playmaker Alex Rogers laid a free-kick off to his colleague Javier López, whose strike was bravely blocked by Hartmann.

 

Seven minutes later, López's strike partner Andy Hessenthaler flicked Ethan Golden's right-wing cross goalwards, only to send it comfortably over the bar. Hessenthaler's famous namesake would not have been proud.

 

There were mixed fortunes for England later in the first half. Bossman prevented Joe Mooney from driving in a free-kick and increasing the Young Lions' advantage after 17 minutes. After 24, a clumsy challenge on Anderson led to Sheppard being handed a yellow card.

 

Newcastle United midfielder Thomas Stacey miscued a long-distance punt at goal for England in the 35th minute. Another glaring miss from the champions came a minute later. Howard Martin flicked skipper Hartmann's corner across the six-yard box for Sheppard, who nodded it clean over.

 

England had one more shot at goal before half-time. It was a tame one from Watford midfielder Ben Logan, whose daisy-cutter was no match for an alert Bossman, who'd already made his Major League Soccer debut for Atlanta United.

 

Bossman also showed great awareness to catch a low drive from Robinson in the 48th minute. His England counterpart came into the game three minutes later, as Chelsea's Brian Farrell fisted away a corner delivery from Rogers.

 

Things would not improve for the United States later in the second half. Hessenthaler was substituted shortly after messing up another dreadful shot in the 56th minute, and replaced with Jamie Sattler. As far as anyone was aware, no player by the name of Jamie Sattler had ever graced Priestfield wearing a Gillingham jersey.

 

England goalscorers Sheppard and Robinson each tried and failed to double their tallies midway through the second half. Substitute midfielder and long-shot specialist Leon Rowe did have a chance to join them on the scoreboard in the 71st minute. The Leeds United prospect did the hard work by dribbling majestically past USA midfielder Nick Saunders to get a clean view of goal, but he only hooked his shot past the post.

 

An anti-climatic end to proceedings saw England fail to build on their early 2-0 advantage. Robinson was again denied a brace by Bossman in injury time, but the outcome had already been put beyond reasonable doubt by then.

 

Ledley King's team had done their bit, topping Group A with seven points out of a possible nine. Morocco secured 2nd place - and their place in the Last 16 - with an easy 3-1 win over rock-bottom Uruguay. That meant the United States had to settle for 3rd place, but despite losing twice, they had still done enough to progress to the knockout stages as well.

 

29 May 2021: FIFA U20 World Cup Group A - at Arena Zabrze, Zabrze

England U20s - 2 (Glenn Sheppard 5, Gareth Robinson 7)

United States U20s - 0

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Brian Farrell; Daniel Marshall, Joe Mooney (Nick Ward), Howard Martin, Ted Lapslie; Thomas Stacey; Graham Hartmann (Leon Rowe), Gareth Robinson; Ben Logan (James Errington); Reece Nicholls, Glenn Sheppard. BOOKED: Sheppard 24.

 

2021 FIFA U20 World Cup Group A (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     England U20s           3     2     1     0     7     2     5     7
2.    Q     Morocco U20s           3     2     0     1     5     5     0     6
3.    Q     United States U20s     3     1     0     2     3     4     -1    3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.          Uruguay U20s           3     0     1     2     3     7     -4    1

 

2021 FIFA U20 World Cup Last 16 draw

Ivory Coast (C1) vs Canada (D3)

Netherlands (D2) vs Argentina (F2)

Morocco (A2) vs Iran (B1)

Georgia (B2) vs United Arab Emirates (C2)

Germany (F1) vs Italy (E2)

Ecuador (D1) vs United States (A3)

Chile (E1) vs Poland (C3)

Ghana (B3) vs England (A1)

 

The draw for the Last 16 had been relatively kind to England. Ghana might have famously become the first African champions of the U20 World Cup in 2009, but the Black Stars' class of 2021 would not necessarily strike fear into the Young Lions.

 

England and Ghana would come face-to-face in Białystok on 3 June. The winner of that match could look forward to a Quarter Final against either host nation Poland or a Chile side who'd won all three of their group fixtures.