An Impossible Man

[CFuller]

***

 

A new month was underway, and after their narrow defeat in Portugal, England's Under-21s were hoping that Slovenia couldn't pile on the misery and make them look like April fools.

 

This match in Velenje - Slovenia's fifth-largest city - would be the Young Lions' squad before Mark Catterall named his squad for the upcoming European Championship in Italy. Places were well and truly up for grabs, and the onus was now on the likes of Reece Burke, Sheyi Ojo and Dominic Solanke to prove that they were deserving of spots.

 

With Brendan Galloway having been promoted to the senior team, Burnley's on-loan West Ham United defender Reece Oxford received a late call-up - and another opportunity to impress Catterall, who was watching online from across the border in Austria. Oxford would partner his club-mate Burke in the centre of England's backline for the start of this match.

 

The late-comer would take just four minutes to make his mark. Shortly after Andre Dozzell had forced Slovenia goalkeeper Anej Mrezar into an early save, Oxford played a superb through-ball to Solanke, who thrashed his first England Under-21s goal past the Olimpija Ljubljana custodian from the edge of the penalty area. The Young Lions were leading 1-0... but they now had to be wary of complacency.

 

In the fifth minute, England midfielder Lewis Cook had a poor pass intercepted by Slovenia captain Sven Karic, who hoisted it forward to Alen Ozbolt. The striker then played a one-two with Jasa Kolaric, whose weighted ball sent Ozbolt racing through on goal. Had it not been for a well-timed last-ditch tackle by Burke that diverted the ball safely into Freddie Woodman's hands, England's lead would surely have disappeared.

 

Woodman kept the Slovenes at bay again in the 11th minute, catching a volley from Sivasspor midfielder Jan Repas. The subsequent counter-attack from England saw Ben Chilwell find Sheyi Ojo at the back post, but the Leeds United forward could only hit the upright before home left-back Sandi Coralic hacked it away from his feet. Ojo did find the net a minute later, but he was clearly offside when he sidefooted Cook's through-ball past Mrezar.

 

The Young Lions would sink their teeth into Slovenia again after 15 minutes. Chilwell crossed from the left wing to Milton Keynes Dons midfielder Andre Dozzell, whose volley saw him do what his father Jason couldn't in nine attempts during the late 1980s - score for England's Under-21s. That wasn't a mean feat for 20-year-old Andre, as he was earning only his second cap at this level.

 

Dozzell had a chance to secure another goal on 19 minutes, but he fired straight into Mrezar's hands after an excellent set-up by Ipswich Town attacker Reiss Nelson. Slovenia put England back on high alert two minutes later, with Ozbolt driving forward a powerful effort that Woodman did well to catch.

 

After that scare, England stretched their lead to 3-0 in the 28th minute, thanks to yet another first-time scorer. Slovenia's defence was in chaos when Chilwell whipped a cross into their box. Mrezar charged forward to try and punch the ball away but was beaten to it by Coralic, whose unconvincing clearance was cut out by Cook. The subsequent 20-yard strike from the AFC Bournemouth playmaker rocketed into a barely-guarded net.

 

Ojo missed chances to further improve on the Young Lions' position before they went into the break still 3-0 up. The 'nil' was nearly erased three minutes into the second half, when Damir Bartulovic played a fine pass towards Ozbolt in England's penalty area. Ozbolt's lightning bolt beat Woodman but rebounded off the crossbar before Oxford nodded it away.

 

In the 53rd minute, a luckless Ojo was kept off the scoreboard once again by an impressive reflex save from Mrezar, who would also deny Solanke a minute later. By and large, though, Mrezar was having a disappointing evening, which would worsen for him when England went 4-0 up in the 61st minute.

 

MK Dons striker Eddie Nketiah's recent emergence onto the Under-21s stage when he rushed onto a killer ball from Joshua Onomah and buried it past a helpless Mrezar. That was the on-loan Arsenal teenager's third goal in just five caps for England at that age level.

 

Another exciting 19-year-old from Arsenal looked good to make it 5-0 to the Young Lions shortly afterwards, but a couple of speculative strikes by midfielder Joe Rankin-Costello went wide. England's next chance came on the 77th minute, but Nketiah got a poor connection to a lofted ball from Marcus Rashford, who was otherwise having one of his quieter evenings on Under-21s duty.

 

Slovenia tried to get the last word in on 89 minutes, when Jan Mlakar's square pass was begging to be thrashed home from close range by Luka Gajic. Only goodness knew how Gajic failed to even hit the target. That horrifying miss rounded off a miserable evening for the home team, who'd been washed away in a torrent of Velenje rain.

 

1 April 2019: Under-21s International - at Ob Jezeru, Velenje

Slovenia U21s - 0

England U21s - 4 (Dominic Solanke 4, Andre Dozzell 15, Lewis Cook 28, Eddie Nketiah 61)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Freddie Woodman (Harry Lewis); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Kyle Walker-Peters), Reece Burke (Mason Holgate), Reece Oxford (Axel Tuanzebe), Ben Chilwell (Josh Tymon); Lewis Cook (Ovie Ejaria), Tom Davies (Joe Rankin-Costello); Sheyi Ojo (Patrick Roberts), Andre Dozzell (Joshua Onomah), Reiss Nelson (Marcus Rashford); Dominic Solanke (Eddie Nketiah).

[CFuller]

***

 

England played their first away match of the UEFA European Championship qualifiers on 2 April against Austria. Before the Three Lions arrived at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, though, it would be the turn of their Under-19s counterparts to do the country proud.

 

England Under-19s only needed a draw against Turkey in Antalya to qualify for their European Championship, which would be staged in Armenia in July. However, Turkey knew that they could pip the Young Lions to top spot in Group 2 with a win, provided that Sweden could not defeat Switzerland to further complicate matters.

 

Though the Young Lions had a perfect record thus far under head coach Ledley King, they looked nervous in the opening stages of this final Elite Round match. Liverpool duo Joe Wright and Lawrence Warner each missed chances to score in the opening four minutes, and Warner's miss was particularly shocking. Turkey right-back Ahmet Demir was muscled off the ball deep in his own half by Reece Nicholls, who crossed to his wide-open strike partner Warner... and watched him volley it into the advertising boards!

 

In the 10th minute, it was Nicholls' turn to waste a golden opportunity. The Chelsea striker did the hard work by reaching a through-ball from Aaron Morley and only had to beat Turkish goalkeeper Gönenç Mentese for the opener. Much to Nicholls' horror, Mentese got enough of a glove to the ball to divert it against his far post before left-back Cumhur Uysal cleared.

 

The Crescent-Stars went on the attack for the first time just eight minutes later. Mentese's goal kick found attacking midfielder Halim Dillioğlu, who beat England defender Wright to the ball and flicked to the un-Turkish-sounding Patrick Ince. The 1.FC Köln striker then beat goalkeeper Steve Hilton to make it 1-0 to Turkey.

 

Turkey were on course to qualify for the finals... or at least they were until Sweden did England a favour by taking a quick 2-0 lead over Switzerland. That meant Turkey, England and Sweden were now level on six points, but the Young Lions were leading the group courtesy of having the better head-to-head records between the trio.

 

England couldn't simply count on Sweden coming to their rescue, so they soon set about getting back into their game. Nicholls set up an opening for Warner in the 27th minute, but Turkish centre-half Murat Fındık intercepted the Chelsea man's drilled cross just before it could reach Warner.

 

The Young Lions' dynamic duo tried again a minute later, with rather more success. A one-two between the strikers saw them carve the Turkey defence open before Nicholls' pot-shot got the better of Mentese. England were back on terms, and back on top by a clear margin.

 

Turkey now had to retake the lead to maintain their qualification hopes. In the 37th minute, Dillioğlu threaded the ball past Wright to pick out Ince, whose shocking blond hair made him stand out from his team-mates as much as his name. The final shot was not particularly special, though, as Hilton comfortably palmed it wide, to the relief of his England colleagues.

 

As one would expect from any Turkish national team, the Crescent-Stars played with plenty of passion and aggression, though they perhaps overstepped the mark on occasion. Two of their players were booked late in the first half, and a couple more would have their names taken in the second period. Among those to be cautioned was Fındık, who went on to make a costly error in the 59th minute.

 

At first, it looked like Fındık had done well to head a cross from Warner out of Turkey's penalty area. However, he failed to anticipate that England midfielder Alfie Davidson would reach the ball and thrash an unstoppable volley past Mentese. England were 2-1 ahead, and with Sweden now leading Switzerland 3-0, the Young Lions could now start dreaming of Armenia.

 

Turkey showed plenty of determination to try and save their skins, but it would be to no avail. In the 71st minute, Ince's strike from Baran Albayrak's pass wound up safely in the hands of Hilton. They would not come close again.

 

England would hit the Turkish woodwork twice in the final 20 minutes, with Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Neil Campbell and Liverpool winger John Harrison each unlucky not to improve on that narrow lead. The Young Lions didn't need any more goals, though, as the referee's final whistle confirmed their qualification for another European Championship.

 

2 April 2019: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Elite Group 2 - at Antalya, Antalya

Turkey U19s - 1 (Patrick Ince 18)

England U19s - 2 (Reece Nicholls 28, Alfie Davidson 59)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Steve Hilton; Peter Turner, Joe Wright (Alistair Rattray), Joel Latibeaudiere, Ted Lapslie; Neil Campbell, Alfie Davidson, Aaron Morley; Stuart White (Seidu Opare); Lawrence Warner (John Harrison), Reece Nicholls.

 

2019 UEFA European Under-19s Championship Elite Group 2 (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     England U19s           3     3     0     0     9     2     7     9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          Sweden U19s            3     2     0     1     6     5     1     6
3.          Turkey U19s            3     1     0     2     4     5     -1    3
4.          Switzerland U19s       3     0     0     3     1     8     -7    0

 

Of the seven teams who qualified for the 2019 UEFA European Under-19s Championship, England were the only side to win all six of their Qualifying Round and Elite Round matches. Iceland had also gone through with a perfect record in the latter round, while Scotland's progression ensured that a quarter of the field would be British.

 

The field was completed by Austria, France, Netherlands, Portugal and host nation Armenia. 2018 champions Serbia had been edged out of contention by Austria, while runners-up Czech Republic could only finish 3rd in France's Elite Round group.

 

It would take a brave person to predict who would win the Euros, which would take place between 16 and 27 July. That said, England were making a very strong case to be ranked amongst the favourites.

[CFuller]

***

 

With England Under-19s now safely into the European Championship, Mark Catterall could now set his sights firmly on leading his senior team towards another continental finals. An away win over Austria in Vienna would keep the Three Lions top of their qualifying group going into the summer.

 

There was an air of déjà vu about Austria facing England at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, as the two sides had met there before not that long ago. Not even seven months had passed since the Three Lions triumphed 2-0 in a friendly match that saw Eric Dier and Harry Kane find the target. There would be rather more pressure on them in the rematch.

 

Having missed the comprehensive 8-0 win over Gibraltar through suspension, Dier was restored to England's midfield in this match alongside captain Jordan Henderson. Only four players started both matches - Henderson, Joe Hart, Luke Shaw, and the Three Lions' latest record-breaker Callum Wilson.

 

Austria's campaign had started with a goalless draw in Swansea against Wales. Significantly, the Burschen were without their talisman; Bayern Munich left-back David Alaba was still recovering from a torn groin muscle, which he had sustained three weeks earlier.

 

In Alaba's absence, Austria head coach Marcel Koller would look to Liverpool forward Marcel Sabitzer for inspiration. Koller was also hoping for a strong performance from captain Julian Baumgartlinger, who played as a midfield destroyer for Torino in Serie A.

 

England had found Austria somewhat tricky opponents back in September, and when visiting winger Demarai Gray lost the ball to Alessandro Schöpf in the first minute, it looked like the Burschen would strike an early blow. Within moments, Legia Warsaw forward Louis Schaub had played an excellent first-time pass into the box for Sabitzer, whose shot was tipped wide by Hart.

 

England's Manchester City goalkeeper came under pressure again in the fifth minute. Michael Gregoritsch - who played alongside Baumgartlinger at Torino - got above a crowd of English defenders to head debutant left-back Stefan Stangl's cross towards goal. Fortunately for the hosts, former Toro gloveman Hart was well-placed to make a catch.

 

Things then got somewhat tense for both teams, and there were few scoring chances during the opening half-hour. In the 18th minute, Gray was booked for a clumsy challenge on Austria's Rubin Kazan right-back Moritz Bauer just outside England's penalty area. It would not be the only yellow card that Italian referee Daniele Orsato handed out.

 

The first Austrian player to stretch Orsato's patience was Stangl, who sent Southampton winger Nathan Redmond crashing to the turf in the 25th minute. The 27-year-old international rookie duly received his yellow card and then watched Jack Wilshere fight the visitors' subsequent free-kick wide.

 

The Three Lions went back on the offensive in the 28th minute, with a superb square ball from Wilshere leaving Gray in acres of space in Austria's penalty area. The home fans breathed a sigh of relief when Bauer intervened at the last moment, tackling the ball off the Leicester City winger and behind for a corner. Wilshere and Gray would then have shots saved by Burschen keeper Andreas Leitner in the 33th and 35th minutes.

 

England would finally find a way through a tough Austrian defence after 37 minutes. Captain Henderson switched the ball out to Wilshere on the right flank, and the Arsenal playmaker dragged it across the box towards Wilson. Although the cross clipped the outside of Wilson's right foot, it deflected nicely for Redmond to power home the opening goal.

 

Austria's first opportunity to retaliate came a minute later, when Marseille midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic's drive from the edge of the England area was tipped behind by Hart. The Serbian-born workhorse then floated a free-kick over the crossbar in the 40th minute, following Chris Smalling's foul on Sabitzer.

 

A tight first half ended with the referee handing out a yellow card apiece to England's Henderson and Austria's Bauer. The two teams would also share the first couple of bookings of the second half. Three Lions midfielder Eric Dier was cautioned for blocking Schöpf off the ball in the 55th minute, and Burschen defender Martin Hinteregger received a similar punishment for tripping Redmond shortly afterwards.

 

Both sides would also see their half-time substitutes enjoy chances to either increase the vistors' lead or erase it. 21-year-old Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer's 55th-minute attempt at the former was powered wide, while England forward Jamie Vardy saw his long-range drive pushed against the post by Leitner in the 64th.

 

Immediately after watching Vardy go close to making it 2-0, Catterall made his second substitute. Henderson handed the armband over to Hart before being sacrificed, with Manchester United's Brendan Galloway coming on to protect the defence in just his second cap.

 

The Three Lions were noticeably playing more conservatively, and their pragmatism could've backfired after 66 minutes. Sabitzer evaded Smalling to play an excellent cross over to his skipper Baumgartlinger, whose drive was well-controlled but not quite on target.

 

Austria were defending again by the 70th minute, when PSV's Stefan Schwab hacked a Nathaniel Clyne cross out of the box. Smalling swiftly pumped it forward to Redmond, whose first-time through-ball was blasted into the net by a quick-thinking Vardy. England were 2-0 up and closing in on back-to-back victories.

 

That said, it would have been arrogant of England to discount Austria. Four minutes after pulling two goals clear, they were pegged back by an exquisite cross from Austria's substitute defender Christopher Dibon, which Sabitzer volleyed home at the near post. Hart had been beaten for the first time in this qualifying campaign.

 

The Burschen's confidence received a massive boost, and in the 84th minute, they launched a counter-attack that had the potential to level the match. As England's defence struggled to reorganise itself, Schöpf found Schwab making a run into space. Schwab then had a pop at goal from just outside the penalty area, but he was thwarted by Hart, who remained as solid as ever in the Three Lions' goal.

 

Austria's last opportunity to steal a point came from the subsequent corner. Louis Schaub's delivery was headed out of the England box by super-sub Vardy, and Sabitzer attempted an ambitious 30-yard shot that drifted miles wide. That was it for the undisciplined Burschen, who had three players booked in the final ten minutes, taking their overall tally of yellow cards to six.

 

Catterall's cool-headed charges had made it two wins from two in Group E. That feat was matched by their next opponents - Northern Ireland, who built up to June's derby meeting at Windsor Park by winning 2-0 in Gibraltar. Meanwhile, Wales kept pace with the top two after a Sam Vokes-inspired 3-0 triumph in Moldova.

 

England would resume their qualifying campaign in mid-June, with away matches against Northern Ireland and Moldova. Six more points would surely be expected from the Three Lions.

 

2 April 2019: UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E - at Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Austria - 1 (Marcel Sabitzer 74)

England - 2 (Nathan Redmond 37, Jamie Vardy 70)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Nathaniel Clyne, John Stones, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw; Eric Dier (Danny Drinkwater), Jordan Henderson (Brendan Galloway); Nathan Redmond, Jack Wilshere, Demarai Gray (Jamie Vardy); Callum Wilson. BOOKED: Gray 18, Henderson 43, Dier 55.

 

2020 UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E (After 2 rounds)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          England                2     2     0     0     10    1     9     6
2.          Northern Ireland       2     2     0     0     5     1     4     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Wales                  2     1     1     0     3     0     3     4
4.          Austria                2     0     1     1     1     2     -1    1
5.          Moldova                2     0     0     2     1     6     -5    0
6.          Gibraltar              2     0     0     2     0     10    -10   0

 

"Two wins from two, Mark," ITV's Gabriel Clarke began in his post-match interview with Catterall. "The perfect start?"

 

"It's a good start," Catterall answered, again playing down expectations. "We won't get complacent while there are still eight matches to play. I'm just pleased that we came through tonight's match with a win, because Austria are a very capable team who like to make things difficult for us."

 

"You say that Austria made things difficult for you, and they ended up with six yellow cards. Did you think they were being overly aggressive?"

 

"There's getting stuck in, Gabriel, and then there's overstepping the line. I felt Austria just stayed the right side of that line, but some of their tackles were indeed reckless. At the same time, though, I thought the referee was too impatient to blow his whistle and book players for fouls that some refs in the Premier League would probably let slide. I was a bit surprised, really, because Daniele Orsato is supposed to be one of the top referees in world football."

 

"So let's look on the positive side of things now," Clarke continued. "Nathan Redmond scored the first goal and set up the second for Jamie Vardy. Your thoughts on his performance tonight?"

 

Catterall replied, "Nathan's full of confidence at the moment, and it showed. It's always a great asset to have someone who likes to take the defence on and cause problems in the penalty area. His finish for that first goal was ice-cool, but I was even more impressed with his through-ball to Jamie for the second."

 

"After the impact he made from the bench, is there a case to be made for Vardy to start against Northern Ireland or Moldova in June?"

 

"Nobody's guaranteed a starting place, Gabriel. Jamie's probably in the best form he's been in since Leicester City won the Premier League, but he needs to carry that form into the last few weeks of the season. In other words, ask me that question again in June."

[CFuller]

Chapter 27 - Les Jeunes

 

"It is the greatest regret that the Football Association has today withdrawn the England Under-19s team from the upcoming UEFA Women's Under-19s Championship Elite Round in Ryazan, Russia.

 

"The Young Lionesses were scheduled to play Russia, Wales and Bulgaria between 12 and 18 April. However, due to concerns surrounding the safety and welfare of England players in Russia, the FA has informed UEFA that the team will not be travelling to the country as planned."

 

With that statement, released on 5 April, the FA effectively confirmed that it was boycotting Russia for the widespread racial abuse of several black footballers over the course of many years. Withdrawal from the 2019 Women's Under-19s Championship also put them at loggerheads with UEFA, who swiftly excluded England from the following year's competition.

 

England men's manager Mark Catterall was immediately blamed by many fans and journalists. After four members of his senior team were subjected to sickening abuse during a match against Russia at the Luzhniki stadium in November, Catterall had said, "As far as I'm concerned, no England team will travel to this country again on my terms until the Russian FA clean up their act."

 

The reaction from the right-wing press to the Lionesses' withdrawal was fierce. The Sun branded Catterall a "SNOWFLAKE", accusing him of "freezing England's girls out of the Euros". Their chief football writer Russell Whiteman also launched an online petition calling for the FA to sack Catterall.

 

Whiteman also stated in his weekly column, "Catterall has misused his position as England manager, boycotting Russia for the sake of his own socialist agenda. 'The Impossible Man' is the most arrogant, bone-headed p**** to have disgraced the English game since José Mourinho. At least 'The Special One' has some charisma."

 

The Daily Mail were also apoplectic. Their veteran sports writer Kit Gammon stated, "In depriving 18 young sportswomen of the chance to show off their talents on the international stage, Catterall has outed himself as a sexist dinosaur who is also a self-centred arse. Speaking of which, his daughter Ashley has a lovely bottom, doesn't she?"

 

Despite having recently been frozen out of the England set-up, Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling was quick to defend his national team manager. He tweeted Gammon, "He ain't no sexist mate." The back page of the Daily Mail the very next day labelled Sterling a "SYMPATHISER FOR THE DEVIL", claiming that there was "outrage as serial love cheat Sterling backs sexist Catts".

 

The backlash against Catterall continued throughout April, as the European qualifiers were played out without England's Under-19s. On the Thursday afternoon of 18 April, he was at home having tea with his wife Jenny, and their son Luke, who asked, "Dad? What is a misogynist?"

 

"Where'd you hear that word, son?" Mark asked.

 

"I went to Danny Vieira's house for a playdate today. I heard Mrs Vieira talking in the kitchen about how you were a misogynist. It didn't sound like a good word."

 

Jenny gasped, "That's not a good word at all, Luke. I will be having words with Danny's mum for talking that way about your dad behind our backs!"

 

"So, what does that word mean?"

 

Mark reluctantly explained, "A misogynist is a person - usually a man - who does not like women or girls and treats them unfairly. They are a bit like racists, or people who hate other religions. You don't want to be with those kinds of people, Luke, because they're not very nice."

 

"I won't," Luke said. "I don't think you are a misogynist, Dad. You really love Mum and Ashley, don't you?"

 

"Of course I do, love."

 

After tea, Jenny played a card game with Luke on the kitchen table while Mark washed and dried the plates and cutlery. Mark then heard his phone ring, which startled him into dropping a knife back into the washing-up bowl.

 

After grabbing the phone from his pocket and reading the screen, he said, "It's Ashley."

 

"That's great, Mark, but could you take that call into the living room?"

 

"Four months I've waited for Ashley to call! Four piggin' months!"

 

"So?" Jenny replied impatiently. "Answer it, then!"

 

Mark eventually answered the call, saying as he walked into the living room, "Hi, Ashley! I'm so glad you called! What's up, love?"

 

Ashley sighed, "Dad... I think we need to talk."

 

"Look, if this is about Russia..."

 

"It is about Russia. Are you watching the telly? If you are, put on Eurosport 2 right now."

 

Mark turned on the television before switching to Eurosport 2. The channel was broadcasting the Women's Under-19s match between Wales and Russia. Both teams had won their first two group games against Iceland - who'd replaced England at the last minute - and Bulgaria. As a result, whoever prevailed in this match would win the group and qualify for the finals.

 

He muttered, "It's 0-0. What am I supposed to be seeing?"

 

"Not seeing, Dad. Hearing. Turn the volume up."

 

Mark turned the volume up, and he was immediately appalled to hear a chorus of monkey chants, aimed at a mixed-race Welsh player who was sporting an afro. He called out, "Jen? You've got to see this!"

 

Jenny came into the room and asked, "What's happening? Oh, you are joking!"

 

As the ball went out of play for a throw-in, the Welsh player in question went to collect the ball. She was then subjected to more monkey chants, and one man even screamed behind her back in English, "GO BACK TO AFRICA!"

 

The player furiously chucked the ball into the face of her abuser. The referee rushed over and showed her a straight red card, at which point she burst into tears.

 

Ashley screamed down the phone, which Mark had now put on loudspeaker, "You've got to be f***ing kidding! She gets a load of grief, and then she's sent off for retaliating?!"

 

"This is exactly what I feared would happen to you and your team-mates, Ashley," Mark stated. "Do you understand now why I asked the FA to pull England out?"

 

Ashley sighed, "It's a difficult one, Dad. I can't totally forgive you for that, but I see where you were coming from now. You made the call 'cos you cared for us."

 

After their team-mate's dismissal, the Wales team refused to resume the match. All the Welsh players walked towards the tunnel in disgust, leaving their Russian opponents stunned and confused.

 

Jenny asked, "So they're walking off? They're abandoning the game?"

 

Ashley said, "To be fair, I would've done the same if that had happened to me, or one of my team-mates."

 

Then came a sudden act of solidity from the Russian team. Every single home player joined the Wales team in jogging off the pitch, with each one putting a hand on the back of a Welsh player in support as they went down the tunnel. A large section of the crowd then stood up to applaud them off.

 

"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Mark said.

 

Jenny turned to Mark and said, "You do know that not all Russians are racists or homophobes, right? The majority hate discrimination and want democracy like we do."

 

Mark nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I weren't tarring all Russians with the same brush."

 

Ashley said, "So I s'pose Wales are gonna get kicked out now."

 

"Maybe not, love. Maybe this will convince FIFA and UEFA once and for all that Russia's racism problem has gone too far. The stand we took in not sending a team there might have made a difference, small as it may be."

 

"Let's hope so."

 

As Jenny returned to the kitchen to be with Luke, Mark turned the television off and sat down on the sofa. Ashley then said, "Dad... those things I told you in the restaurant, after you said I couldn't go to Russia. You know I didn't really mean them, right?"

 

Mark half-laughed, "Ash, you're a teenager. Every teenage kid goes through a phase when they hate their parents! In my case, it was 'cos they kicked me out the house at 18 for getting a girl pregnant."

 

"Yeah, we all do things we regret."

 

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

 

"No, I'm not pregnant!" Ashley laughed. "But yeah, I've been wanting to tell you for ages that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for overreacting in the way I did."

 

"Apology accepted, Ashley."

 

"It's just been a hectic few weeks, you know, what with the Liverpool girls going for the league title and all."

 

"How's that going?"

 

"Three games to go, and we're three points behind [Manchester] City."

 

"Well, good luck with that," Mark said. He then added, with tongue in cheek, "I might never forgive you if you beat my City team, but still... good luck."

 

"Thanks. I'd love it if you could come to another game before the season's over."

 

Mark said, "I'll think about it." He then asked, "How's your mum?"

 

"Mum and Craig are fine. She's still angry with you over what happened, but give it time, and she'll be ready to speak to you again."

 

"The last time your mum said she wanted to 'give it time', it was 11 years before we spoke again!"

 

"Just be patient with her, alright, Dad?"

[CFuller]

***

 

Two months had passed since the Football Association board had first been informed of Qatari billionaire Saoud Hussein's plans to buy Wembley Stadium. It was now the middle of April, and with negotiations at an advanced stage, the board had been summoned to their London headquarters again. This time, however, chairman Clark Gregory was not in a good mood.

 

Gregory entered the boardroom with a scowl across his face and slammed a copy of The Sun onto the table. The front page read: "SAOU-CRE BLEU! Wembley sale in chaos as Hussein backs France World Cup bid!"

 

Gregory growled, "I knew it was too good to be f***ing true! That turncoat Hussein was only using us!"

 

Vice-chairwoman Connie Millstone asked, "What do you mean, he was using us?"

 

"Can't you f***ing read, woman? Saoud Hussein was never interested in buying Wembley! He was just advertising his wealth to those nations who are bidding against us for the 2030 World Cup!"

 

"So now he's giving financial backing to France's bid?"

 

"If you actually read the article, then yes, you'll find that he is. David, you're the most literate person in the room. Can't you read this and explain to Connie what's going on?"

 

Chief executive David Whiteman turned up to Gregory and said, "With all due respect, Mr Gregory, I do not find that beneficial for anybody within the confines of these four walls. For one thing, The Sun is a publication with a notorious reputation for being economical with the truth. For another, the reading age required to navigate this newspaper is insultingly low for a man of my intellect."

 

Gregory groaned, "Yes, it's obvious nobody at The Sun has ever read anything by Ernest Hemingway or Mark Twain, but even so..."

 

Millstone interrupted, "Ernest Hemingway? He's not that explorer who went to the Antarctic, is he?"

 

"You're thinking of Ernest Shackleton, Ms Millst... oh, for Christ's sake! Aren't either of you going to bother reading this?"

 

Millstone took the newspaper and then read the front page out loud:

 

Quote

"Saoud Hussein - the businessman who wants to buy Wembley - has sensationally been caught on film AGREEING to back France's bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

 

"Our undercover reporter Hamish McGreedy filmed moneybags Hussein, 43, dissing England's own World Cup bid at a restaurant in Doha, Qatar.

 

"In the film, Hussein also pledges to offer €100million to the French Football Federation in return for offering its best young players to his League One club Southend United.

 

"The FA are now under pressure to end talks with the Qatari over the £800million sale of Wembley."

 

Whiteman took a sip of water and then took a deep breath before saying, "If those allegations can be substantiated, then I would suggest that they would be sufficient to call for an immediate termination of negotiations."

 

Millstone then said, "Hang on, I know who Hamish McGreedy is. He's the 'Mock Jock' who tried to sell cocaine to Mollie from The Saturdays a few weeks back! He's actually called Kevin and he lives in Kent."

 

"What the f***'s that got to do with anything?" Gregory shrugged angrily. "The point is that Hussein wanted to buy our crown jewels, and then he went behind our back and offered to buy FRANCE the World Cup!"

 

Whiteman said, "If Mr Hussein is no longer interested in purchasing Wembley Stadium and would instead choose to invest in another football association, then that is Mr Hussein's prerogative."

 

"Yeah, what David said," Millstone nodded. "But this is the usual xenophobic rhetoric The Sun love to come out with, Clark. They'll jump on anything they see as anti-English. You shouldn't believe everything you read in the papers."

 

Gregory scrunched his face and asked, "Since when did you turn into Mark f***ing Catterall? That's exactly the sort of left-wing b******s he'd come up with!"

 

Whiteman suggested, "May I humbly suggest that you take this story to the horse's mouth? In other words, it may be beneficial to contact Mr Hussein and ascertain his perspective of the situation."

 

Gregory sighed and brought out his phone to call Hussein. As Gregory put the phone on loudspeaker, Hussein answered, "Hello, Saoud Hussein speaking."

 

"Saoud, it's Clark Gregory. What's this about you offering your money up to France for the 2030 World Cup?"

 

Hussein chuckled, "That is news to me, Clark! I have never offered to support France in the World Cup bidding process, or any other country for that matter!"

 

"Then why did The Sun film you in Doha having a dig at us and then giving €100million to the FFF?"

 

"If The Sun said they filmed me, then they must have confused me with my younger brother Salem. He's a businessman in Doha too."

 

"A likely story, Saoud. I don't buy it... and you're not buying Wembley off us anymore, that's for sure!"

 

Millstone gasped, "What are you doing?"

 

"What?" Hussein exclaimed. "You're calling the deal off because of a misunderstanding?"

 

"I never trusted you anyway, Hussein! I knew all along that you were using Wembley as leverage!"

 

Hussein insisted, "Excuse me, Clark, but I have no idea what th-" before Gregory abruptly ended the phone call.

 

As Millstone slammed her head onto the table in frustration, Whiteman let out a sigh and said, "I have to admit, Mr Gregory, that your actions over the past minute might have been unnecessarily premature."

 

Gregory responded, "I'll tell you what would've been premature, David: selling Wembley to that fraud, and then watching him bribe [FIFA President] Gianni Infantino into giving the World Cup to those baguette-eating frogs!"

 

Millstone sat back up and moaned, "£800million, Clark. That's money we could've used to transform English football for the greater good." She then whispered under her breath, "And buy dozens of handbags for FIFA Council members."

 

Gregory barked, "Stop moaning, Millstone! It's all done and over with! Now let's discuss other business. David, what've you got?"

 

Whiteman said, "Thank you, Mr Gregory. One item on the agenda surrounds the Premier League's recent decision to divide all future money obtained from television rights by league position. In essence, this would increase the likelihood of the so-called 'Big Six' teams becoming even more substantially wealthy than the other 14 teams in the division, thus widening the disparity between the larger and smaller clubs."

 

Gregory nodded, "Okay. So... what action should we take?"

 

Whiteman politely shrugged his shoulders, while Millstone meekly suggested, "We could... send the Premier League a very sternly-written warning. That might make them change their mind."

[CFuller]

***

 

The 2018/2019 season might have been drawing to a close, but England's hottest young footballers still had plenty left to play for. The Under-19s and Under-21s teams had each qualified for their respective European Championships, where they would be ranked amongst the favourites to claim the silverware. Before then, though, the Under-20s would have an opportunity to win an even bigger prize.

 

England had qualified for the FIFA U20 World Cup for the 12th time in their history, and they were looking to reach their first Final. If they could go all the way and win the cup, it would be the country's first global honour in 53 years.

 

The Young Lions had qualified for this year's tournament as a result of reaching the Semi Finals at the 2018 European Under-19s Championship. They wouldn't have too far to travel either, with the event being staged across the Channel in France.

 

England would be joined at this event by their fellow Semi Finalists from the Under-19s Euros - namely Croatia, Czech Republic and Serbia. Spain had also qualified after winning a 5th-place play-off at that tournament, but La Rojita were unable to take their place in the tournament.

 

A little over 100 years after the great 'Spanish flu' pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people across southern Spain had been affected by a horrific outbreak of the H1N1 virus throughout spring 2019. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a national state of emergency, essentially sending the country into lockdown. Flights in and out of Spain were severely restricted, which resulted in the national Under-20s team withdrawing from the upcoming World Cup.

 

The team that took Spain's place in France was not Belgium, whom La Rojita had defeated in that play-off, but - somewhat bizarrely - Portugal. The Esperanças had not even qualified for the Under-19s Euros in 2018, prompting many to speculate that their invitation by FIFA was influenced more by commercial reasons than by sporting achievements.

 

While Portugal's appearance at the World Cup was perhaps questionable, neutrals would be pleased to see South Africa arrive to defend the title they had beaten all the odds to claim in 2017. Bafana Bafana had defeated the likes of England, Paraguay and Germany on their way to lifting the trophy in South Korea. A handful of their world-champion starlets had since gone on to represent the country at senior level.

 

South Korea's decision to move the 2017 tournament to a May/June slot had been considered a success, so the change was made permanent from 2019 onwards. This event would be staged between 25 May and 16 June.

 

The draw for the 24-team group stage was staged in April, when England's road towards potential glory became somewhat clearer:

 

2019 FIFA U20 World Cup Group Stage draw

GROUP A: Czech Republic, Solomon Islands, South Africa (holders), South Korea

GROUP B: Chile, France (hosts), Morocco, United States

GROUP C: Algeria, England, Mexico, Venezuela

GROUP D: Ivory Coast, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Serbia

GROUP E: Croatia, Honduras, Iran, Peru

GROUP F: Canada, Japan, Paraguay, Portugal

 

England would be heavy favourites to win Group C and get to the Last 16, where they had faltered in 2017. A top-two finish would guarantee progression to the knockout rounds, and while neither Algeria nor Venezuela were expected to seriously trouble the Young Lions, Mexico would surely provide a substantial threat.

 

England's training base for the duration for the tournament would be Wasquehal - a small northern French commune situated just a few minutes' drive from the Belgian border. All three of the Young Lions' group matches would be played in nearby Valenciennes, with the Stade du Hainaut hosting meetings with Mexico on 27 May, Venezuela on 30 May, and Algeria on 2 June.

 

Manager Mark Catterall again opted to give the U20 World Cup a miss, with Under-19s head coach Ledley King being placed in charge of the squad instead. While Catterall wouldn't attend the tournament in person, he would still be watching on from back home, and he would also pick the 21-man squad.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-20s squad - for 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Terry Cowling             GK                  28/03/2001 (18)  Leeds           6'1"   12st 3lbs  £170K   
Nick Hayes                GK                  10/04/1999 (20)  Ipswich         6'5"   13st 12lbs £39K    
Steve Hilton              GK                  26/07/2001 (17)  Liverpool       6'1"   11st 6lbs  £130K   
Jordan Williams           D (RLC)             22/10/1999 (19)  Huddersfield    6'1"   12st 10lbs £350K   
Trevoh Chalobah           D (RLC), WB (L)     05/07/1999 (19)  Blackburn       6'4"   12st 6lbs  £525K   
Simranjit Thandi          D (RC)              11/10/1999 (19)  Leicester       5'11"  12st 1lb   £165K   
Joe Rankin-Costello       D (RC), M/AM (RLC)  26/07/1999 (19)  Swansea         5'10"  11st 4lbs  £8.25M  
Corey Jordan              D (C)               04/03/1999 (20)  Hibernian       6'1"   12st 3lbs  £275K   
Josh Tymon                D/M (L)             22/05/1999 (19)  West Ham        5'9"   11st 2lbs  £7.5M   
Joe Wright                D/M (C)             04/09/2000 (18)  Rotherham       6'4"   13st 5lbs  £400K   
Ryan Sessegnon            D/M/AM (L)          18/05/2000 (18)  Sheff Wed       5'11"  12st 1lb   £3.7M   
Jonathan Leko             M (R), AM (RL)      24/04/1999 (20)  West Brom       6'2"   11st 2lbs  £700K   
Reiss Nelson              M (L), AM (RL)      10/12/1999 (19)  Ipswich         5'10"  11st 6lbs  £6.5M   
Neil Campbell             M (C), AM (RC)      23/05/2001 (17)  Wolves          5'10"  10st 9lbs  £500K   
Seidu Opare               M/AM (L), ST (C)    15/11/2000 (18)  Tottenham       6'4"   13st 3lbs  £3M     
Sadou Diallo              M/AM (C)            10/01/1999 (20)  Aberdeen        5'10"  11st 13lbs £750K   
Mason Mount               M/AM (C)            10/01/1999 (20)  Nottm Forest    5'9"   9st 4lbs   £230K   
Morgan Gibbs-White        AM (C)              27/01/2000 (19)  Cambridge       5'11"  11st 13lbs £775K   
Ben Brereton              ST (C)              18/04/1999 (20)  Nottm Forest    6'1"   13st 0lbs  £10.25M 
Niall Ennis               ST (C)              20/05/1999 (19)  Walsall         6'0"   12st 8lbs  £1.5M   
Eddie Nketiah             ST (C)              30/05/1999 (19)  MK Dons         5'10"  11st 6lbs  £7.25M  

 

Only two players from England's U20 World Cup debacle in 2017 were young enough to be eligible for another shot at glory. West Ham United left-back Josh Tymon and West Bromwich Albion winger Jonathan Leko did indeed regain their places and would pass on their experience to younger players.

 

20 of the 21 players in this squad were familiar to Catterall and King, having played for the Under-19s at some point or another. All but three members of the European Under-19s Championship squad from the previous year were present, which went to show just how greatly Catterall favoured team-building over simply selecting the best players.

 

Four players had already been capped for the Under-21s. Tymon, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Rankin-Costello all dropped back down to compete at this World Cup instead of the European Under-21s Championship in June. That figure initially stood at five, but Milton Keynes Dons midfielder Andre Dozzell - who'd gained his first taste of Under-21s football in March - damaged his Achilles tendon just hours after being announced in the initial squad.

 

Taking the unfortunate Dozzell's spot on the flight to France would be Chelsea's attacking midfielder Mason Mount. He had been on loan to two different teams this season, starting the campaign at Burton Albion in League One before moving up to the Championship with Nottingham Forest.

 

The only squad member who hadn't yet played for England at any level was Ipswich Town's reserve goalkeeper Nick Hayes. There was a distinct lack of good young goalkeepers in the English professional leagues, so Hayes' rivals for the number 1 jersey were Terry Cowling and Steve Hilton - two of the youngest members of the entire squad.

 

Before the squad announcement, Catterall had intended that any active Under-19s players who took part at the U20 World Cup would be subsequently rested for July's European Championship. However, Liverpool starlet Hilton was Catterall's undisputed first-choice keeper with the younger age group, while midfielders Neil Campbell and defender Joe Wright were both Championship regulars who would be very difficult to replace. The manager therefore decided that he would not necessarily set those plans in stone.

 

That meant the likes of Hilton, Campbell and Wright could still conceivably play in both tournaments. Whether they could handle the rigours of competing in two major events over the course of two months remained to be seen.

 

Question marks were also hanging over the heads of England's lethal striking trio. Ben Brereton, Niall Ennis and Eddie Nketiah had scored 51 Championship goals between them this season, but all three forwards picked up minor injuries in the weeks leading up to the tournament and would perhaps be short on match fitness.

[CFuller]

This short post is just to clarify why Portugal have found themselves at the U20 World Cup, despite not qualifying.

The 5th-placed team at the 2018 European Under-19s Championship (Spain) should have qualified for the following year's U20 World Cup. However, there seems to be a bug in the database that meant the winner of the 5th-place play-off at 2017's Under-19s Euros (Portugal) went through instead.

Once again, I have used some artistic licence to 'explain' an in-game quirk within my story.

Incidentally, the South American qualifiers seem to be wrong, which perhaps explains the absence of Argentina and Brazil.

[CFuller]

***

 

Mark Catterall's desire to give his England teams as much preparation time as possible before a tournament saw the Under-20s arrive in France two weeks prior to their opening match at the FIFA U20 World Cup. The Young Lions' last foray into this competition had ended somewhat prematurely, but Catterall was determined not to leave any stone unturned this time around.

 

Following the withdrawal of Andre Dozzell from the initial squad, Catterall was relieved that he didn't hear of any further serious injuries to his young starlets. On the evening of 27 May, the manager sat down at home to watch his team begin their latest World Cup odyssey.

 

The Young Lions' quest to better the senior team's exploits from 2018 began in Valenciennes against a strong Mexico team. El Tri were the reigning CONCACAF Under-20s Championship holders, having won the trophy in March after winning six consecutive matches in which they conceded just one goal. Their defensive solidity was largely down to head coach Pável Pardo - a former holding midfielder who'd won 148 caps during his senior international career.

 

England's opening match in Group C looked set to be their most testing, and they didn't exactly have the best of starts when attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White hurt himself after just seven minutes. The Leicester City star, who'd recently taken his loan club Cambridge United into the League One play-offs, cut his hand following a full-blooded tackle on Mexican middleman Héctor González.

 

Young Lions right-back Jordan Williams was also involved in a bruising clash with Mexico winger Diego Laínez after ten minutes. It was Laínez who came out on top before delivering a cross to striker José Alfredo Sánchez, who got behind England centre-half Joe Wright and applied a lethal finish.

 

England were fortunate not to concede again in the 15th minute. Though his hand had been heavily bandaged up, Gibbs-White showed plenty of bravery to deflect behind a powerful strike from Mexico's right-winger Francisco Figueroa. Three minutes later at the other, Gibbs-White unleashed a lethal shot of his own, only to watch goalkeeper Rhett Nieto divert it against his left-hand post and then catch the rebound.

 

The rest of the first half was a closely-fought affair, with each team winning a corner midway through the period. It was England who finished strongly, with Neil Campbell having a 41st-minute free-kick blocked by Figueroa before Ben Brereton's 43rd-minute shot flew over the bar. That said, the Young Lions still had some work to do if they were to get back in contention.

 

After rousing his troops in the dressing room at half-time, England coach Ledley King made a couple of substitutions, as suggested by Catterall. Gibbs-White was rested in favour of Mason Mount, while Joe Rankin-Costello was replaced in central midfield by the more aggressive Sadou Diallo.

 

The Young Lions started taking the game to El Tri in the 57th minute, when Brereton swung Diallo's lobbed pass inches wide of the target. Five minutes later, Brereton burst behind the defence to reach a long through-ball from Wright and enter the penalty area. The Nottingham Forest striker was then forced into a tight angle by Mexico's right-back Santiago Rosales, who brilliantly tackled him off the ball to halt his advances.

 

England received the game's first yellow card after 63 minutes, when Campbell's foul on Sánchez was deemed bookable by Kosovar referee Bujar Shala. The tide turned just a minute later, though, as a Campbell free-kick into Mexico's area ended with Diallo going down under a challenge from Sánchez. Shala pointed to the spot, and England were awarded a penalty!

 

There was some debate as to who would take the spot-kick before captain Trevoh Chalobah handed the ball to his Chelsea club-mate Mount. The Nottingham Forest loanee had only made it into the squad as a replacement for the injured Dozzell... but a powerful penalty left Nieto soundly beaten, and Mount was suddenly heralded as England's saviour! It was now 1-1!

 

Worryingly for King and Catterall, a second Englishman went into the book after 68 minutes. Jordan Williams' trip on Laínez saw the Huddersfield Town right-back have his name taken by Shala. Williams would later be subbed off for Leicester's Simranjit Thandi, but not before Sánchez and Luis Gamíz spurned opportunities to restore Mexico's lead.

 

In the 88th minute, a poor clearance from England captain Chalobah was intercepted by his Mexican counterpart Jaime Chan. The holding midfielder nodded it on to Gamíz, who in turn played it ahead of Laínez on the left flank. Laínez went for a spectacular strike from just outside the penalty area, but he couldn't get the better of Young Lions keeper Steve Hilton.

 

Just like in their opening match of the 2017 U20 World Cup against Paraguay, England had to share the spoils with Latin American opposition. They and Mexico were now joint-second in Group C behind Algeria, who'd edged out Venezuela 1-0 earlier in the day.

 

England would play their next group match against Venezuela three days later. While a draw with Mexico had looked a decent enough result, a similar outcome versus La Vinotinto would not be considered as such.

 

27 May 2019: FIFA U20 World Cup Group C - at Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes

Mexico U20s - 1 (José Alfredo Sánchez 10)

England U20s - 1 (Mason Mount pen65)

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Steve Hilton; Jordan Williams (Simranjit Thandi), Joe Wright, Trevoh Chalobah, Ryan Sessegnon; Joe Rankin-Costello (Sadou Diallo), Neil Campbell; Jonathan Leko, Morgan Gibbs-White (Mason Mount), Seidu Opare; Ben Brereton. BOOKED: Campbell 63, Williams 68.

[CFuller]

***

 

After a couple of days' rest, England resumed their FIFA U20 World Cup campaign in France by taking on Venezuela in their second Group C fixture. Following a 1-1 draw with Mexico, the onus was firmly on the Young Lions to get a win on the board.

 

Mexico had gone top of Group C earlier in the day, overtaking Algeria with a 2-1 win over the North Africans. Could England now join El Tri on four points, and thus put themselves in a great position to qualify for the Last 16?

 

Even though they had qualified for the World Cup, Venezuela did not appear to have one a particularly strong youth team by South American standards. La Vinotinto had lost their opener by a single goal to Algeria, and another loss here would surely be fatal to their hopes of progressing further.

 

The Venezuelan defence was opened up as early as the third minute, when England skipper Mason Mount's through-ball to Jonathan Leko was met by a controlled strike from the West Bromwich Albion winger. Only a brave save by goalkeeper Candelario Manuel Sánchez denied Leko an early opener.

 

Mount pulled a speculative shot wide in the sixth minute, but another Young Lion would bite into La Vinotinto three minutes later. Leko deftly lifted the ball across Venezuela's 'D' and to Eddie Nketiah, who sent a volley flying emphatically into the net.

 

Venezuela had an opportunity to strike back after 14 minutes, when striker José Barragán was the victim of a hefty challenge from England defender Corey Jordan. Tenerife centre-back Alberto González took the subsequent free-kick for the South American side, firing it over the crossbar.

 

By the 20th minute, Venezuela's task had been made even more difficult. Although centre-half Franklin Correa did well to block a powerful shot from Nketiah, he could only deflect it on to Sadou Diallo, who played a one-two with England team-mate Reiss Nelson and then went for goal. The Aberdeen midfielder saw his shot creep across the line off Sánchez's fingertips for 2-0.

 

Four minutes later, though, disaster very nearly struck for England. Leko's pass to Nketiah in space was intercepted brilliantly by Correa, who pumped it upfield for Barragán to run onto. Barragán brushed defender Joe Wright aside to leave him with just Steve Hilton to beat, but his shot was too close to the Liverpool goalkeeper, who palmed it out of harm's way.

 

England's next minor cause for concern came in the 29th minute. Joe Rankin-Costello was booked for upending Venezuela midfielder Luis Suárez, who - to his credit - didn't sink his teeth into the Arsenal playmaker's shoulder afterwards. Suárez's colleague Domingo Ruiz did threaten to bite back six minutes later with a spectacular volley that was awkwardly parried by Hilton.

 

England concluded the first half with a couple of narrow misses from Nelson. They resumed their efforts seven minutes into the second period, with Nketiah swerving a shot that went within inches of securing him his second goal. He would have somewhat better luck on that front later on.

 

Nketiah's chemistry with fellow Arsenal youth product Nelson was evident in the 59th minute. After neatly controlling a pass from Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Neil Campbell, inside-forward Nelson sidefooted the ball ahead of Nketiah, who prodded it clinically past Sánchez.

 

The Young Lions now had a comfortable three-goal lead, and they felt happy enough with it. They attacked only occasionally in the final half-hour, with their focus having turned towards protecting that advantage and securing the win. Their defenders also had to watch their step to avoid any needless bookings, such as when Jordan was cautioned for a trip on Vinotinto captain Diego Bastidas in the 68th minute.

 

Venezuela were now destined for back-to-back defeats, and elimination from the tournament with one group game remaining. However, they did claw back one consolation goal in the last minute of normal time. Bastidas flicked Rafael Lorenzo's corner towards the far post, where substitute midfielder Junior Moreno flicked in a header that comfortably beat Hilton.

 

England's 3-1 win powered them to the Group C summit, ahead of Mexico on goal difference. They would secure qualification for the Last 16 with a draw against Algeria on 2 June. That said, even if they did somehow lose to Les Fennecs, and Mexico defeated Venezuela in their last group match, the Young Lions would still have a decent chance of going through as one of the best 3rd-placed sides.

 

30 May 2019: FIFA U20 World Cup Group C - at Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes

England U20s - 3 (Eddie Nketiah 9,59, Sadou Diallo 20)

Venezuela U20s - 1 (Junior Moreno 90)

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Steve Hilton; Simranjit Thandi, Joe Wright (Trevoh Chalobah), Corey Jordan, Josh Tymon; Sadou Diallo, Joe Rankin-Costello (Neil Campbell); Jonathan Leko (Seidu Opare), Mason Mount, Reiss Nelson; Eddie Nketiah. BOOKED: Rankin-Costello 29, Jordan 68.

[CFuller]

***

 

After watching England's Under-20s beat Venezuela 3-1 in their second FIFA U20 World Cup group match, Mark Catterall reclined in his seat and raised a fist into the air in restrained delight.

 

Jenny Catterall came over to the sofa and asked, "Good result?"

 

"3-1 against Venezuela, that's a great result!" Mark replied enthusiastically. "That's four points from two games now. We'll probably be going into the Last 16 now, barring a disaster."

 

Jenny then sat down and said, "Do you think they can go even further, and win the World Cup?"

 

"It's still early days, Jen, but we're looking capable. If we can build up some momentum going into the knockout stages, there's no reason why we can't go far."

 

"So who's next?"

 

"Algeria, on Sunday."

 

"Algeria? That should be an easy win, right?"

 

Mark shook his head. "How about you ask Wayne Rooney if facing Algeria at the 2010 World Cup was easy?"

 

"You could've just said no," Jenny said. "Anyway, before you head off to bed, maybe you should pop into Luke's room. He's been really down today."

 

Mark sighed, "You know I'm not really the comforting sort, Jen."

 

"Please, Mark. He hasn't been spending as much time with you as he'd like over these last few days."

 

"Okay, then," Mark nodded reluctantly. After packing his laptop away, he went up to Luke's bedroom and saw his son lying in bed on his side, his back turned to the door. Luke appeared to have been crying.

 

"What's up, son?" Mark softly asked.

 

"Nothing," Luke replied sadly.

 

"It don't look like nothing. Mum says you've been depressed all day. Is it 'cos the school holidays are nearly over?"

 

"No. It's because we didn't do anything fun today. That's what school holidays are meant to be about, aren't they?"

 

Mark let out a sigh and then sat on the end of the bed. He said, "Look, son. It's all a bit complicated, 'cos your mum and I don't have regular 9-5 jobs, and we can't always take holidays at the same time as you do."

 

"I know, but Mum was at work this morning and you were too busy to do anything with me."

 

"I told you, England's Under-20s team were playing a World Cup match in France tonight and I had to make plans for that. They beat Venezuela 3-1, by the way."

 

Luke replied uninterestedly, "That's good, I guess."

 

"So what did you do today, then? It's not as if you're short of hobbies and things to do here."

 

"I did a bit of reading, and then I played my guitar a little bit, but I got bored. I don't think I enjoy playing the guitar anymore."

 

"How about I get you another instrument, then? We've still got a lot of your birthday money left over."

 

"Can I get a drum kit?" Luke asked, rather more enthusiastically.

 

Mark chuckled, "I think Mum will draw the line at a drum kit!"

 

"Okay. Then I just want us to go out somewhere tomorrow, as a family."

 

"Tomorrow?"

 

"Yeah. We don't have much time to do stuff together, cos you'll be going away again soon, won't you?"

 

Luke had a point. Mark was due to travel to Northern Ireland and Moldova for two UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches in June before heading over to Italy for the European Under-21s Championship. He would potentially be away from his family for the best part of four weeks.

 

"Alright, you've got me there. Maybe we could take a walk to the park."

 

Luke did not look overly enthused by that suggestion, so Mark offered up another. "We could go to the cinema and watch a film."

 

"Are there any good films on?"

 

"Not really. It's all sequels, reboots and big-budget superhero movies these days."

 

"I'm not into superheroes."

 

"I didn't think you were. Anyway, me and Mum will think it over in the morning. Goodnight."

 

Mark was about to caress Luke's cheek when his son asked, "Can I ask you another question, Dad? Are we going on holiday this summer?"

 

"Yeah, of course. Why'd you ask?"

 

"We didn't have a holiday last year because of the World Cup. I want us to go somewhere nice this summer."

 

"Well, we can't go anywhere in July 'cos the Under-19s have got a European Championship then. But Mum and I have already booked for us to go away for a fortnight. Ashley's free to come with us as well if she wants."

 

"We aren't going to Skegness again, are we?"

 

"No, and we're not going to Bridlington either. How does Cuba sound to you?"

 

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Cuba?"

 

"Yeah, Cuba. They've got beautiful beaches, great music, lovely people... so yeah, it's quite different from Lincolnshire, for sure."

 

"I heard people say that Cuba was a communist country."

 

"You do know what communism is, right?"

 

"Yeah. Mum explained it to me a while ago. She told me about fascism as well."

 

"That's fine, then. Anyway, Cuba is becoming more democratic and more open to foreigners. Apparently, Gary Cahill went there for a few days after the World Cup and really enjoyed it. He weren't just saying that when he was a communist, either; he was still raving about how great it was a couple of months ago."

 

Luke was noticeably taken aback. "Wait? Are you saying that Gary Cahill was a communist?"

 

"Aw, crap, I shouldn't have said that," Mark muttered under his breath. He then explained to Luke, "Some shady Russian apparently turned Gary to Marxism while we were at the World Cup. This new Gary unsettled a lot of the team, and then one day, he went out of control. We had to take desperate measures to get him 'right' again."

 

"What desperate measures?"

 

"Never you mind, Luke. This was actually supposed to be kept secret, so you mustn't mention any of what I've just said to anyone. You got that?"

 

"Got it, Dad," Luke said. "Your secret is safe with me."

 

"Thanks, son. So what do you say about Cuba?"

 

"I'd love to go there."

 

"Great," Mark smiled, before gently stroking Luke's hair. "I'm off to bed now, so I'll see you in the morning."

[CFuller]

***

 

England went into their final group game at the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup with their fate in their own hands. A draw against Algeria in Valenciennes would secure a top-two finish in Group C and send them through to the Last 16 - the same stage where they had faltered in 2017.

 

The Young Lions' fate would be rather less clear if they lost. If that was to happen, they would still advance if the already-eliminated Venezuela could record a surprise win over Mexico in Montpellier. If not, England would need to hope that they would get through as one of the four best 3rd-placed sides. In that respect, it was vital that they didn't lose heavily.

 

Ledley King had yet to taste defeat since being appointed as head coach of England's Under-19s and Under-20s teams. The former Tottenham Hotspur captain was understandably feeling confident before the Young Lions kicked off against Algeria, as was manager Mark Catterall. Their self-belief would be severely tested over the course of the first few minutes.

 

A nervy Algerian team conceded several direct free-kicks just outside their penalty area during the opening 15 minutes. Time and time again, though, they were let off the hook by wayward attempts from Mason Mount and Seidu Opare. The Young Lions clearly needed to brush up on their set-pieces.

 

Defensively, England were looking rather more composed. Left-winger Opare and centre-half Corey Jordan headed away successive crosses from Algeria midfielder Nacer Kerifali in the 15th minute, though Les Fennecs quickly went back on the offensive. Moments later, Rennes winger Billal Mehadji unleashed a shot on the edge of the box that forced Steve Hilton into his first save.

 

The North Africans could boast plenty of home support in France, with the Stade du Hainaut packed full of Algerian supporters. By the 23rd minute, they would have reason to celebrate.

 

Mohamed Amiri - an 18-year-old midfielder wanted by both Barcelona and Real Madrid - superbly dispossessed Ben Brereton. He then hoisted the ball forward to frontman Said Benahmed, who subsequently found Zahir Belhadj on the right wing. After advancing to the byline, Belhadj drilled in a cross that was deflected across the England goal line by the unfortunate Jordan's outstretched thigh.

 

That own goal was devastating for England. Not only were they now losing, but Mexico were now holding a 2-1 lead over Venezuela. As things stood, the Young Lions were dropping from 1st to 3rd, and they would only be sneaking through to the Last 16 on goal difference.

 

England pushed for a nerve-settling equaliser late in the first period, but they found themselves up against a dogged Fennecs defence. Right-back Amar Diab threw himself at a 37th-minute Opare shot to deny the Tottenham Hotspur wingman. In the last few minutes before half-time, Mount rattled a long-range shot against the bar before centre-forward Ben Brereton had a header saved by Yassine Belhaoua.

 

Catterall tried to shake England back into life before the second half by abandoning wingers in favour of a narrow 4-3-1-2. Midfield aggressor Sadou Diallo and striker Niall Ennis both came on, but neither man was able to make the desired impact.

 

Ennis collected a long ball from Mount in the 56th minute, but the Southampton striker could only drive it into Belhaoua's hands after cutting past Diab. An even greater chance went awry three minutes later, when he lobbed Brereton's first-time pass over the bar.

 

The Young Lions' frustration was clear in the 60th minute, as midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White saw yellow for a trip on Kerifali. A minute after that, they went worryingly close to falling two goals behind. Defender Trevoh Chalobah was beaten to a Diab cross by Benahmed, whose header looped just over the bar.

 

England next threatened Algeria's lead on 75 minutes, with Ennis' drive being palmed wide by Belhaoua. Just as the Young Lions were starting to regain their composure, though, they lost it again. Manchester City youngsters Diallo and Ryan Sessegnon each received bookings before a couple of last-ditch attempts from substitute midfielder Neil Campbell went off target.

 

England had lost tamely to Algeria, and a 3-1 win for Mexico over Venezuela meant that the Young Lions had slipped to 3rd place in Group C. They still qualified for the Last 16, but only by the skin of their teeth... and the subsequent draw for the knockout stages would leave them in despair.

 

2 June 2019: FIFA U20 World Cup Group C - at Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes

Algeria U20s - 1 (Corey Jordan og23)

England U20s - 0

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Steve Hilton; Simranjit Thandi, Trevoh Chalobah, Corey Jordan, Ryan Sessegnon; Mason Mount (Neil Campbell), Joe Rankin-Costello; Jonathan Leko (Sadou Diallo), Morgan Gibbs-White, Seidu Opare (Niall Ennis); Ben Brereton. BOOKED: Gibbs-White 60, Diallo 79, Sessegnon 82.

 

2019 FIFA U20 World Cup Group C (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Mexico U20s            3     2     1     0     6     3     3     7
2.    Q     Algeria U20s           3     2     0     1     3     2     1     6
3.    Q     England U20s           3     1     1     1     4     3     1     4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.          Venezuela U20s         3     0     0     3     2     7     -5    0

 

2019 FIFA U20 World Cup Last 16 draw

South Korea (A1) vs Iran (E3)

Paraguay (F3) vs Morocco (B1)

Algeria (C2) vs Saudi Arabia (D2)

Serbia (D1) vs England (C3)

Czech Republic (A3) vs Japan (F1)

Peru (E2) vs Portugal (F2)

Mexico (C1) vs France (B2)

South Africa (A2) vs Croatia (E1)

 

England's opponents in the Last 16 would be their old nemeses. Serbia had knocked them out of the 2018 European Under-19s Championship on penalties in the Semi Final. They had also prevented the Young Lions from qualifying for the 2017 tournament.

 

Those rivals would now go head-to-head again in Bordeaux on 5 June, when a place in the U20 World Cup Quarter Finals would be on the line. Could the Orlići eliminate England from a major youth competition for the third season in a row?

 

Were England to finally get their revenge, they would be on course for a potential reunion with Algeria, provided the North Africans could account for Saudi Arabia in their Last 16 match. The prospect of another meeting against Les Fennecs did not fill either Catterall or King with much relish.

[CFuller]

***

 

The first knockout round of the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup pitted together two old rivals. Barely 10 months after slugging it out in the Semi Finals of the UEFA European Under-19s Championship in Finland, hostilities between England and Serbia would be renewed in France.

 

England had lost that Semi Final in heartbreaking fashion, succumbing to the lottery of penalties following a goalless draw in which they'd wasted countless chances to secure victory. They would now seek redemption in the south-western French city of Bordeaux.

 

Both teams included several players who'd contested their previous battle at Under-19s level before stepping up to the Under-20s. Indeed, England's starting line-up featured seven members of the Young Lions squad that competed at that European Championship.

 

Southampton striker Niall Ennis wasn't in that squad, but he did have England's first pop at goal in the fourth minute. Ennis' powerful strike from captain Mason Mount's pass inches wide.

 

Serbia's first chance came five minutes later, when midfielder Aleksandar Mitic sent a free-kick across to Stevan Djindjic. The Partizan Belgrade right-back's attempt from the edge of the area was superbly saved by Steve Hilton.

 

Orlići goalkeeper Sasa Janjic passed his first test in the 19th minute. The 17-year-old FK Rad custodian - who'd signed a pre-contract agreement with Sampdoria that would come into effect in January - caught England striker Eddie Nketiah's header from right-back Jordan Williams' cross.

 

A minute after that, Corey Jordan cleared a Djindjic delivery out of England's penalty area to start off a breakaway move. Neil Campbell played the ball forward to Ennis, who dribbled towards Serbia's box before finding Reiss Nelson in the 'D'. The Arsenal winger - playing in an unfamiliar central attacking midfield role - struck the ball first-time into the top corner to leave Janjic soundly beaten. England were 1-0 to the good!

 

Another devastating breakaway from England in the 22nd minute saw Nelson find his Gunners team-mate Eddie Nketiah with a long ball into the Serbian half. Nketiah took it on and left himself with just Janjic to beat... but he could only find the side netting. Serbia then survived a couple more scares, with Janjic saving two attempts from Ennis within the next three minutes.

 

The momentum later shifted towards the Orlići, who gave the English defence a bit more to think about before half-time. Sadly for the Serbian fans, striker Marko Drakulic did not impress, being caught offside a couple of times before nodding a Djindjic cross harmlessly wide in the 42nd minute.

 

Drakulic looked rather more switched on when he set up an equalising attempt for Sampdoria midfielder David Dundjerski two minutes after the second half began. Drakulic slotted Davor Vojvodic's pass through the channel and ahead of Dundjerski, whose drive towards the top corner was plucked out of the air by Hilton.

 

Drakulic would be replaced in the 51st minute by FC Basel striker Predrag Radic, won a corner off Mount with a powerful drive just moments after coming on. Mitic's tame corner was cleared by Neil Campbell, but Serbia's next opportunity would come through another of his set pieces three minutes later. On that occasion, his free-kick found the head of Radic, whose attempt found Hilton's gloves rather than the net.

 

At around the same time Serbia brought Radic onto the field, England had made a significant change of their own, with Joe Rankin-Costello taking the tiring Sadou Diallo's place in midfield. The Arsenal playmaker - fresh from a successful loan spell at Swansea City - hit a promising drive just over the crossbar in the 63rd minute, but that was very much a warning shot for the Orlići.

 

Having spent much of the second half under pressure, the Young Lions started to show a bit more bite after 66 minutes. Nelson was eyeing up a potential brace when he ran onto a killer pass from Ennis, but he fired it straight into a grateful Janjic's grasp.

 

Then, in the 79th minute, Vojvodic attempted to power in a Serbian equaliser from 25 yards out. The England fans in Bordeaux held their collective breaths as Vojvodic's shot evaded Hilton's outstretched dive... and rebounded off the post before Williams hacked it wide.

 

Nketiah was first to the loose ball, which he played to Josh Tymon before the West Ham United left-back pumped it ahead of Ennis. The striker's dribble towards goal was halted by a determined block on the edge of the box by Sreten Dikovic... but Rankin-Costello quickly ran to the ball and struck it first-time. The piledriver rocketed past Janjic, and England had got themselves a 2-0 lead against the run of play!

 

The Orlići could not battle back. England were now ready to battle down the hatches and see the job through with minimum fuss. Even when Hilton had a wayward punt intercepted by Mitic in the 87th minute, the Liverpool goalie was still alert enough to catch the subsequent shot from Radic just a couple of seconds later.

 

Thanks to some strong defensive performances, England held firm for their first clean sheet of the U20 World Cup - and a morale-boosting revenge victory over Serbia. The disappointment of losing to South Africa at this stage two years ago was now all but forgotten.

 

5 June 2019: FIFA U20 World Cup Last 16 - at Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux

Serbia U20s - 0

England U20s - 2 (Reiss Nelson 20, Joe Rankin-Costello 79)

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Steve Hilton; Jordan Williams, Corey Jordan (Simranjit Thandi), Joe Wright, Josh Tymon; Mason Mount, Neil Campbell (Morgan Gibbs-White), Sadou Diallo (Joe Rankin-Costello); Reiss Nelson; Niall Ennis, Eddie Nketiah.

 

2019 FIFA U20 World Cup Quarter Final draw

Iran vs Paraguay

England vs Algeria

Portugal vs Czech Republic

Croatia vs France

 

Having accounted for Serbia, England's reward was the chance to seek vengeance on another adversary in the Quarter Finals. Algeria had battled to a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in their Last 16 clash to ensure that they would face England for the second Sunday on the trot.

 

While Les Fennecs' earlier narrow victory in the Group Stage had not damaged the Young Lions' hopes of progressing further in the tournament, only one of them would be left standing after the rematch. A place in the World Cup Semi Finals would be at stake in Longeville-lès-Metz on 9 June.

[CFuller]

Chapter 28 - Second Chances

 

As England's FIFA U20 World Cup odyssey continued in France, manager Mark Catterall was back at home in Staffordshire, finalising his latest squads for the senior and Under-21s teams.

 

The Under-21s were just weeks away from beginning their pursuit of the European Championship in Italy, where they would hope to improve on their runners-up finish at the 2017 tournament in Poland. The likes of Brendan Galloway, Marcus Rashford and Patrick Roberts would be sure to play pivotal roles in their success (or otherwise).

 

As far as Catterall's main England team was concerned, they would have two away UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers in the middle of June. Victories in Northern Ireland and Moldova would keep them top of Group E and would push them closer to effectively wrapping up qualification for next summer's finals with plenty of time to spare.

 

Catterall had a few headaches regarding his squad selection, though not where left-back Luke Shaw was concerned. Shaw had continued to excel for Manchester United as they secured back-to-back Premier League titles, ultimately finishing nine points clear of runners-up Manchester City. Stalwart central defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were semi-regulars for the champions again, with rising stars Galloway and Rashford also featuring on occasion.

 

Shaw was one of three Englishmen to be named in the PFA's Premier League Team of the Year, all of whom were Manchester-based defenders. City's centre-halves Michael Keane and John Stones had also been recognised by their peers, having helped the Sky Blues to concede 23 goals in 38 Premier League matches. That was a fantastic record in itself, though it paled in comparison to that of an even meaner United defence, who'd given away only 17.

 

3rd-placed Arsenal were the division's top scorer with 86 goals, thanks in part to playmaker Jack Wilshere's recent upturn in form. Things didn't look quite so rosy at Chelsea, who pipped Liverpool to the final UEFA Champions League place but still conceded more goals than relegated Huddersfield Town. Gary Cahill was clearly a big miss at the back for Antonio Conte's Blues.

 

Norwich City had enjoyed a very impressive campaign under Mark Hughes, although a late-season dip saw them finish 8th and miss out on European qualification. The Canaries' emergence prompted some fans to demand an England recall for right-winger Michail Antonio, who'd been capped twice while at West Ham United in 2016 but hadn't been near the squad since. There were even rumours of a shock call-up for 31-year-old midfielder Jonny Howson, who'd enjoyed an excellent season, despite racking up an astonishing 19 league bookings!

 

Meanwhile, Newcastle United had slipped to 12th, with enigmatic forward Rolando Aarons unable to recapture his blistering form from the previous campaign. Another player who'd established himself as a star wideman for England at the 2018 World Cup was Nathan Redmond, who enjoyed a rather more productive campaign with Southampton, in spite of them slipping out of the top half for the first time since 2012/2013.

 

Tottenham Hotspur - with their strong core of English players - had gone from champions in 2016/2017 to finishing a mere 7th just two seasons later, with Everton bumping them out of the top six. On a positive note, Spurs did defeat Liverpool 1-0 in a somewhat farcical UEFA Europa League Final to secure a place in next season's Champions League.

 

From Catterall's viewpoint, it was a little worrying that Harry Kane's 15 Premier League goals for Tottenham represented his lowest haul for five seasons. Kane remained the joint-most prolific Englishman in that respect, with Leicester City's Jamie Vardy also finding the net on 15 occasions.

 

More concerning to the England boss was that midfield destroyer Eric Dier had sprained his ankle in Spurs' penultimate PL match of the season - a 2-0 loss at Liverpool. Dier now faced a battle to be fit for the Three Lions' next two European Championship qualifiers.

 

Although Dier was eventually given the go-ahead to remain in the squad, Catterall decided to call up another ball-winning midfielder to provide backup. This led to a heated discussion with Clark Gregory after Catterall had submitted his 23-man squad to the Football Association chairman.

 

"Am I reading this correctly, Mark, or do I need to go to the opticians?" Gregory asked in a Skype chat with Catterall. "You've recalled Fabian Delph?"

 

"I have indeed, Clark," Catterall confirmed, matter-of-factly.

 

"Have you lost your mind? Fabian f***ing Delph? The most pointless signing Manchester City have made since Stuart Taylor?"

 

"He's had a strong season on loan at Stoke City. He's given them some extra energy and aggression, something they had lacked under Marcelino before he arrived."

 

"Yeah, but he was at West Ham last season - and they got relegated!"

 

Catterall stated, "Last season doesn't mean anything to me now. All my players start with a clean slate every summer. If someone catches my eye, it doesn't matter if they stank the place out the year before; I'll still consider them for selection."

 

"That still doesn't explain why you've still picked Rolando Aarons, then. I think the lad left his football boots in Russia after the World Cup!"

 

Catterall then challenged Gregory, "Can you name another left-footed English forward who's had a better season than Rolando Aarons has?"

 

Gregory hesitated to answer, prompting Catterall to say, "Thought not."

 

"Okay, I'll cut you some slack there," Gregory conceded. "But, in terms of Fabian Delph... are you aware of his disciplinary record this season?"

 

"13 yellow cards and two red cards. Yes, I'm aware that could be a problem."

 

"Could be a problem? Delph's been coached by [Stoke's assistant manager] Roy f***ing Keane - the thug who snapped that Norwegian fella's leg in half in the Manchester derby! I wouldn't be surprised if Delph threw a punch at Harry Kane, criticised his team-mates on national TV, and then buggered off back home to walk his f***ing dogs!"

 

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt adding a fiery character to the England squad."

 

Gregory finally relented. "I suppose if you want to take that risk, then I should allow you to. After all, even Joey Barton played for England once."

 

ENGLAND squad - for matches vs Northern Ireland (A) and Moldova (A)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Jack Butland              GK                  10/03/1993 (26)  Stoke           9     0     6'5"   14st 13lbs £16.75M 
Fraser Forster            GK                  17/03/1988 (31)  Southampton     10    0     6'7"   15st 8lbs  £7M     
Joe Hart                  GK                  19/04/1987 (32)  Man City        90    0     6'5"   12st 10lbs £10M    
Calum Chambers            D (RC)              20/01/1995 (24)  Everton         7     0     6'0"   11st 6lbs  £12.75M 
Phil Jones                D (RC)              21/02/1992 (27)  Man Utd         27    0     6'1"   11st 4lbs  £28.5M  
Michael Keane             D (RC)              11/01/1993 (26)  Man City        21    0     6'1"   13st 3lbs  £31.5M  
John Stones               D (RC)              28/05/1994 (25)  Man City        33    1     6'2"   12st 1lb   £41M    
Eric Dier                 D (RC), DM, M (C)   15/01/1994 (25)  Tottenham       40    6     6'2"   13st 7lbs  £35.5M  
Gary Cahill               D (C)               19/12/1985 (33)  CSKA Moscow     64    3     6'4"   13st 7lbs  £1.3M   
Nathaniel Clyne           D/WB (R)            05/04/1991 (28)  Liverpool       35    0     5'9"   10st 7lbs  £12.5M  
Luke Shaw                 D/WB (L)            12/07/1995 (23)  Man Utd         30    1     6'1"   11st 11lbs £26M    
Danny Rose                D/WB/M (L)          02/07/1990 (28)  Tottenham       25    2     5'8"   11st 6lbs  £21M    
Fabian Delph              DM, M (C)           21/11/1989 (29)  Stoke           9     0     5'9"   9st 6lbs   £7M     
Jordan Henderson          DM, M (C)           17/06/1990 (28)  Liverpool       58    1     6'0"   10st 7lbs  £22M    
Rolando Aarons            M/AM (RL)           16/11/1995 (23)  Newcastle       12    5     5'9"   10st 5lbs  £13.25M 
Demarai Gray              M/AM (RL)           28/06/1996 (22)  Leicester       18    3     5'10"  11st 13lbs £17.5M  
Nathan Redmond            M/AM (RL), ST (C)   06/03/1994 (25)  Southampton     14    4     5'8"   11st 6lbs  £20.5M  
Dele Alli                 M/AM (C)            11/04/1996 (23)  Tottenham       43    5     6'1"   12st 1lb   £36M    
Ross Barkley              M/AM (C)            05/12/1993 (25)  Everton         27    3     6'2"   11st 13lbs £18.25M 
Jack Wilshere             M/AM (C)            01/01/1992 (27)  Arsenal         58    9     5'9"   10st 3lbs  £21M    
Jamie Vardy               AM (C), ST (C)      11/01/1987 (32)  Leicester       20    7     5'10"  11st 11lbs £2.2M   
Harry Kane                ST (C)              28/07/1993 (25)  Tottenham       42    17    6'3"   13st 0lbs  £39.5M  
Callum Wilson             ST (C)              27/02/1992 (27)  Chelsea         26    11    5'11"  10st 7lbs  £31.5M  

 

Fabian Delph's recall to the England side caught many by surprise. The Yorkshireman had won nine caps during Roy Hodgson's reign as manager, but three-and-a-half years had passed since he last represented his country. He hadn't even received so much as a call-up since he was forced to withdraw from Hodgson's preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2016 through injury.

 

It arguably hadn't helped Delph's England hopes that he had failed to establish himself as a first-team regular at Manchester City. He had spent the past two seasons on loan, suffering relegation with West Ham United before a somewhat more successful stint at Stoke City. Helping the Potters finish 9th in the Premier League before winning the FA Cup Final against Manchester United seemed to have done enough to thrust Delph back into the international fold.

 

The unlucky man who had made way for Delph was Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater, whose form for club and country was generally solid if not eye-catching. Drinkwater might well have kept his place in the side had Dier's ankle injury been more severe than it actually was.

 

Meanwhile, Manchester United defender Chris Smalling was dropped in favour of his club-mate and central defensive rival Phil Jones. The latter's form for the Red Devils late in their latest title-winning season had been more impressive than Smalling's, hence his recall.

 

There would again be no place for Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker in the squad. Though he'd re-emerged as a regular starter at New White Hart Lane in the closing months of the season, Walker failed to impress as Spurs were pushed down to 7th by a resurgent Everton. It was perhaps telling that Tottenham boss Jaap Stam favoured Mattia De Sciglio at right-back for the Europa League Final.

 

There were no further changes to the England squad that had started the Euro 2020 qualifiers in March. There was some mild surprise that Watford's in-form striker Troy Deeney had been overlooked once again, but in truth, Catterall was finding it very difficult to axe any of his three go-to frontmen.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-21s squad - for 2019 UEFA European Under-21s Championship

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Harry Lewis               GK                  20/12/1997 (21)  Southampton     3     0     6'3"   12st 1lb   £625K   
Bailey Peacock-Farrell    GK                  29/10/1996 (22)  Leeds           6     0     6'2"   11st 13lbs £275K   
Freddie Woodman           GK                  04/03/1997 (22)  Birmingham      11    0     6'1"   10st 12lbs £1.8M   
Kyle Walker-Peters        D (RL)              13/04/1997 (22)  Tottenham       6     0     5'6"   9st 12lbs  £5.75M  
Mason Holgate             D (RC)              22/10/1996 (22)  Everton         21    3     5'11"  11st 13lbs £20M    
Ben Chilwell              D (LC), WB (L)      21/12/1996 (22)  Leicester       21    0     5'10"  12st 1lb   £8.25M  
Brendan Galloway          D (LC), DM          17/03/1996 (23)  Man Utd         22    1     6'2"   14st 0lbs  £19.75M 
Reece Burke               D (C)               02/09/1996 (22)  West Ham        6     0     6'2"   12st 10lbs £9.75M  
Axel Tuanzebe             D (C)               14/11/1997 (21)  Stoke           9     1     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £7.75M  
Reece Oxford              D (C), DM           16/12/1998 (20)  Burnley         3     0     6'3"   11st 9lbs  £7.25M  
Trent Alexander-Arnold    D/WB (R), DM        07/10/1998 (20)  Sheff Wed       8     0     5'6"   9st 8lbs   £2.5M   
Lewis Cook                DM, M (C)           03/02/1997 (22)  Bournemouth     11    1     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £8.5M   
Tom Davies                DM, M (C)           30/06/1998 (20)  Everton         12    3     5'10"  11st 0lbs  £5.25M  
Sam Field                 DM, M/AM (C)        08/05/1998 (21)  West Brom       4     1     5'10"  11st 11lbs £7M     
Patrick Roberts           M (RL), AM (RLC)    05/02/1997 (22)  Leicester       21    5     5'6"   9st 1lb    £13M    
Josh Sims                 M (L), AM (LC)      23/03/1997 (22)  Southampton     6     4     5'5"   9st 10lbs  £10.75M 
Kasey Palmer              M (C), AM (RLC)     09/11/1996 (22)  Chelsea         16    4     5'11"  12st 6lbs  £725K   
Ovie Ejaria               M (C), AM (LC)      18/11/1997 (21)  Norwich         3     0     6'0"   12st 3lbs  £1.5M   
Joshua Onomah             M/AM (C)            27/04/1997 (22)  Leeds           17    6     6'0"   12st 10lbs £6.5M   
Dominic Solanke           AM (RL), ST (C)     14/09/1997 (21)  Ipswich         7     1     6'2"   12st 10lbs £1.9M   
Tammy Abraham             AM (RC), ST (C)     02/10/1997 (21)  Reading         24    17    6'4"   12st 12lbs £1.9M   
Marcus Rashford           AM (L), ST (C)      31/10/1997 (21)  Man Utd         25    26    5'11"  11st 9lbs  £31M    
Adam Armstrong            ST (C)              10/02/1997 (22)  Newcastle       8     2     5'8"   11st 0lbs  £1.8M   

 

Five players were placed on standby in case of injuries. Those five were Chelsea left-back Jay Dasilva, his midfield club-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fulham's utility man Ben Sheaf, Leeds United winger Sheyi Ojo, and uncapped Everton forward Ademola Lookman.

 

Defenders Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Joe Gomez had already been ruled out of the European finals through injury by the end of January, so Catterall was relieved that only one other player - Andre Dozzell - had fallen by the wayside since then. He still had a bevy of options to choose from, and more than a few selection headaches.

 

Four players who could've conceivably been in this squad - Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Joe Rankin-Costello and Josh Tymon - were instead playing at the FIFA U20 World Cup. That meant there would be timely recalls for several players who had found themselves on the sidelines in recent months.

 

As expected, team captain Tammy Abraham returned after sitting out the Young Lions' previous two friendlies. The Chelsea striker might have only netted five goals in 30 Premier League games whilst on loan at Reading this season, but his scoring record at international level was almost as impressive as Marcus Rashford's. Those two players would be at the forefront of England's attack when it came to the finals in Italy.

 

Providing competition to Abraham and Rashford would be another Chelsea prospect in Dominic Solanke. Then there was Catterall's 'wildcard' pick - Adam Armstrong. The Newcastle United frontman had seen very little competitive action this season, and he hadn't played for England's Under-21s since the away defeat to France in October 2017.

 

Joining Abraham and Solanke was a third Blues player - attacking midfielder Kasey Palmer, who'd struggled on loan at Rangers but still played a significant role in helping them finish as Scottish Premiership runners-up. West Ham defender Reece Oxford and West Bromwich Albion midfielder Sam Field also returned to the squad in time for the Euros.

 

The final recall went to Josh Sims, following the left-winger's first-team breakthrough at Southampton. Sims had made 19 Premier League appearances for the Saints this season (mostly from the bench) and had shown signs that he was steadily developing into a quality player. His impressive record for England Under-21s also played a part in him being chosen ahead of Ojo, who'd enjoyed an excellent Championship season at Leeds but had never translated that form over to the international stage.

[CFuller]

***

 

After a few days' preparation at St George's Park, England Under-21s played their final warm-up match for the European Championship in Italy. They were hoping for a victorious home send-off against Romania in Milton Keynes, where manager Mark Catterall would assess most of the 23 players he had selected for the finals.

 

Romania were also building up towards the tournament, where they would face the unenviable task of getting out of a group that included bookmakers' favourites France, along with Slovenia and Turkey. The Tricolorii had some exciting talents in their ranks, such as striker Florinel Coman and the fast-emerging 18-year-old centre-half Mihai Şomfălean. It would have been churlish to write them off, and Catterall knew that.

 

Josh Sims and Adam Armstrong had both earned recalls to the Young Lions squad just in time for the finals, after some time away from the national set-up. The pair were eager to impress, as they showed by fashioning a great scoring chance just eight minutes in.

 

Left-winger Sims had played in nearly half of Southampton's Premier League matches this season, and he demonstrated why now former manager Claude Puel had shown plenty of faith in him with an excellent cross to Adam Armstrong. The Newcastle United forward - making his first Under-21s appearance since October 2017 - saw his shot tipped over the bar by Romania goalkeeper George Steop.

 

Romania's first attack, in the 10th minute, was potentially disastrous for the Young Lions. Tricolorii winger Yasin Hamed lobbed the ball between England's centre-back partnership of Brendan Galloway and Axel Tuanzebe to find striker Romică Panaitescu. The 19-year-old from ACS Poli Timişoara then outmuscled Galloway to win the ball before horrendously firing it over the crossbar.

 

Five minutes later came a moment of high controversy. Sims played a lovely pass to Chelsea's attacking midfielder Kasey Palmer, who curled it first-time into Steop's goal and - apparently - gave England a 1-0 lead. That wasn't the case as far as the officials were concerned. They ruled that Armstrong had been in an offside position when Palmer struck the ball; ergo, the goal could not stand.

 

This call infuriated Catterall, who was watching from the dugout alongside head coach David Byrne and their substitutes. The manager rushed over towards the Cypriot fourth official and bellowed at him, "You lot need your eyes testing! There's no way that's offside! Armstrong weren't obstructing play or nothing!"

 

Catterall's protests went unheeded, and by the 21st minute, England were facing a Romanian free-kick in a dangerous position. Thankfully for them, Carlo Casap's effort sailed harmlessly over the crossbar.

 

England then racked up a number of corners, and they nearly scored from one of them after 28 minutes. Everton midfielder Tom Davies was first to Romanian left-back Raul Oprut's interception from Patrick Roberts' corner, but his audacious drive clipped the top of the bar and deflected behind.

 

Davies would make a more significant contribution in the 38th minute. The tenacious Liverpudlian won the ball off Tricolorii playmaker Dennis Man (who probably shared his name with the world's worst superhero) and played it to Armstrong, who in turn fed Roberts on the right flank. Roberts then drilled the ball across the area for Sims to power in his fifth goal in only seven Under-21s caps.

 

England went into the break leading 1-0, though Armstrong had spurned a chance for 2-0 in injury time, firing it straight into Steop's hands. The Newcastle United striker was replaced for the second half with captain Tammy Abraham, who proved to be rather more clinical.

 

Leicester City forward Roberts was the architect of England's second goal on 52 minutes. His corner was flicked on to the back post by Tuanzebe, and Abraham did the rest with a well-controlled header.

 

Abraham almost went from scorer to creator three minutes later, but his clever through-ball to Joshua Onomah was pulled wide by Tottenham Hotspur's enigmatic attacking midfielder. The skipper then found the arguably even more prodigious Marcus Rashford with a superb pass in the 60th minute, only to see the Manchester United forward fire tamely at Steop.

 

There was a moment of comic relief after 63 minutes, when Abraham swung at the ball 20 yards from goal, only to miss it completely under pressure from four Tricolorii shirts. One of the Romanian players - Arsenal midfielder Vlad Dragomir - tried to slide the loose ball away but only found Onomah, who let him off by sending another shot off target.

 

Onomah would not find the net in this match, but Rashford would. With a quarter of an hour to go, Rashford collected the ball from midfielder Ovie Ejaria and cut inside before bending it beautifully into the far end of the net. England had a three-goal lead and could now ease up.

 

Romania's pursuit of a consolation goal would end in failure, as Panaitescu had an 89th-minute header saved by England's substitute goalkeeper Harry Lewis. The Tricolorii would now fly out to Portugal for their final pre-Euros friendly, while the Young Lions would head straight to Italy, where they hoped to remain until 6 July.

 

8 June 2019: Under-21s International - at stadium:mk, Milton Keynes

England U21s - 3 (Josh Sims 39, Tammy Abraham 52, Marcus Rashford 75)

Romania U21s - 0

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Freddie Woodman (Harry Lewis); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Kyle Walker-Peters), Brendan Galloway (Reece Oxford), Axel Tuanzebe (Reece Burke), Ben Chilwell (Mason Holgate); Lewis Cook (Ovie Ejaria), Tom Davies (Sam Field); Patrick Roberts (Dominic Solanke), Kasey Palmer (Joshua Onomah), Josh Sims (Marcus Rashford); Adam Armstrong (Tammy Abraham).

[CFuller]

***

 

Seven days after they crossed swords in Valenciennes, England and Algeria were at loggerheads once again in the FIFA U20 World Cup. This time, they would meet in the eastern French commune of Longeville-lès-Metz to battle it out for a place in the Semi Finals.

 

Algeria had surprised more than a few onlookers at this U20 World Cup in qualifying for the Quarter Finals. Les Fennecs had also reached this phase of the competition on their only previous appearance back in 1979, when it was known as the FIFA World Youth Championship. On that occasion, they were eliminated by an Argentina side whose line-up included a prodigious attacking talent named Diego Maradona.

 

England had advanced to the Semi Finals twice before, but not since 1993. If they were to end that 26-year drought, the Young Lions would have to avenge the 1-0 defeat handed to them by Algeria in the Group Stage.

 

Both teams were still recovering from hard-fought Last 16 matches, but England especially were short on energy following their victory over Serbia. Manager Mark Catterall and head coach Ledley King tried to fit as many of their fresher players into the starting XI as possible, which meant they reverted to an old-school - and seemingly outdated - 4-4-2.

 

The Young Lions quickly came under pressure from Algeria, although Les Fennecs would lose a key player to injury early on. Right-winger Zahir Belhadj twisted his ankle after just four minutes, and though he played on, he aggravated the injury in a firm challenge from England left-back Ryan Sessegnon ten minutes later. It was Belhadj whose cross had led to Corey Jordan's match-winning own goal in Valenciennes, and his early exit from proceedings was terrible news for the North Africans.

 

England also had a reason for concern in the 11th minute. Neil Campbell's trip on midfield rival Sofiane Benameur meant that the Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder received his second yellow card of the tournament. As a result, Campbell would be suspended from the Semi Final, provided the Young Lions could get there. Shortly after that booking, England goalkeeper Steve Hilton needed to save a shot from Madjid Bouzidi to maintain parity.

 

Campbell was off target with a couple of England chances midway through the first period. His team-mate Seidu Opare was also guilty of wasting a golden opportunity in the 24th minute, volleying Eddie Nketiah's cross into the hands of Algerian goalkeeper Yassine Belhaoua.

 

Nketiah's strike partner Ben Brereton had yet to score in this tournament, and the Nottingham Forest forward's drought continued when Belhaoua caught his ambitious bullet in the 34th minute. Two minutes later, disaster would strike for the Young Lions.

 

Algeria's second shot on target came from substitute winger Billal Mehadji, whose strike was parried by Hilton. However, Les Fennecs would outfox the Young Lions at the third attempt, with left-flanker Billal Hend prodding in the rebound. England were 1-0 down to Algeria - again.

 

The Young Lions' World Cup hopes were very much in jeopardy during the half-time interval. With time running out, Catterall suggested to King that he abandon the 4-4-2 and revert to a narrow 4-3-1-2. Wingers Opare and Jonathan Leko were taken off to be replaced with midfielders Mason Mount and Joe Rankin-Costello.

 

The change of tactic didn't pay off... at least not at first. England left themselves wide open in defence again three minutes after the restart, with Benameur lobbing the ball between their centre-halves and ahead of Said Benahmed. The striker then sauntered away from opposing captain Trevoh Chalobah before striking a potentially fateful blow to the Young Lions.

 

Trailing 2-0 to a side who'd effectively become their bogey team, England needed to launch a quick riposte. They got what they were looking for after 55 minutes. Campbell floated a beautiful cross into the Algerian box, where Nketiah provided the poacher's finish that revived his country's hopes.

 

The Young Lions had been resuscitated after their near-death experience, but they were still on life support, and badly needing an equaliser. Right-back Simranjit Thandi hoped that his cross would provide Nketiah with the means to score one after 62 minutes. Alas, the Arsenal striker's header whistled inches the wrong side of the post.

 

England showed even more urgency after 73 minutes, when Sadou Diallo found Nketiah in the box. Nketiah's powerful shot was blocked by Fennecs centre-half Billel Medjahed, but the deflection fell perfectly to Campbell, who hammered it home to complete the comeback. From 2-0 down, the Young Lions had clawed back level!

 

England were now going for the kill, as they declared by bringing on the explosive Reiss Nelson to replace the more defensive-minded Diallo in midfield. Four minutes later, a one-two involving a couple of Nelson's Arsenal colleagues - Rankin-Costello and Nketiah - ended with the latter chipping a potential match-winner over the bar.

 

Further chances from Nelson, Rankin-Costello and Campbell came and went before the full-time whistle blew with the scoreline still at 2-2. Though they had the momentum, England were tiring fast and were more reluctant to play extra-time than an Algerian team who felt they'd been given another chance to win the tie.

 

Les Fennecs' hopes of victory were dealt a severe blow two minutes into the additional half-hour. Holding midfielder Nacer Kerifali had already been booked late in the second period, so when he mistimed a challenge on Nketiah shortly after the resumption, he knew that he was bang in trouble. A second yellow card meant that Kerifali was off, and Algeria were down to 10 men.

 

It was very much advantage England now, and they would make their extra man count after 96 minutes. When Nketiah drove in a left-wing centre from Sessegnon to make it 3-2, many of those spectators in Metz felt that the Young Lions would comfortably see the job through. That was not to be the case.

 

England appeared to rest on their laurels late in the first half of extra-time, and they were punished by an injury-time equaliser from Mehadji. The Rennes forward outjumped Sessegnon to attack a deep cross from full-back Mourad Guesbaoui, and his header looped over Hilton's despairing dive before finding the net. Three-all.

 

England had been to hell and back, and now they were in trouble once again. Unless they could strike back in the final 15 minutes, they would be heading into a penalty shoot-out, if not straight out of the tournament.

 

Rankin-Costello and Nelson each wasted chances to restore the Young Lions' chances before they linked up to craft together another dangerous attack in the 115th minute. Nelson dribbled up the right flank and moved the ball inside to Rankin-Costello, who then searched out Sessegnon on the left. The Manchester City full-back dribbled into space, leaving him with a simple finish past Belhaoua that made it 4-3.

 

Sessegnon's goal would be the clincher. After a seven-goal thriller that lasted two gruelling hours, England had finally set the record straight following their pitiful display against Algeria last time out.

 

The Young Lions were into a World Cup Semi Final, thus emulating their senior idols' achievement from the previous summer. Could they now emulate the Under-17s squad from 2017, and go all the way to the Final?

 

9 June 2019: FIFA U20 World Cup Quarter Final - at Stade Saint-Symphorien, Longeville-lès-Metz

England U20s - 4 (Eddie Nketiah 55,96, Neil Campbell 73, Ryan Sessegnon 115)

Algeria U20s - 3 (Billal Hend 36, Said Benahmed 48, Billal Mehadji 105+1)

[after extra time]

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-4-2): Steve Hilton; Simranjit Thandi, Corey Jordan, Trevoh Chalobah, Ryan Sessegnon; Jonathan Leko (Joe Rankin-Costello), Neil Campbell, Sadou Diallo (Reiss Nelson), Seidu Opare (Mason Mount); Eddie Nketiah, Ben Brereton. BOOKED: Campbell 11.

 

2019 FIFA U20 World Cup Semi Final draw

Iran vs England

Czech Republic vs Croatia

 

England were perhaps expecting to face Paraguay in the Semi Finals and replay their hard-fought group match from two years previous. However, Iran had something else in mind when they faced the South Americans in Bordeaux a few hours later.

 

Paraguay took a very early lead through Luis Martínez, and they were still 1-0 up until the 82nd minute, when Amin Asghari equalised for Iran. The Persian underdogs then turned the match on its head two minutes later, as Mohammad Reza Soleimani put his country into the Semi Final of a World Cup for the very first time.

 

England and Iran would contest their last-four match in Toulouse on the afternoon of 13 June, shortly before the Czech Republic and Croatia clashed in Montpellier. All four teams would be seeking their first U20 World Cup title.

[CFuller]

***

 

England reached the Semi Finals of the old FIFA World Youth Championship twice - losing 2-1 to Qatar in 1981, and then by the same scoreline to Ghana in 1993. They had not progressed that far in the competition since it was rebranded as the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2007.

 

The 2019 tournament was a different story. After seeing off Serbia and then coming through an arduous second battle with Algeria, Ledley King's Young Lions were through to the last four. If they could defeat Iran in their next match at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, they would become only the second England team of any description to reach a World Cup Final since 1966.

 

Mind you, Iran would be determined not to let them through without a fight. 'Team Melli Javanan' had qualified for this tournament after finishing runners-up to South Korea at the 2018 AFC Under-19s Championship. They had now become the first Iranian team at any age group to reach a World Cup Semi Final.

 

England were strong favourites to win this first Semi Final, despite being without midfield playmaker Neil Campbell, who was serving a suspension. In the first two minutes, though, goalkeeper Steve Hilton had to make a couple of saves to prevent either Siamak Khordbin or Amin Asghari from giving the Iranians a shock early lead.

 

The Young Lions' first attack came in the fourth minute. West Bromwich Albion winger Jonathan Leko saw his cross cleared out of Iran's six-yard box by Melli captain Mohammed Al-Qarni. The ball then fell to Morgan Gibbs-White, whose header towards goal was fumbled wide by goalkeeper Akbar Mohammadi.

 

Gibbs-White had never scored for England before, but his wait would end in style after 10 minutes. The Leicester City attacking midfielder was found in space by a fantastic through-ball from left-winger Seidu Opare, which he drove into the top corner for a 1-0 lead.

 

When England midfielder Joe Rankin-Costello intercepted an errant pass from Iran winger Peyman Rezaeian in the 17th minute, the Young Lions went on the prowl again. The ball was then played out wide by Gibbs-White to Leko, whose cross into the box resulted in a superb headed finish from Opare. 1-0 had become 2-0.

 

England were enjoying the dream start, and they had several chances to score again midway through the half. Striker Niall Ennis had the best of them in the 21st minute, beating Rasoul Ostad-Asadi in a scuffle for possession before his attempted drive into the bottom corner was collected by Mohammadi.

 

A minute later, though, came an indication that the elongated Quarter Final against Algeria was taking its toll on England's defenders. Corey Jordan was outpaced by Iran striker Shahab Rashno as both men went after a Mohammadi goal kick. Had it not been for a fine diving catch from Hilton, Rashno could well have halved the Young Lions' lead.

 

Rashno caused the favourites more problems in the 39th minute by playing an excellent pass to strike partner Hamad Al-Obaid. Once again, England were reliant on Hilton to keep their clean sheet - and their comfortable position - intact.

 

Hilton's strong goalkeeping gave England's attackers the confidence to push on for another goal late in the first half. Their wing wonders came to life again in injury time, with Leko volleying in a fantastic Opare delivery to make it 3-0. The Young Lions had one paw in the World Cup Final.

 

Iran were nothing if not determined, though, having come back from 1-0 down against in their Quarter Final against Paraguay after scoring twice in the final eight minutes. They showed their fighting spirit shortly after the second half began. Rezaeian's through-ball over the English defence found Rashno, whose shot was palmed behind by the omnipresent Hilton.

 

After surviving a couple more England chances from Ennis and Opare, Iran declared their intention to battle back by taking off Rashno and bringing on a fresh striker in Mehrdad Alipour. The substitute's first shot - on 59 minutes - was safely caught by Hilton. His second would be more successful.

 

Midfield playmaker Mohammad Reza Soleimani had come on for Iran at the same time as Alipour. In the 71st minute, Soleimani slotted the ball through the English backline towards Alipour. England centre-half Joe Wright's mishit attempt to slide the ball away left the striker with an easy finish past the onrushing Hilton. All of a sudden, the match wasn't quite over.

 

Alipour went for goal again in the 73rd minute, albeit without the same accuracy. Nevertheless, the Young Lions had been shaken into altering their defence, with Trevoh Chalobah coming on to replace a knackered Jordan.

 

As England turned their focus towards conserving energy and keeping things tight at the back, Iran upped the tempo and took the match to their opponents. A potentially pivotal chance fell their way in the 80th minute, as Al-Obaid played Alipour in. Much to the English fans' relief, Hilton managed to parry Alipour's shot wide.

 

Alipour went very close again in the penultimate minute of regulation time. Right-back Nima Parvin held the ball up in England's 'D' as he awaited the run of Alipour, who then powered his pass against the post. Al-Obaid tapped in the rebound, and it was now 3-2... or so the Iranians thought. The linesman's offside flag said otherwise.

 

Iran had lost their momentum, and the Young Lions' job was done. Just like the Under-17s team from two years previous, England's Under-20s could look forward to contesting a World Cup Final. They would hope that it had a different outcome.

 

England's date with destiny was set for 16 June, when they would travel to Bordeaux's Stade Chaban-Delmas in search of a first global trophy in 53 years. Standing in their way would be the Czech Republic, who defeated Croatia 1-0 in the second Semi Final in Montpellier, thanks to a 15th-minute goal from 15-year-old striker Radek Kucera.

 

13 June 2019: FIFA U20 World Cup Semi Final - at Stadium Municipal, Toulouse

Iran U20s - 1 (Mehrdad Alipour 71)

England U20s - 3 (Morgan Gibbs-White 10, Seidu Opare 17, Jonathan Leko 45+2)

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Steve Hilton; Jordan Williams, Joe Wright, Corey Jordan (Trevoh Chalobah), Josh Tymon; Joe Rankin-Costello (Sadou Diallo), Mason Mount (Ben Brereton); Jonathan Leko, Morgan Gibbs-White, Seidu Opare; Niall Ennis. BOOKED: Tymon 89.

[CFuller]

***

 

As England's Under-20s were taking a step closer to World Cup glory, the Under-21s were playing out their final warm-up match before the European Championship. They had arrived in the north-western Italian city of Varese to face the Azzurri, who were hosting this year's championship as well as the next one in 2021.

 

English fans with long memories would recall that the Young Lions had beaten Italy in successive matches - a group fixture almost immediately followed by a Semi Final - on their way to finishing runners-up at the 2017 Euros in Poland. A third straight win over another major power would enhance England's status as one of the favourites to take the spoils in 2019.

 

The Azzurri were very highly-rated themselves. AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had dropped back into the Under-21s for this tournament, having already earned 26 senior caps at the tender age of 20. Teenage Juventus striker Moise Kean had also been capped at the highest level, while midfield playmaker Filippo Melegoni looked set to emulate them soon, following his £15.5million transfer from Atalanta to Marseille.

 

It seemed that England would have to work very hard to defeat Italy again, but the Azzurri helped them out massively in the opening seconds. Donnarumma's upfield punt from goal was intercepted by Young Lions left-back Kyle Walker-Peters, who quickly chipped it back towards the Italian box. The ball looped over the head of home defender Davide Bettella, whom Adam Armstrong raced past to thrash in the opening goal after just 21 seconds.

 

England could've scored again through a counter-attack in the fifth minute. A string of exciting quick passes resulted in Patrick Roberts unleashing a low drive that Donnarumma caught comfortably. Roberts missed another opportunity five minutes later, volleying the ball wide after Marcus Rashford's shot had been blocked by Azzurri centre-half Riccardo Marchizza.

 

Italy's first chance to draw level was a 12th-minute free-kick that Arsenal midfielder Felice D'Amico couldn't quite keep on target. D'Amico did get a more promising free-kick into the box eight minutes later, but Marchizza's header from said delivery also failed to get near Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the England goal.

 

In the 28th minute, Empoli winger Marco Olivieri floated the ball over to Peacock-Farrell's right-hand post. Italy's striking wonderkid Kean jumped above defender Reece Oxford to meet the ball, but his header always looked like looping safely over the bar.

 

England's own striking wonderkid also failed to impress, as Rashford was limited only to a couple of hopeless long-distance punts before half-time. The 20-year-old Manchester United forward's confidence was somewhat low, having failed to score a Premier League goal in a season for the first time since his senior breakthrough in 2016.

 

That said, Rashford had found the net in the Young Lions' most recent friendly against Romania, and he went close to doing so again in the first minute of the second half here. Rashford controlled a pass from Kasey Palmer just outside the Italian box and then turned past Azzurri right-back Giuseppe D'Addario, but his low shot towards the corner of the net was pushed away by Donnarumma.

 

Unlike his famous opposite number, Peacock-Farrell had relatively little to do until the 49th minute. The 22-year-old Leeds United goalkeeper caught a looping header from Melegoni to maintain England's lead. Peacock-Farrell was in the thick of things again in the 67th minute, when he pushed away Italy substitute Lucas Boyé's point-blank half-volley.

 

The final 20 minutes saw the attacking action switch back and forth. The endgame began well enough for England, as captain Tammy Abraham had a header saved by Donnarumma in the 71st minute. Four minutes later, midfielder Ovie Ejaria unleashed a vicious shot that rattled the bar.

 

Italy were on the offensive again by the 79th minute, when Stoke City striker Boyé had a shot charged down by Axel Tuanzebe. His next attempt two minutes later drew a fingertip save out of Freddie Woodman, who had taken Peacock-Farrell's place in goal for the final quarter-hour.

 

Italy's substitute keeper Alex Meret also had some work to do late on after replacing Donnarumma, keeping out a couple of Abraham shots either side of the 90-minute mark. Those saves bookended the Azzurri's last scoring opportunity, which Kean fired just over the bar.

 

While this had not been one of England's most convincing victories, it was certainly a big one in terms of their European Championship prospects. If they could overcome the Azzurri on their own turf, there was surely no reason why the Young Lions could not go all the way once the competition got underway in six days' time.

 

13 June 2019: Under-21s International - at Franco Ossola, Varese

Italy U21s - 0

England U21s - 1 (Adam Armstrong 1)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Freddie Woodman); Mason Holgate (Josh Sims), Reece Oxford (Brendan Galloway), Reece Burke (Axel Tuanzebe), Kyle Walker-Peters (Ben Chilwell); Sam Field (Tom Davies), Lewis Cook (Kasey Palmer); Patrick Roberts (Dominic Solanke), Joshua Onomah (Ovie Ejaria), Marcus Rashford (Tammy Abraham); Adam Armstrong (Trent Alexander-Arnold). BOOKED: Burke 9.

[CFuller]

***

 

On the morning of 14 June 2019, there was growing excitement about the state of England's national football teams. Not only had the Under-20s reached the FIFA U20 World Cup Final, but the Under-21s had been made the new bookmakers' favourites to win the European Championship. With that in mind, it was perhaps easy to forget that the senior side would be playing in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier later that evening.

 

Mark Catterall's Three Lions were at Windsor Park in Belfast to take on Northern Ireland - the only other team in Group E to have won both of their opening round-robin fixtures. Whoever prevailed here would establish a clear lead at the top and move another step closer to qualification for the European Championship.

 

Nearly 14 years had passed since England's last visit to Ulster, in which David Healy scored the only goal of the game to earn Northern Ireland a famous 1-0 win. This time, though, an upset looked even more likely. While England were in formidable form and ranked 4th by FIFA (having slipped back below Brazil in May), Michael O'Neill and his Green & White Army had made very little progress since their promising run to the Last 16 of Euro 2016.

 

Mind you, Catterall wasn't going to treat this match like a walk in the park. He fielded a strong starting line-up, with Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane heading the attack as expected. Centre-halves Gary Cahill and Phil Jones would use their experience to try and extinguish NI striker Will Grigg's fire.

 

Indeed, the one surprise name in Catterall's starting XI was Fabian Delph. Manchester City's tenacious midfielder had not played for the Three Lions since 2015, but the 29-year-old Yorkshireman had earned a recall following an impressive season on loan at Stoke City.

 

As anticipated, England took the match to Northern Ireland early on, racking several corners in the first few minutes. That said, the hosts were proving tough to break down, with vice-captain Jonny Evans and his younger brother Corry making several excellent interceptions.

 

England's first shot was an ambitious one from 30 yards out by Demarai Gray in the eighth minute. NI's 21-year-old goalkeeper Thomas McDermott did incredibly well to reach the ball with an acrobatic leap and tip it over the bar. McDermott was earning his third international cap, despite having made just one league appearance in two years at Heart of Midlothian.

 

Cahill and Delph then wasted chances to break their international scoring ducks for England in the 8th and 13th minutes respectively. Redmond had a little more experience on that front, which made the Southampton winger's wayward strike from the edge of the area after 18 minutes particularly disappointing.

 

Redmond made another bid on goal in the 19th minute, gliding past Chris Brunt to latch onto a first-time through-ball from Kane. However, just as Redmond was about to bear down on goal and beat McDermott, Swansea City left-back Brunt cynically tugged back on his jersey. The referee showed little hesitancy in pointing to the penalty spot.

 

Kane was chosen to take the spot-kick, even though he had missed his previous two for the Three Lions. This latest attempt from the 26-year-old got a little too close to McDermott for comfort... but it still found the net. Kane was back in the goals, and England were in the ascendancy.

 

Northern Ireland would remain under pressure thereafter. Brunt was booked in the 24th minute for a hefty foul on Gray, who'd swapped flanks with Redmond following the opening goal. Situated between the two England wingers was attacking midfielder Dele Alli, whose header from a Redmond cross moments later was caught by McDermott.

 

Brunt's game from hell continued after half an hour. Gray dribbled past the experienced full-back after collecting the ball from Alli, and the young Leicester City attacker then found Kane on the edge of Northern Ireland's penalty area. The subsequent strike from Kane proved irresistible for a helpless McDermott.

 

Kane was now on a brace, and the hat-trick was surely not long in coming. His first attempt to wrap up a treble came and went in the 35th minute, when his free-kick was blocked by Grigg in the Irish wall. At the other end of the pitch, though, the Preston North End striker could not get the Green & White Army to perform their famous Gala-inspired tribute to him. On this evening, Will Grigg was not even smouldering, let alone on fire.

 

Alli and Redmond each went very close to putting England 3-0 up late in the opening half, with McDermott making two brave saves on the stroke of half-time. The young custodian was certainly attracting plenty of admiring glances from the visiting supporters.

 

Northern Ireland first registered a shot on target in the 50th minute, when what looked like a desperate hit-and-hoper from captain Steven Davis almost became something more. He couldn't quite beat Joe Hart, though, as England's long-standing goalkeeper displayed cat-like reflexes to preserve his clean sheet.

 

A minute later, any fleeting chance of an Irish fightback was effectively snuffed out. Jack Wilshere had replaced Delph in England's midfield at half-time, and the Arsenal playmaker came good when he cleverly moved the ball inside to Kane via Gray. What followed was a powerful strike that secured a 3-0 lead - and Kane's hat-trick.

 

Kane had now scored 20 goals in 43 caps for England, and his 21st would soon follow. After 56 minutes, the hot Spur beat NI right-back Ryan McLaughlin to meet Nathaniel Clyne's cross with a header that bounced past McDermott and into the net. England were now leading 4-0, with all four of their goals coming from one man.

 

While Northern Ireland already looked soundly beaten, they never gave up in their pursuit of at least one consolation goal. While their crusades would ultimately be unsuccessful, Rangers midfielder Ben Reeves and Watford defender Craig Cathcart did draw Hart into a couple of uncomfortable saves either side of the hour mark.

 

Having replaced Grigg up front after the fourth Kane goal, Ross County's Liam Boyce pulled wide a couple of opportunities to get the hosts' side of the scoreboard ticking in the 68th and 72nd minutes. In between those two misses came a couple more saves from McDermott, who ensured that Redmond would not get on the scoresheet.

 

England's only major concern of the latter stages was a booking to captain Henderson, who had to watch his step following a 74th-minute trip on Davis. The Liverpool midfielder was indeed able to keep his discipline intact as the Three Lions cruised through the remaining quarter-hour before their convincing 4-0 victory was confirmed.

 

England now had a two-point lead on Group E's new 2nd-placed team - Wales, who overtook Northern Ireland following a 3-0 home win over Gibraltar. Catterall's men would now move east to Moldova, who lost their third group match on the trot after conceding a trio of goals to Austria.

 

14 June 2019: UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E - at Windsor Park, Belfast

Northern Ireland - 0

England - 4 (Harry Kane pen19,30,51,56)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Nathaniel Clyne, Phil Jones, Gary Cahill, Luke Shaw; Fabian Delph (Jack Wilshere), Jordan Henderson; Nathan Redmond, Dele Alli (Ross Barkley), Demarai Gray; Harry Kane (Callum Wilson). BOOKED: Henderson 74.

[CFuller]

***

 

It was the morning after England's 4-0 thrashing of Northern Ireland. The England team were in the departure lounge at Belfast International Airport - the largest and busiest airport in Ulster. It was not to be confused with the smaller George Best Belfast City Airport, which was situated about 20 miles east.

 

The Three Lions were about to fly out to Chişinău, where they would play their next FIFA World Cup qualifier against Moldova two days later.

 

Manager Mark Catterall was sitting next to Harry Kane, who had scored all four of his team's goals against Northern Ireland. Seeing Kane flick through his phone, Catterall asked, "What's up, Harry?"

 

"Just going through my texts, mate," Kane smiled. "I've had a load of them since last night, y'know. That's what happens when you get loads of goals in one game."

 

Catterall patted Kane on the back and said, "You were brilliant out there, absolutely fantastic. And that's what we need. We need the Harry Kane who's ruthless in front of goal, not the Harry Kane who tries too hard and gets frustrated."

 

Kane stared at Catterall blankly and asked, "What you talkin' about, mate? I think I'm the only Harry Kane... unless there's another Harry Kane what I don't know about."

 

Catterall chuckled as Kane continued, "Actually, now I think of it, there must be more Harry Kanes out there. Y'know, the other day, Jamie Redknapp was talking about 'the Harry Kanes', y'know, and 'the Dele Allis'. I ain't been cloned, have I, gaffer?"

 

Kane's Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Dele Alli put his left arm around the striker's shoulders and said, "Believe me, Harry, you're one of a kind!"

 

Catterall then got off his seat to address his team, "Gentlemen, there's something I've got to say right now."

 

As the England party quietened, he continued, "I probably should've said this earlier... but basically, I won't be joining you in Moldova. Not yet, anyway."

 

Assistant Michael Burke asked, "Why? Is summat up with Jenny? Or Luke?"

 

"No, Mick, they're both fine," Catterall replied. "But here's the thing. Our Under-20s play in the World Cup Final tomorrow against the Czech Republic, so I'm going over to Bordeaux to watch them play."

 

Senior coach Glenn Hoddle said, "Let me get this right, Mark. You're going to leave us in Moldova while you watch the kids play in Bordeaux?"

 

"Pretty much, yeah. Michael will be in charge of training tomorrow, of course, but I'll be flying over to Moldova first thing Monday morning for the game itself."

 

"That's fair enough," Burke nodded.

 

"I don't see a problem with that," captain Jordan Henderson agreed. "It'll give a boost to the Under-20s having you there for the biggest match of their lives."

 

"That's not the point, though, Jordan, is it?" Hoddle argued. "The fact of the matter is that your manager is scarpering off for a couple of days, just so he can watch the Under-20s! They're only gonna blow it like England always do and lose on penalties!"

 

Catterall shook his head and straightened his glasses before challenging Hoddle, "If you wanna criticise me, Glenn, then come over here and say it to my face!"

 

"Okay, you're on!" Hoddle growled as he furiously got off his seat and confronted Catterall. "You're the England manager, alright? While you're at work, you should be with them at all times!"

 

"I'm their manager, yes, but I'm not their f***ing childminder!"

 

Burke muttered to himself, "It does feel like we're looking after kids at times, to be fair."

 

Hoddle continued, "Okay, you're not a babysitter, I get it. That still doesn't give you the right to abandon them go on a personal jolly whenever it suits you!"

 

Catterall defended himself, "It's not a jolly, Glenn! This is still work for me! I don't just have the p***ing seniors to worry about; I've got to look after the Under-21s, the Under-19s AND the Under-20s as well!"

 

"That doesn't mean you have to go to ALL their games! Whatever happened to this 'computer management' rubbish you were crowing about three years ago?"

 

"It's called 'remote management', and if you call it rubbish again, I'll knock your teeth so far down your throat that you'll be s****ing canines!"

 

Some of the younger players burst into fits of giggles, but veteran goalkeeper Joe Hart told them, "Not now, lads. This ain't funny. We could have a proper fight here."

 

Hoddle continued to berate Catterall, saying, "I've been working in professional football for 40 years. You are the most obnoxious, arrogant, self-centred p**** I have EVER had the misfortune of working with... and I've managed Chris Sutton!"

 

"At least I'm not a wacko who believes in reincarnation and thinks disabled people LIKE MY SON are getting what they deserve!"

 

"Don't try and drag my name through the mud! You know full well that YOU once who had an affair with the Wolves secretary - when your wife was at home with your young daughter!"

 

Catterall growled, "You f***ing c***!" He was about to swing a right hook at Hoddle's face when Burke rushed between the pair to separate them.

 

"That's enough, fellas!" Burke stated. "This ain't what we need right now!"

 

Hoddle shouted, "I knew that there was something wrong with you, Mark! Building up this northern mafia in the coaching team was just a ploy to force me out! Well, congratu-bloody-lations, mate! You've won!"

 

Hoddle stormed off in a huff, leaving the rest of the England party stunned. Nathan Redmond ended the silence by asking, "So... I take it he's quit, right?"

 

Coach David Platt said, "I've seen many disputes during my time with the England team, both as a player and as a coach. That was certainly in my top seven. Would anyone like to guess what the other six were?"

 

Catterall sighed, "I'll see you lot on Monday," before collecting his suitcase and walking away.

[CFuller]

***

 

Only once in their history had England won a FIFA World Cup Final at any level. Every Englishman and woman worth their salt knew about the events of 30 July 1966. However, few who witnessed that momentous occasion at first hand would still be around when another England football team chased a global title over half a century.

 

The Under-17s had already come tantalisingly close to winning a world championship in 2017. After taking a 2-0 lead against Spain in the FIFA U17 World Cup Final in India, they inexplicably collapsed to a 5-2 defeat. Two years later, the Under-20s were presented with an even greater opportunity to win the biggest title available to them.

 

Were Ledley King's Young Lions to beat the Czech Republic in the FIFA U20 World Cup Final in Bordeaux on 16 June 2019, they would follow in the footsteps of Gordon Banks, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, and the late, great Bobby Moore. They would be able to call themselves world champions.

 

England's road to the Final had been a rocky one. After finishing 3rd in their group, the knockout stages saw the Young Lions battle past Serbia, win a two-hour epic against Algeria, and then survive a late fightback from Iran. They were now into their first World Cup decider at this level.

 

Only one team now stood in their way. The Czech Republic had also snuck through to the Last 16 as one of the best 3rd-placed teams, but they were rather more convincing in their next three matches, eliminating Japan, Portugal and Croatia without conceding a simple goal. They had emulated their performance from the 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup, where they took the lead in the Final before eventually succumbing to an Argentina side spearheaded by a certain Sergio Agüero.

 

While England's squad only featured four Under-21s internationals, the Czech side consisted of 17. Two of the exceptions were schoolboys, albeit exceptionally-talented schoolboys. 15-year-old Radek Kucera's match-winning goal in the Semi Final made him the youngest goalscorer in this tournament, while goalkeeper Radim Kares was the youngest player to make an appearance when he featured in the opening group game against South Korea. Kares wouldn't celebrate his 15th birthday until three days after the Final.

 

Neither Kucera nor Kares were named in the Czech starting XI, which consisted almost entirely of home-based players. The only two who plied their trade outside of the Czech Republic were centre-half Ladislav Vaclik and midfielder Martin Stepanek, both of whom were on Manchester City's books.

 

England's starting line-up featured ever-present Liverpool goalkeeper Steve Hilton, while midfielders Sadou Diallo and Joe Rankin-Costello had also played in every match of their run. If Arsenal frontman Eddie Nketiah was to find the net at least once, he would join Croatia's Ivan Skanski as the tournament's top scorer with five goals.

 

It was one of Nketiah's club colleagues who had England's first shot on goal after five minutes, though Reiss Nelson's effort was easily caught by the Czech goalkeeper Ales Zlamal. A minute later, the Viktoria Plzeň custodian caught Nketiah's first attempt before palming behind a dangerous-looking centre from Ryan Sessegnon.

 

Zlamal's busy start continued on eight minutes, as he beat away a vicious strike by Nelson. The highly-rated winger would cause the Lvíčata more problems in the 15th minute, when his corner delivery found England captain Trevoh Chalobah. Alas, the Chelsea defender could not keep his header on target.

 

England manager Mark Catterall was watching on from the stands, and he was no doubt pleased to see his Under-20s take the game to their Czech opponents. However, the Young Lions simply could not convert their chances. Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Neil Campbell's off-target free-kick in the 19th minute would be their last scoring opportunity for a while.

 

A rare Czech Republic attack was broken up after 30 minutes by England centre-half Corey Jordan's trip on striker Lukas Nemec. Jordan would be booked for his troubles, with Czech duo Martin Stepanek and Simon Fousek also receiving yellow cards for their respective fouls on Nketiah.

 

The Young Lions wasted even more opportunities in the last few minutes of the first period. Chalobah, Nketiah and the latter's strike partner Niall Ennis were all guilty of poor misses as the half finished with the favourites somehow still waiting for an opening goal.

 

England would make two substitutions at half-time. Joe Wright took Jordan's place in defence following the latter's booking, while Mason Mount was introduced for Nelson, who had strained his calf late on.

 

Mount was involved in England's first attack of the second period. He passed the ball out to midfield colleague Diallo, who found Sessegnon in space on the left flank. Sessegnon might've scored the winning goal in the Quarter Final win over Algeria, but Zlamal's fingertips ensured that the left wing-back wouldn't get another vital strike.

 

The next few minutes were frustrating for England, as they won a host of corners without ever converting them into chances. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic freshened up their team with a couple of substitutions to try and get themselves in contention.

 

One of those players who came on for the Czechs was Sparta Praha midfielder Jan Kucera, who won a free-kick in the 73rd minute after having his shirt pulled by Diallo. Kucera was about 25 yards from goal, but he still managed to swerve the ball beyond the England wall... and just the wrong side of Hilton's left-hand post. The Czech Republic would not again go close to scoring in the second half.

 

England's last chance to break the deadlock came five minutes from full-time, when Nketiah swerved a powerful shot over the Czech crossbar. Though Nketiah was soon accompanied up front by the Young Lions' final substitute Ben Brereton (who had replaced Ennis), neither striker could force a breakthrough, not even against a tiring defence.

 

With no goals after 90 minutes, the U20 World Cup Final would go into extra-time. England picked up another yellow card in the first of the additional 30 minutes, as Diallo's trip on Jakub Hofmann was deemed bookable by Australian referee Dominic Barba.

 

Campbell would also be cautioned, though not before the profligate Young Lions again let their Czech opponents off the hook. Mount fired a free-kick over the bar in the 93rd minute following Kucera's clumsy challenge on Brereton, who had a header saved by Zlamal five minutes later.

 

The first half of extra-time came to an anti-climax, and the second period seemed to be heading the same way until the 118th minute. With minutes to go until a potential penalty shoot-out, both teams needed to keep calm and avoid losing any players unnecessarily. Diallo perhaps didn't get the memo, as his trip on Kucera out wide prompted Barba to issue him with another yellow card.

 

As a distraught Diallo headed down the tunnel, England were forced play the closing stages with only 10 men. They now had to tighten up to prevent the Czech Republic from getting a late winner. With the Czechs only registering one shot at goal all game, that wasn't much of a challenge... but now the Young Lions would have to overcome their biggest obstacle if they were to lift the World Cup.

 

Much to the English fans' horror, the penalty shoot-out began in typical fashion. A nervous Brereton crashed his penalty against the crossbar, gifting the initiative to the Czech Republic... until Karel Jezdik's spot-kick was brilliantly palmed wide by Hilton. Both teams had missed their opening penalties.

 

It took Mount to break the deadlock for England with a clinical second penalty. The Czechs' second effort was a different story. Just like Jezdik before him, 1.FK Příbram striker Dusan Jirus fired his spot-kick straight at Hilton, whose block left the Lvíčata in a spot of trouble.

 

After the third round of penalty kicks, the Czech Republic were in real trouble. Campbell's well-taken penalty was followed by a THIRD save from his compatriot Hilton, who got down to divert Kucera's tame attempt out of harm's way. England were now leading 2-0, and one more successful penalty would win them the World Cup!

 

Arsenal midfielder Joe Rankin-Costello was charged with taking one of the most pressurised penalties in England's football history. However, the English disease soon returned, as Zlamal acrobatically saved Rankin-Costello's strike to keep the Czechs alive.

 

England fans were now hoping that Hilton could clinch victory with a fourth consecutive save. Sadly for them, the Liverpool goalkeeper's perfect record would be blemished after Petr Dvorak sent him the wrong way. The Czech Republic had pulled it back to 2-1, and now the pressure really was on England's next penalty taker.

 

If Nketiah could get the better of Zlamal, the match would finally be over. If not, the Czechs would have the opportunity to level the shoot-out at 2-2 and force sudden death. Nketiah took a deep breath before running towards the 12-yard spot, where he unleashed a powerful effort towards Zlamal's right.

 

For a split-second, it appeared that Zlamal would pull off another crucial save for the Czech Republic. However, the ball swerved just beyond his reach before rustling into the net. 20-year-old Edward Keddar Nketiah, from Lewisham in south London, had written himself into history as the man whose penalty had won England the FIFA U20 World Cup - their biggest international title since 1966!

 

16 June 2019: FIFA U20 World Cup Final - at Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux

England U20s - 0

Czech Republic U20s - 0

[after extra time, England U20s win 3-1 on penalties]

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT: Brereton missed, Jezdik saved, Mount 1-0, Jirus saved, Campbell 2-0, Kucera saved, Rankin-Costello saved, Dvorak 2-1, Nketiah 3-1.

ENGLAND U20s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Steve Hilton; Simranjit Thandi, Corey Jordan (Joe Wright), Trevoh Chalobah, Ryan Sessegnon; Neil Campbell, Joe Rankin-Costello, Sadou Diallo; Reiss Nelson (Mason Mount); Niall Ennis (Ben Brereton), Eddie Nketiah. BOOKED: Jordan 30, Diallo 91, Campbell 99. SENT OFF: Diallo 118.

[CFuller]

***

 

As England's players streamed towards their new hero Eddie Nketiah and celebrated winning the FIFA U20 World Cup, Ledley King and his coaching staff - including Frank Lampard and Des Walker - hugged each other in delight. After a schedule of seven gruelling matches in three weeks culminated in glory, the relief on their faces was clear to see.

 

Watching on from the stands was one very emotional Lancastrian. A little under three years after he first took control of the England national team set-up, Mark Catterall was starting to see the fruit of his labours. As he wiped a couple of tears from his eyes, he told FA chairman Clark Gregory, "We've done it. We've f***ing done it."

 

Gregory was not one to get caught up in the emotion of such a big occasion, but he too was struggling to keep his composure.

 

"You know, Mark," Gregory said. "I was 10 years old when we won the World Cup. We watched it on a small black-and-white telly that my father had to work two jobs to earn the money for. I never thought I'd ever get to see something like this in person."

 

"You were lucky," Catterall stated. "My dad's parents could hardly afford their electricity bill, let alone a TV."

 

Catterall then took a deep breath and said, "Five years ago, I won the Euros with the Under-17s. That was the best moment of my coaching career. Not anymore!"

 

Gregory admitted, "That was such a great team - [Dominic] Solanke, [Patrick] Roberts, [Joe] Gomez. If any England team was going to win a World Cup, it would have been them. That's why it was so disappointing to see them go out so early two years ago."

 

He then continued, "To tell you the truth, Mark, I didn't give this lot much of a chance. Semi Finalists, maybe, but winners? On penalties?"

 

"I'd like to think we've learned from past mistakes."

 

"Amen to that. May this be the first trophy of many."

 

"Amen."

 

That 'first trophy of many' was proudly hoisted aloft 15 minutes later by England captain Trevoh Chalobah, upon receiving the silverware from FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Just like the late, great Bobby Moore half a century earlier, he had led his country with pride from the back. Indeed, Chalobah was named 'man of the match' for the Final prior to the trophy presentation.

 

There were also awards for three of his team-mates. Nketiah took home the Golden Ball, and Reiss Nelson the Silver Ball, after being adjudged the two best players at the tournament. Nelson also won the Goal of the Tournament award for his stunning strike against Serbia in the Last 16.

 

A few minutes after the trophy presentation, Catterall turned to Gregory and asked, "How do you feel now about not selling Wembley?"

 

Gregory growled, "Do we really need to discuss that right now, Catterall? That c*** Saoud Hussein tried to deceive us, and I want nothing more to do with him!"

 

"Are you talking about that story from The Sun? You do know that guy they interviewed wasn't Saoud, right? Channel 4 looked into it and found that The Sun staged the whole thing at a Frankie & Benny's in Slough."

 

Gregory covered his face and groaned, "For Christ's sake. How could I have been so naïve?"

 

"There's no evidence at all that Saoud said he would support France's World Cup bid."

 

"F***ing hell! We were so close to getting that deal done before The Sun ran that story! The money we could've got from selling Wembley could have transformed grass-roots football from this country."

 

"Well, if you still feel that you want to sell Wembley, then maybe you should get back in touch with Saoud. The deal might not be dead."

 

"Be honest, Mark. Do you want us to sell Wembley or not?"

 

"To be honest, I can see it from both sides. I just hope that you don't miss out on a potentially huge sale for English football just because a bunch of red-top racists tried to pull the wool over your eyes."

 

Gregory nodded, "Okay. I'll reach out to Saoud tomorrow and see if we can get something done."

 

Catterall then heard his phone ring. The call was from his daughter Ashley.

 

After Mark answered the call, Ashley sung, "We are the champions!"

 

Mark smiled, "Yeah, I know. I actually watched them win the World Cup here in Bordeaux!"

 

"Oh my God! I'm there as well! I'm in the Virage Nord stand."

 

"Well, I'm in the Présidentielle, with Clark Gregory."

 

"Great. How about we meet up, eh?"

 

"I heard there's a McDonald's just round the corner from here. We could always stop there for a bite."

 

"Sounds great."

 

Gregory rolled his eyes in disdain and muttered under his breath, "McDonald's? F***ing peasants."

 

A little under half an hour later, Mark and Ashley met up at McDonald's. Ashley introduced her father to a couple of her friends: Sophie was a half-Scouse, half-Nigerian personal trainer, while Daria was a budding pole-vaulter originally from Poland.

 

After ordering and receiving their meals, the four sat down to eat and chat.

 

"What a game, eh?" Ashley began. "England - world champions. I never thought I'd see that happen."

 

"I weren't entirely sure I would, either," Mark admitted. "But if the Under-20s can hold their nerve and win a World Cup, then you can't rule out the men's team doing the same a few years down the line."

 

"Their next World Cup's three years from now, right?"

 

"Yes, it is... in Morocco. I think it's far too early to talk about winning that, though. We've got to simply focus on qualifying for the Euros first."

 

Sophie then said, "Obviously, the women's team have got a good chance of winning their World Cup this summer."

 

"That's going on right now, isn't it?" Mark asked.

 

Sophie nodded, "It's our final group game tomorrow against Thailand, in Montpellier. We beat Colombia, then lost to Sweden, so this is must-win."

 

Ashley added, "We're flying over there first thing tomorrow morning to cheer the Lionesses on."

 

Daria then unzipped her jacket and proudly displayed an England jersey underneath. She quipped, "Scotland knocked out Poland in the qualifiers, so obviously I support England now," before bursting into a giggle.

 

"I'll look out for that result tomorrow night, then," Mark nodded. "Obviously, I've got the Moldova match to worry about in the meantime."

 

Sophie said, "I don't know why the England men's and women's teams are playing at the same time. That ain't right. Whoever did the schedules must have thought about that clash first."

 

"Spot on, Sophie. It isn't right at all. Hopefully we'll soon get to the point where the women's team are treated equally to the men, instead of potentially being overshadowed by them."

 

Ashley asked, "So you went from the Northern Ireland game to France, and then you're flying out to Moldova in the morning?"

 

Mark confirmed, "Yes... and after that, I'm going to Italy for the European Under-21s."

 

Daria then asked, "Are you not worried about jet lag? Four countries in four days. That's a lot of travelling!"

 

Mark replied, "The travelling's part of my job. I've never been one to struggle with jet lag. Besides, the time zone differences when travelling around Europe aren't that big compared to, say, flying from New York to London."

 

Ashley's phone then rang on the table, with the call coming from someone named 'Loz'. As Mark glanced at the screen, Ashley quickly reached for the phone, rejecting the call before putting it in her jacket pocket.

 

Mark asked, "Who's this Loz, then?"

 

"Never you mind, Dad," Ashley muttered sternly. "If you must know, it's a... friend."

 

Daria nodded, "Yeah. Another of our friends."

 

"I see," Mark said. "I didn't know Loz could be a girl's name."

 

Ashley stammered, "Yeah... it's a nickname. Her name's actually Laura... but we call her Loz."

 

"Ah, right, it's just that one of England's Under-19s players from Liverpool has that nickname as well," Mark said. "Anyway, slight change of subject. I'm sorry about how the league season ended for you, love."

 

"Yeah, well, Manchester City were always gonna be very tough to catch. Obviously, it didn't help that I twisted me ankle and missed the last two games. Still, 2nd place ain't bad for a club like Liverpool, and I've had a good first season in the first-team."

 

"Exactly, Ash," Sophie smiled. "Next season will be even better for you, I'm sure."

 

"I've just gotta knuckle down, y'know, and make a starting place me own."

 

Mark said, "Remember that there's no rush, Ashley. You're only 18, after all. Time's still on your side."

 

"I know, Dad, but there are loads of good players in the Liverpool youth team. I can't just stand still and assume it'll all be okay. I need to be getting better all the time or I can forget about playing professionally."

 

"That's a good attitude to have, Ash. I felt the same way when I was struggling to break into Manchester City's first-team."

 

"Oh my God!" Daria gasped. "Ash, you never said your dad played for Man City!"

 

Mark nodded, "Yes, about 25 years ago, before they had a bottomless pit of money... and before any of you girls were even born! Come to think of it, I don't think any of you were around when I was playing at France '98."

 

Sophie then revealed, "Funny you say that, cos I was actually born on 30 June 1998 - the same day you missed that penalty against Argentina! Mum always mentions that game whenever Argentina are playing."

 

"Oh God. I hope I didn't make your mum's labour any more painful than it already was!"

 

"Nah, you didn't. I was already out by then!"

 

"Well, at least we all have better memories of a World Cup in France," Ashley said before raising her plastic Coke cup to the air. "Here's to more."

 

Daria, Sophie and Mark also raised their cups before resuming their meals.

[CFuller]

***

 

The British newspapers on 17 June 2019 delivered the headlines that England fans had been waiting to see for some time. "TOP OF THE WORLD", read The Daily Mirror's headline, while The Sun simply said, "CHAMPIONS". The Guardian went with the rather less snappy, "Vive la révolution: England celebrate first World Cup win since 1966".

 

Photos of Eddie Nketiah celebrating his winning penalty against the Czech Republic, or of captain Trevoh Chalobah proudly lifting the trophy, adorned the back pages. Half a decade after England's finest hour, the country had a new band of footballing heroes to support.

 

Admittedly, England had 'merely' won the World Cup at Under-20s level, but it was a start. England had claimed their first major piece of silverware under manager Mark Catterall, while the recent performances of his teams at other levels - from the seniors to the Under-19s - hinted that this success would perhaps not be a one-off event. The best was arguably yet to come.

 

Having witnessed the Under-20s' night of glory in Bordeaux, Catterall flew out to Moldova's capital city Chişinău early the next morning to oversee another big match. The main England team would shortly be playing their fourth UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier, which was their third away from home.

 

The Three Lions were looking to go into the summer break with four Group E wins on the trot. Against Moldova, that looked like a doddle, as their previous four meetings with the former Soviet republic had seen them score 16 goals without reply. Indeed, Moldova's footballers seemed so incompetent when it came to sport that they couldn't even beat the comedian Tony Hawks at tennis when he famously challenged them in 1997.

 

England fancied their chances of recording another comfortable victory over Moldova, even without captain Jordan Henderson, who was rested on the substitutes' bench. Vice-captain Joe Hart would once again take the armband in his absence.

 

Hart was expecting a quiet afternoon in his goal, but his Moldovan opposite number Stanislav Namaşco would also have very little work to do early on. England laboured through the opening stages trying to unlock a defence that was sitting very deep. Dele Alli could've provided the big moment in the sixth minute, but his half-volley from an Eric Dier centre fizzed just the wrong side of the post.

 

Alli created another chance for England a minute later, when he intercepted a headed clearance from Moldova captain Igor Armas. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder played in Arsenal's Jack Wilshere, whose bending effort also went narrowly off target.

 

Inside-forward Demarai Gray was rather more disappointing. The Leicester City attacker's indifferent form for his country continued when he flighted a free-kick over the bar in the 8th minute. Nine minutes later, a more promising effort from Gray was tipped against the crossbar by Namaşco, whose team-mate Dan Ojog then removed the danger.

 

A couple of attempted piledrivers from Dier cleared the bar before his frustrated Spurs colleague Alli was booked in the 23rd minute for a foul on Luvanor Henrique. The Brazilian-born Moldova winger had been a free agent for close to a year since leaving Emirati club Al-Shabab the previous summer, but he showed no rustiness when his cross almost created a goal for Cătălin Carp in the 30th minute. Only a quick reaction save from Hart denied the Kazakhstan-based midfielder a shock opening goal for the hosts.

 

If England fans hoped that Carp's close-run effort would jolt the Three Lions into life, they would be left bitterly disappointed. Three minutes later, Namaşco pushed away Dier's first-time strike from a pass by John Stones.

 

England went even closer to scoring in the 38th minute, as Nathan Redmond hit the post from the edge of the area. Ojog then got to the loose ball ahead of a somewhat lethargic Kane and hacked it into touch. That was followed by a couple more Namaşco saves from Wilshere and Kane before the half-time whistle blew.

 

Less than 24 hours after England's Under-20s had given the country a moment to savour, the senior team were staring at one of their most embarrassing results in years. A goalless draw in Moldova just would not do for Catterall, who made major changes before the second half. Redmond and Gray were both substituted as the manager switched to a 4-3-1-2 formation.

 

One of the beneficiaries of Catterall's shake-up was Chelsea striker Callum Wilson, who hoped to set up the breakthrough goal three minutes after coming off the bench. His knockdown to Alli was fired towards goal by the midfielder from 20 yards out, but Namaşco once again came good for the hosts.

 

Wilson would waste a chance of his own after 50 minutes. After exchanging passes with England's other half-time sub Fabian Delph, Tottenham left-back Danny Rose curled a cross towards Wilson at the near post. Although the striker managed to win the aerial duel with Armas, his header clipped the top of the bar and deflected behind.

 

More disappointment followed in the 59th minute. Wilson saw his shot charged down by Ojog, and Alli hammered the loose ball first-time at goal, only to see Namaşco tip it over. When Dier's 65th-minute free-kick was blocked by Carp, some sections of the away support started to seriously doubt whether their team would break through at all.

 

As things stood, England's two-point lead at the top of Group E would be closed by Wales, who were 2-1 up on Northern Ireland in Swansea. The Three Lions' position as the dominant force in the group was under real threat, and it didn't help when Delph was booked in the 74th minute. The confrontational Manchester City midfielder was penalised for backing into Namaşco after Wilshere had whipped a corner into the Moldovan box.

 

Not even the introduction of Ross Barkley as a mid-half replacement for Alli could get the Three Lions roaring. Their wait for the opening goal continued in the 78th minute, as Kane's knockdown from a Wilson cross was met with a Wilshere volley that struck the post.

 

Two minutes after that, though, the most controversial selection in Catterall's squad justified his inclusion. Delph set the wheels in motion for England's latest attack by feeding Barkley in Moldova's 'D'. The Everton midfielder quickly passed to Kane, who went for a powerful all-or-nothing shot on the edge of the area. There was nothing Namaşco could do to keep the shot out and maintain parity.

 

England's breakthrough had been long in coming, but now the Three Lions were eager to make up for lost time. Namaşco did well to stop another blistering strike from the in-form Kane in the 82nd minute, while he also denied Wilson in the 84th.

 

The visitors' late-game surge continued with a couple of powerful Kane headers - one hit the bar, while the other was caught by Moldova's goalkeeper. Namaşco's last act of the match was to turn behind an ambitious long-distance strike from Delph, who would've scored his first senior international goal had he pulled it off.

 

In the end, England would have to be content with an underwhelming 1-0 win, which nonetheless kept them in the Group E ascendancy. Wales' 2-1 victory over Northern Ireland kept the Dragons a couple of points behind in 2nd place, while Austria climbed to 3rd after putting two goals past whipping boys Gibraltar.

 

17 June 2019: UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E - at Zimbru, Chişinău

Moldova - 0

England - 1 (Harry Kane 80)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Nathaniel Clyne, Michael Keane, John Stones, Danny Rose; Dele Alli (Ross Barkley), Eric Dier; Demarai Gray (Fabian Delph), Jack Wilshere, Nathan Redmond (Callum Wilson); Harry Kane. BOOKED: Alli 23, Delph 74.

 

2020 UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E (After 4 rounds)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          England                4     4     0     0     15    1     14    12
2.          Wales                  4     3     1     0     8     1     7     10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Austria                4     2     1     1     6     2     4     7
4.          Northern Ireland       4     2     0     2     6     7     -1    6
5.          Moldova                4     0     0     4     1     10    -9    0
6.          Gibraltar              4     0     0     4     0     15    -15   0

 

[CFuller]

Chapter 29 - Make Mine A Double?

 

Tuesday 18 June 2019. Mark Catterall was in his fourth country in as many days. He had managed England's senior team in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Moldova, while also finding time to watch his Under-20s win the FIFA U20 World Cup in France. Now he'd arrived at his next destination - Italy.

 

Catterall flew out from Chișinău in the morning and arrived at the Under-21s team's training camp in Bologna just before 2:00pm local time. The northern Italian city's flag - consisting of a red cross on a white background - bore a striking resemblance to the flag of St George. That perhaps boded well for the Young Lions, who hoped to still be in Bologna for the Final of the UEFA European Under-21s Championship on 6 July.

 

A little over 24 hours prior to the team's opening Group A match against Greece, Catterall sat down with head coach David Byrne and assistant coach Colin Cooper to make their final preparations.

 

"Glad you could be with us, Mr Fogg," Byrne quipped as he shook Catterall's hand. "So I see you've given up on going around the world in 80 days!"

 

Catterall said, "Yeah, it's been a long few days, but I'm not going anywhere else now... hopefully not for another two-and-a-half weeks."

 

"So I take it you won't be hopping on Easyjet and flying out to Greece tomorrow, then?"

 

"No, no," Catterall laughed. "I've done all my scouting on Greece already."

 

"That's great. Come on, then. Let's sit down and talk it over."

 

Catterall and Byrne sat down at a table with Cooper, who said, "Before we start, Mark, you'll be pleased to know that we've had no injuries of late. All the lads are raring to go for tomorrow."

 

"That's great. Has anyone impressed you in training?"

 

Cooper was very praiseworthy of central defender and vice-captain Axel Tuanzebe. "Axel's been working his socks off and has shown a lot of maturity. I think he has a strong case for being captain against Greece."

 

"Yeah, I was thinking of giving the captaincy to Axel for that game and leaving Kevin on the bench."

 

Byrne looked at Catterall rather bemusedly, "Kevin? You mean Tammy [Abraham], don't you?"

 

"Yeah, him. I reckon Greece struggle against teams who play quick and direct, so we're going 4-2-3-1 from the start. Kevin has never really looked comfortable as a lone striker; he needs a partner with him. A centre-forward role suits Marcus [Rashford] a bit more."

 

"Okay. What about on the flanks?"

 

"We'll have Pat Roberts on the right, cutting inside and causing problems with his dribbling and technique. Josh Sims will be on the left, looking to run at the defence and whip crosses into the box for Rashford and Roberts."

 

"And the rest of the team?"

 

"The defence basically builds itself - Freddie [Woodman] in goal, then Chilly [Ben Chilwell], Axel, Brendan [Galloway] and Mason [Holgate]. Lewis Cook and Tom Davies will protect the back four, and Josh Onomah will help our attackers out in the hole. I'd say that's our strongest line-up on paper."

 

Byrne said, "To be fair, that's not far off what I would've gone with."

 

Cooper nodded, "I agree; that's probably our strongest team. The great thing about this squad, though, is that we have so many good players in each position, especially in defence. Look at many of the other squads, and they perhaps don't have that luxury."

 

"That's why I'm really confident about what this team could achieve, Colin," Catterall nodded. "Quite a few of these lads got very close in Poland two years ago. They're all wiser for the experience now, and if they can keep focussed and play like we know they can, maybe we could have another strong tournament."

 

"As long as we avoid Portugal," Byrne warned.

 

"Portugal are ridiculously strong at this level, but we can't worry about them yet, Dave. We need to focus on getting past Greece, Denmark and Spain first. It's no use planning for Portugal if you make a couple of early mistakes and have to go home early."

 

Byrne smiled, "That's like your mantra, ain't it? Always one step at a time."

 

Catterall stated, "You can't plan more than one game ahead when you're at a tournament. Look at what the Under-20s have just done in France. The only things on our minds when it came to that World Cup were: 1) What must we do to get out of our group? and 2) How do we defeat this team to qualify for the next round?

 

"Thinking longer-term can not only lead to arrogance, but it can leave you screwed when other results don't go as you expect. We couldn't build towards playing a Portugal or a France in the Final, because we didn't know at the time they would be eliminated at the Quarters."

 

Cooper added, "It's an old cliché, but it's true. You can only play what's in front of you."

 

Byrne said, "Yeah, that's a good way of looking at it."

 

Catterall met the England squad later that afternoon, giving them a talk before the start of their European Championship campaign.

 

"How have you lads been these last couple of weeks?" Catterall asked the players. "Are you looking forward to the Euros? You must be, surely."

 

"Absolutely, gaffer," Mason Holgate nodded. "We're proper buzzing."

 

Abraham said, "We can't wait to get started. A lot of us who were around two years ago, in Poland, are still p***ed off about what happened. We wanna make up for that."

 

Catterall stated, "I can see where you're coming from, Kevin, but it's important that we look forward, not back. This is a new tournament, a new start. Whatever happened two years ago doesn't matter anymore."

 

"Spot on, boss," left-back Ben Chilwell said. "We aren't scared of anyone - not France, not Italy, not even Portugal."

 

"That's the spirit, Chilly. You were fantastic in the qualifiers, and you beat France to top your group. You have much chance of going far in this competition as any of the other 11 teams."

 

"Absolutely," Marcus Rashford said. "We believe that anything's possible, especially since the Under-20s won the World Cup. Not even penalties scare us now."

 

"Yeah, we've been working hard on our spot-kicks every day," Abraham added. "We're ready for a shoot-out if need be."

 

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, eh?" Catterall smiled. "And let's not go thinking about penalty shoot-outs before we get out of our group first. Denmark, Greece, Spain - those are three very talented sides with their own strengths and weaknesses. It's not a given that we'll qualify for the Semi Finals, not at all."

 

Catterall then confirmed the starting line-up for the Greece match and announced that Axel Tuanzebe would lead the Young Lions out against the Galanolefki. The Manchester United centre-half looked flabbergasted before saying, "Wow! Thanks!"

 

"You earned it, Axel," Catterall said. "The coaches have been very impressed with your leadership qualities and your attitude. The improvements you've made over the last few years have been incredible, and that's something all of us in the England camp can take inspiration from."

 

"I'm not gonna let you down, boss," Tuanzebe stated.

 

Catterall said, "I don't expect any of you to let us down, for that matter. You've got an opportunity to achieve something that no England team has done at this level for 35 years, but you will only succeed by working together and sticking to our gameplans. I don't want any of you to go back home thinking you could have done this better or you could have done that better.

 

"Winning a European Championship with the Under-21s is no guarantee that you'll go on to enjoy successful careers at senior international level. You will be in good company, mind. Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo, Petr Cech, Manuel Neuer, Juan Mata, Thiago... they all won this trophy and went on to bigger and better things. You could be next."

[CFuller]

***

 

The 2019 UEFA European Under-21s Championship was now underway in Italy. The tournament's opening match had seen Spain underline their status as Group A favourites by defeating Denmark 2-0 in Bologna. First-half goals from Mikel Merino and Asier Villalibre were enough to send La Rojita straight to the top of the pool.

 

Mind you, England were likely to be hot on Spain's trail all the way until they came face-to-face in the final round of group fixtures. Nine days before that mouth-watering meeting, though, the Young Lions attempted to open their account with a win over Greece in Cesena.

 

Greece were arguably the outsiders of Group A. The Galanolefki had only just scraped into the finals, pipping Poland to top spot in their qualifying pool by a single point. They had few stand-out prospects, though a couple of their players were familiar to regular followers of English football. Liverpool centre-half Thanasis Maliaritis had played five Championship games on loan at Nottingham Forest late last season, while striker Nikos Vergos had recently completed an unhappy season-long stint with Hull City.

 

The one senior international in Greece's ranks was Panathinaikos winger Tasos Chatzigiovanis, who'd featured in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Latvia in March. Chatzigiovanis had a rough start to this match, sustaining a dead leg in a tackle from England's Lewis Cook after just three minutes. Nevertheless, he was given the all-clear to continue.

 

England's first attack of the match came a minute later. Wing-back Mason Holgate's first-time cross into the Greek box was intercepted by Maliaritis, and inside-forward Patrick Roberts could only volley the clearance into the sponsor boards.

 

The Young Lions' attacking talisman Marcus Rashford also struggled to find his range early on. After six minutes, the Manchester United striker powered a centre from Southampton winger Josh Sims over the crossbar. Shortly after that, Rashford curled a free-kick narrowly over the bar following Stathis Labrou's clumsy challenge on him.

 

Another coming-together between Labrou and Rashford saw England awarded another free-kick in a great shooting position in the 18th minute. This time, it was Roberts who took the set-piece, which also cleared Greece goalkeeper Kyriakos Pagonas' crossbar. The promising Panionios shotstopper would join the mighty Barcelona on a free transfer once this tournament had concluded.

 

England continued to waste opportunities midway through the first period. Rashford was especially profligate, thundering a Sims cross against the woodwork in the 23rd minute. That was followed by a couple of less accurate strikes shortly before the half-hour.

 

As one would expect from an England team, the Young Lions controlled the ball very well and had it far more often than their opponents. They also tended to create openings with great regularity, but without actually converting them. That was very evident here, with England remaining goalless at half-time after Pagonas produced a couple of excellent saves in the final 10 minutes. He caught an edge-of-the-area drive from Rashford in the 35th minute and then tipped away a strike from Cook in the 41st.

 

Though Rashford wasn't having the best of games, manager Mark Catterall kept faith in him for the second half. He simply moved Rashford to the left wing, with Tammy Abraham moving up front as a replacement for Sims.

 

The tactical tweak would pay dividends just two minutes after the resumption. Playmaker Cook slipped the ball into Rashford's path in the Greek penalty area. Although the Mancunian's route to goal was blocked by a tackle from Greece captain Paraschos Chantzaras, the ball deflected kindly for Abraham to smash it home.

 

England had finally made the breakthrough, and by the 52nd minute, they had taken full control of proceedings. Rashford and Abraham were involved in a delightful passing move from the Young Lions, playing a one-two before the latter played the ball back to Joshua Onomah. Tottenham Hotspur's attacking midfielder then slid the ball out wide to Roberts, who cut inside and curled in a superb shot.

 

Pagonas denied England a third goal in quick succession after 54 minutes, securing an attempted drive from Abraham. However, the highly-rated Galanolefki goalie would soon cost his team any hope of clawing back into the match.

 

After Greece's anchor man Alexandros Masouras impeded Abraham in the 55th minute, Rashford played the subsequent free-kick through to Roberts in space. The Leicester City forward sauntered past the defence and attempted to cut the ball into the far corner of Pagonas' net. Although Pagonas got part of his glove to Roberts' shot, Cook tucked away the rebound from a tight angle, and it was 3-0 to England.

 

The Young Lions' scoring spree ended there, though Roberts did try to prolong the Greek agony later in the second half. He looked to secure his brace from a free-kick in the 65th minute but couldn't prevent it from clearing the bar.

 

Nevertheless, this was arguably one of Roberts' most impressive displays for England's Under-21s in some time. Sadly, his 'man of the match' performance would end with him slipping on the wet turf in Cesena and going down in obvious pain after 70 minutes. He would have to miss the final 20 minutes of the match, and it remained to be seen whether he would play any further part in the tournament.

 

Replacing the unfortunate Roberts on England's right wing was Dominic Solanke. The Chelsea forward could have got himself on the scoresheet after 79 minutes, but his angled shot from a low cross by team-mate Abraham was blocked by Pagonas. There would be no further goals for the Young Lions.

 

Greece had been comprehensively outplayed, with their only scoring opportunity coming six minutes before the end of a match that had long slipped away from them. Olympiacos' attacking midfielder Mario Vrushaj saw his powerful free-kick deflect behind off England substitute Kasey Palmer. The Galanolefki's woes then concluded with striker Dimitris Melikiotis bruising his head in an 86th-minute clash with Brendan Galloway.

 

England's three-goal win took them ahead of Spain on goal difference in Group A. Another victory in their next group fixture against Denmark four days later would therefore put the Young Lions in a fantastic position to qualify for the Semi Finals once again.

 

19 June 2019: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Group A - at Orogel Stadium, Cesena

England U21s - 3 (Tammy Abraham 47, Patrick Roberts 52, Lewis Cook 55)

Greece U21s - 0

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Freddie Woodman; Mason Holgate, Brendan Galloway, Axel Tuanzebe, Ben Chilwell; Lewis Cook, Tom Davies; Patrick Roberts (Dominic Solanke), Joshua Onomah (Kasey Palmer), Josh Sims (Tammy Abraham); Marcus Rashford.

 

Roberts' injury was fully assessed by physio Derek Wright and the rest of the England Under-21s medical team the following morning. The diagnosis was not good; the 22-year-old Londoner had sprained his ankle and would have to miss a month of action. In other words, England would be without one of their key attacking players for the rest of the European Under-21s Championship.

[CFuller]

***

 

Four days after opening their European Under-21s Championship with a comfortable 3-0 win over Greece, England were ready to do battle again. It was an hour's drive from Cesena to Bologna, where they would take on Denmark in their second Group A fixture.

 

Denmark had made a stuttering start to the tournament, losing 2-0 in their opening match against Spain. Nevertheless, the Danish Dynamite did have an exciting squad with a fair bit of senior international experience. Amongst those who had already played for the senior national team were right-back Lars Markfoged and striker Kasper Dolberg, who'd been team-mates at Watford in the season just gone.

 

Another key player in the Danish ranks was FC Midtjylland's versatile and technically-brilliant midfielder Mikkel Duelund. He would be looking to help wingers Jacob Bruun Larsen and Nikolai Laursen supply plenty of ammunition for frontman Dolberg.

 

England boss Mark Catterall reckoned that the key to victory would be to subdue Duelund and dominate the midfield. He lined his team up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with captain Tammy Abraham spearheading the attack alongside Adam Armstrong.

 

Star player Marcus Rashford was kept in reserve, but the Young Lions' other attacking talisman - Patrick Roberts - was absent after sustaining a tournament-ending injury against Greece. Roberts had now flown back home to Leicester to receive treatment on his ankle.

 

It was Armstrong who had England's first scoring chance in the third minute. After latching onto a pass from Abraham on the edge of Denmark's area, he turned sharply past centre-back Casper Andersen and then struck a powerful effort that goalkeeper Rasmus Sørensen did well to push wide.

 

Denmark's first opportunity came about in the seventh minute. Captain Laursen curled in a cross from the right wing towards attacking midfielder Karl Appelt. Freddie Woodman caught the cross, but the England goalkeeper was horrified to see the referee point to the spot just moments later. Appelt had apparently had his shirt pulled by Tom Davies, so as to prevent him from reaching Laursen's delivery.

 

Duelund stepped up to take the penalty, which he smashed bang into the top corner to leave Woodman helpless. The Danish Dynamite had exploded into life, and Group A seemed to have been blown wide open.

 

Denmark looked to bolster their advantage via a Duelund corner in the 17th minute. However, it was headed away by England defender Reece Oxford, and Davies - sensing a shot at redemption - hoovered up the loose ball before taking it deep into the Danish half. He then played a sublime crossfield ball to former Everton team-mate Brendan Galloway, whose subsequent delivery into the box was volleyed home by Joshua Onomah.

 

The Young Lions were level, but they needed Woodman to be firmly on his game over the next few minutes to keep it that way. The Newcastle United goalkeeper palmed behind a worrisome cross from Bruun Larsen in the 19th minute. Duelund's subsequent corner went long to Appelt, but the Brøndby midfielder's header was saved by Woodman as well.

 

Davies' up-and-down game then continued with a couple of moments that contrasted greatly. In the 31st minute, just six minutes after being booked for upending Appelt, the Everton midfielder drilled an incisive centre towards Denmark's penalty area. On the other end was Armstrong, who got behind the Danish defence and unleashed a shot that Sørensen could only help into the net. 2-1 to England.

 

Sørensen's goalkeeping was rather more assured in the 35th minute. After watching Abraham dribble past his namesake centre-half Asger Sørensen, the OB keeper caught a powerful 20-yard drive from England's captain. He also kept out a pot-shot from the Young Lions' attacking midfielder Kasey Palmer a minute later.

 

Denmark would finish the first period strongly, prompting Mark Catterall to order his team to tighten up and sit deeper in the second half. He perhaps should have asked his players to calm down somewhat, as right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold's push on Bruun Larsen deep in England territory in the 51st minute would prove costly.

 

The impressive Duelund lifted the free-kick into England's box from out wide. The recipient was PSV wideman Laursen, who struck the ball without it bouncing and emphatically beat Woodman. The Danes had drawn back level at 2-2... but the equilibrium would not be intact for long.

 

Around five minutes after Denmark's equaliser, Bruun Larsen bundled Oxford over in the Danish area to stop him getting a connection to Palmer's free-kick. The referee pointed to the spot once again - this time in England's favour.

 

Captain Abraham stepped up for the Young Lions, knowing that he was 12 yards away from driving them into a 3-2 lead. He powered his spot-kick to Rasmus Sørensen's left side, and although the Denmark goalkeeper almost got a glove to the shot, it just crept past him. Abraham's 20th goal of his England Under-21s career had put his team back in the ascendancy.

 

Abraham was in the thick of things again for England on 66 minutes. The Chelsea man knocked a through-ball into the path of Armstrong, whose dribble was halted by an excellent challenge from Stoke City defender Andersen. Abraham went after the loose ball, but his audacious drive did not cause the goalkeeper any real problems.

 

Three minutes later, England's attacking tandem went on the offensive again. Abraham skipped past Asger Sørensen upon receiving the ball from Onomah. He then selflessly laid it off to Armstrong, whose vicious effort deflected behind off the bar and left Rasmus Sørensen a very relieved man.

 

The Young Lions would come under pressure again in the 77th minute. Markfoged's deep cross found the head of Dolberg, who'd been very ineffective up top for Denmark and couldn't nod his effort beyond Woodman. England's goalie would face a far sterner test eight minutes later, parrying behind a dangerous-looking strike from Duelund.

 

Redemption would not come for Denmark. Despite their very best efforts, they could not force a late equaliser, and so England emerged victorious from a high-octane contest by the odd goal in five.

 

England had made it two wins from two, and their position at the top of Group A was further strengthened when Spain suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Greece the following day. That meant the Young Lions would qualify for the Semi Finals as group winners with a draw against La Rojita in Cesena on 28 June. However, a defeat would potentially leave them anxiously waiting to see if they could sneak through as the best runners-up.

 

23 June 2019: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Group A - at Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna

Denmark U21s - 2 (Mikkel Duelund pen7, Nikolai Laursen 51)

England U21s - 3 (Joshua Onomah 18, Adam Armstrong 31, Tammy Abraham pen57)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Freddie Woodman; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece Oxford, Reece Burke, Brendan Galloway (Ben Chilwell); Joshua Onomah (Lewis Cook), Tom Davies (Ovie Ejaria), Sam Field; Kasey Palmer; Adam Armstrong, Tammy Abraham. BOOKED: Davies 25.

[CFuller]

***

 

24 hours after their latest victory at the UEFA European Under-21s Championship, England's Young Lions had an opportunity to rest their legs. Some chose to experience the sights and sounds of Bologna for themselves, while others preferred to stay indoors.

 

Manager Mark Catterall and head coach David Byrne were amongst the latter. Along with several of their players, they sat down to watch the England women's team continue their pursuit of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

 

The Lionesses - coached by former men's international defender Phil Neville - had been ranked amongst the favourites to win the tournament before their arrival in France. However, they had stumbled through the group phase. A somewhat scrappy 2-0 win over Colombia was followed by a 3-1 defeat to Sweden. Though England destroyed Thailand 7-0 in their final round-robin match, they were forced to settle for 2nd place in Group B behind the Swedes.

 

England were now in Reims for a Last 16 encounter with the runners-up from Group F. Nigeria were considered to have one of the strongest women's national teams in Africa, with the renowned former Arsenal striker Asisat Oshoala leading their attacks.

 

On paper, this looked like a virtual walkover. England were ranked 4th in the world by FIFA - behind only the United States, Germany and Australia - whereas Nigeria were barely inside the top 30. The Lionesses also had experience of getting to the Semi Finals of the 2015 World Cup. Nigera's Super Falcons were the only African nation to have even got as far as the Quarter Finals, which they achieved back in 1999.

 

Back in Bologna, the Under-21s were very optimistic about their compatriots' chances. Midfielder Lewis Cook said, "They've got this in the bag, I know it."

 

Byrne agreed, "If it ain't a 4-0 win or better, then we might as well not bother."

 

Catterall was more cautious. "Don't write Nigeria off. I was speaking to my daughter about them, and she said that they're a very strong, physical team with lots of energy. They won't make it easy for us."

 

As Catterall predicted, Nigeria did not give England an easy ride. The Lionesses attacked relentlessly in the first period, but the Super Falcons stood their ground and remained watertight in the penalty area. England striker Nikita Parris did get a couple of speculative shots in during the opening half-hour, but they each sailed a considerable distance away from Ibubeleye Whyte's goal.

 

Frustration started to creep into England's game in the latter part of the half. Captain Steph Houghton - a proud north-easterner, just like men's skipper Jordan Henderson - was booked for a particularly late challenge on Oshoala, whose pace proved a problem for the Manchester City centre-half.

 

The half-time whistle blew with the teams still locked at 0-0. Back in Italy, Catterall and co were growing concerned.

 

"We're playing into Nigeria's hands," Catterall said. "We need to stretch play out and open up some space, otherwise we're just gonna keep running into them."

 

Byrne was amazed. "Bloody hell, Catts! Why aren't YOU managing that team as well?"

 

Catterall smiled wryly, "I've got enough on my plate as it is, David."

 

Striker Dominic Solanke - who was of Nigerian descent - said, "I ain't no expert on women's football, mate, but England's strikers look a bit slow."

 

"The women's game is a little bit slower than the men's game in general, but you might have a point."

 

Solanke continued, "England need to try and break Nigeria down. They've got the talent, I ain't doubting that, but at the end of the day, it won't matter if they go on like this."

 

Play resumed about a quarter-hour later, with the start of the second period. Whatever Neville said to the Lionesses at half-time appeared to have reinvigorated them. Just five minutes after kick-off, a cross from Manchester City youngster Keira Walsh found her club-mate Parris in the penalty area. The diminutive Liverpudlian lost her marker and prodded it past Whyte to break the deadlock.

 

There were jubilant scenes amongst the England players and fans in Reims, and also in Bologna. Cook cheered, "That was brilliant!"

 

Byrne declared, "That's a massive goal! I can't see Nigeria getting back in it now!"

 

Byrne would be proved wrong in the 59th minute, however. A counter-attack from the Super Falcons ended with Desire Oparanozie threading an excellent through-ball to Oshoala, who breezed past Houghton and powered a delightful shot beyond the reach of England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley.

 

"That's just typical of England, ain't it?" Byrne seethed. "I thought it was only the men that crumbled!"

 

England would spend the next half-hour huffing and puffing in their pursuit of another goal. Arsenal duo Jordan Nobbs and Danielle Carter both came off the bench to try and reinvigorate the Lionesses' attack, but several shots flew either off target or into Whyte's hands.

 

Then, in the 89th minute, Nigeria launched another breakaway move. Speedy winger Esther Sunday was found unmarked on the left wing by midfielder Martina Ohadugha. Sunday then slipped skilfully past England right-back Lucy Bronze, only to be upended by centre-half Millie Bright. The referee almost immediately pointed to the spot - penalty to Nigeria.

 

As Catterall put his head in his hands, Cook groaned, "What was that? That's no penalty!"

 

Byrne growled, "That was a nothing challenge! Bright tackled like a girl, and the Nigerian went down like she'd been cut down by Vinnie Jones!"

 

Solanke added, "She went down easier than Neymar, man!"

 

Centre-half Brendan Galloway shook his head. "No, the ref made the right call. You can see there that she caught the forward before the ball. Penalty all day long."

 

The England players - headed by Houghton - protested against the penalty award, but the ref's decision was final. Oshoala now stepped up to face Bardsley, for a spot-kick that would potentially send Nigeria into the Quarter Finals.

 

Oshoala took a deep breath before running up to the ball. The four-time African Player of the Year - who now played for Dalian Quanjian in the Chinese league - stroked a left-footer to Bardsley's right-hand side. The goalkeeper dove in the other direction, and she buried her head in the turf as soon as she saw the ball rustle into her net.

 

England 1, Nigeria 2. The Lionesses - competing at their fifth Women's World Cup - had been eliminated before the Quarter Final stage for the very first time.

 

At the final whistle, Byrne sighed, "They blew it. This wouldn't have happened if the FA had kept Mark Sampson in charge."

 

"They wouldn't have lost if Mark Catterall was managing them," Cook replied. "They've got to sack Neville now, surely?"

 

"Yeah, I think he's gone, mate," Solanke nodded in agreement.

 

"I guess he'll go back to doing crap punditry for the BBC, eh? No team in the country will want to touch him now."

 

Catterall then felt his mobile phone vibrate in his pocket. He opened the phone to find that his daughter Ashley had texted him, "Feel so sad. How did we lose that???"

 

Mark texted back, "There's always 4 years' time. Maybe you'll be ready then." He signed off with a winking emoji.

 

Ashley responded, "Thanks Dad haha."

 

Byrne had been quietly observing Catterall's text conversation. He said, "I heard your little girl's become quite a good player."

 

Catterall nodded, "Yeah, she's coming on nicely at Liverpool. She's played a few games for them and has been capped by England Under-19s."

 

"D'you think she can follow in your footsteps, and play for the senior England team? At the World Cup, even?"

 

"Of course," Catterall smiled. "I texted her to say she might be ready in 2023, and I honestly believe that. She's got the talent to get to the top, for sure."

 

"It's all about whether she really wants it, though, ain't it?"

 

"That's true, David, but she's a Catterall, and Catteralls are nothing if not perfectionists. Failure's not really an option for us."

 

Cook whispered to Galloway, "You heard that, right? Failure ain't an option."

 

Galloway nodded, "Yeah, Cooky. I know first-hand how upset the gaffer was when we blew it against Portugal two years ago. We've got to get it right this time."

[CFuller]

***

 

England were on the cusp of reaching the Semi Finals at the European Under-21s Championship in Italy. Victories over Greece and Denmark meant that their fate would be in their hands come the final Group A against Spain.

 

The Young Lions arrived at Cesena's Orogel Stadium on 28 June knowing exactly what they had to do to qualify for the last four. Greece had beaten table-proppers Denmark 2-0 the previous day to join them on six points and keep alive their slim hopes of qualification as the best runner-up, though they could not top the group.

 

England would finish top of Group A if they took at least a point against Spain. Were La Rojita to win, they would have the same number of points as England and Greece, and the top three places would be decided on their head-to-head records. In that case, the Young Lions could afford to lose by one goal and still finish top, but a larger deficit would see them overtaken by Spain, and potentially even by Greece if the defeat was a very heavy one.

 

Manager Mark Catterall did have some leeway, then, so he could afford to take a few risks in his team selection. Ovie Ejaria and Dominic Solanke made their first starts in the championship, while Tottenham Hotspur full-back Kyle Walker-Peters featured for the first time full stop. Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, centre-half Brendan Galloway and midfielder Tom Davies all maintained their records of starting every match for the Young Lions.

 

Spain's squad was an imposing one. Centre-half Jesús Vallejo and midfielder Marco Asensio were both regulars for Real Madrid, while playmaker Dani Ceballos became the most expensive signing in AFC Bournemouth's history when he arrived from Real Betis in January 2018. However, spending £32.5million on an accomplished attacking midfielder with excellent creativity could not prevent the Cherries from being relegated out of the Premier League just 15 months later.

 

Mind you, England didn't exactly go into this match with much trepidation. Just seconds after kick-off, Solanke went for goal with an audacious strike from Lewis Cook's pass, which he blazed high and wide. Cook would himself miss an opportunity to open the scoring in the third minute, pulling the ball into the side netting at the end of a promising counter-attack from the Young Lions.

 

In the sixth minute, Bournemouth midfielder Cook slipped the ball forward to captain Tammy Abraham on the edge of the Spanish penalty area. Abraham exchanged passes with strike partner Marcus Rashford and then fired a shot safely into the hands of Spain's Sevilla goalkeeper Juan Soriano.

 

La Rojita's early attacks were a tad more troublesome from an English perspective. Galloway had to make a couple of defensive interceptions, while Woodman tipped over a wicked cross from Benfica left-back Theo Hernández just before it could creep into his net.

 

Woodman couldn't do much with Spain's next real attack in the 23rd minute. 17-year-old winger Roberto Del Olmo's outswinging corner found captain Carlos Soler in the penalty area. Soler then laid it off to Ceballos, whose vicious drive stung Woodman's gloves on its way into the net. Spain were now 1-0 ahead, but England would still top the group as things stood.

 

Two minutes after falling behind, England hoped to quickly draw level through a couple of their fringe players. Walker-Peters floated a delightful cross into the box, but Solanke's volley didn't delight the English fans, rattling the crossbar before Spain defender Patxi Romo hacked it into touch.

 

The Young Lions saw another chance go begging in the 28th minute. Cook played a one-two with Ejaria and then found Rashford, whose wait for his first goal of the tournament continued when Soriano got both gloves to the Manchester United striker's shot.

 

Spain then looked to tighten the screw, with Deportivo La Coruña striker Carlos Fernández rippling the side netting just before the half-hour. The big target man would fare better in the 39th minute, firing a lethal bullet past Woodman from 20 yards out to leave England firmly in a spot of bother.

 

The Young Lions went into the break trailing 2-0, and heading for second place in Group A. As things stood, Spain would be advancing as group winners, while England would be relying on other results if they were to join them in the Semi Finals.

 

Catterall brought Davies and Solanke off at the break, adding Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kasey Palmer to his midfield. Palmer had recently been informed by Chelsea that he was to be released upon the expiry of his contract at Stamford Bridge. Eager to impress any onlooking scouts, the attacking midfielder tried to find the net with a vicious shot in the 50th minute, but only found Soriano's hands.

 

Palmer then helped to set up an opportunity for Rashford two minutes later, finding the Mancunian in space after receiving a flick-on from Abraham. But despite clearing the Spanish defence, Rashford was again unable to get his shot beyond Soriano.

 

The temperature in Cesena was 32 degrees Celsius, and the searing heat would soon start to take its toll on both teams. After labouring through the next quarter-hour, an increasingly weary England eventually registered another shot on target. Soriano pushed behind another attempt from Rashford in the 69th minute to preserve his clean sheet.

 

Walker-Peters' corner was a poor one, which Asensio pumped into the England half. Mason Holgate tried to clean up for the Young Lions, but he was outmuscled by Del Olmo, who now had an almost clear run at goal. He awaited the run of Spanish substitute Asier Villalibre and then laid the ball off to the Atlético Madrid striker. Villalibre's shot took a deflection of another England defender in Axel Tuanzebe, but Woodman still palmed it away before Tuanzebe convincingly removed the danger.

 

England made their final substitution immediately after that scare, replacing Abraham with Adam Armstrong. Within three minutes, the Geordie had got them back in the game. Cook caught Rojita right-back Pol Lirola napping and stormed up the flank before crossing to Armstrong, who slipped the ball beyond Soriano from an angle.

 

Armstrong's goal reduced England's arrears to 2-1, and sent them straight back to first place in Group A. He could have effectively secured qualification for the Semi Finals two minutes later. Sadly for him, his strike from Ejaria's through-ball clipped the side netting, while his next effort in the 79th minute was caught by Soriano.

 

Spain's hopes of automatic progression to the next round were still just about alive as they pushed for a potentially crucial goal in the closing stages. Asensio dispatched a free-kick just wide in the 87th minute, while Del Olmo's header from a cross by left-back Toni Lato shortly afterwards also went off target.

 

England tightened up in the final few minutes to secure the result they had wanted. Yes, they might have lost the match 2-1, but they had still won Group A and could now look forward to playing in the Semi Finals.

 

Portugal also made it to the penultimate round as Group B winners, while France enjoyed three straight wins en route to topping Group C. The three pool winners were joined by the runners-up with the best record - Spain.

 

28 June 2019: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Group A - at Orogel Stadium, Cesena

Spain U21s - 2 (Dani Ceballos 23, Carlos Fernández 39)

England U21s - 1 (Adam Armstrong 73)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Freddie Woodman; Mason Holgate, Brendan Galloway, Axel Tuanzebe, Kyle Walker-Peters; Tom Davies (Trent Alexander-Arnold), Lewis Cook; Dominic Solanke (Kasey Palmer), Ovie Ejaria, Marcus Rashford; Tammy Abraham (Adam Armstrong).

 

2019 UEFA European Under-21s Championship Group A (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     England U21s           3     2     0     1     7     4     3     6
2.    Q     Spain U21s             3     2     0     1     5     3     2     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Greece U21s            3     2     0     1     4     4     0     6
4.          Denmark U21s           3     0     0     3     2     7     -5    0

 

Back in Poland in 2017, England's Under-21s had concluded their European Championship group campaign by beating Italy to top their pool. The Young Lions' very next match would see them come up against Italy again, in the Semi Finals. The Azzurri were then vanquished for a second time as England progressed to the Final, where they were dismantled by Portugal.

 

Two years on, and it looked like England's competition would potentially end in similar fashion. Incredibly, the random draw for the Semi Finals saw them pitted against Spain for the second time in six days!

 

If the Young Lions could get their revenge on La Rojita in Bologna on 3 July, they would progress to a second successive European Championship Final, which would also take place in Bologna three days later. Awaiting them there would be either France or Portugal.

 

Was history really about to repeat itself?

[CFuller]

***

 

Just five days after the Under-21s teams of Spain and England clashed in Cesena, they would have to do battle again in Bologna. This time, instead of scrapping for an automatic place in the European Championship Semi Finals, they now had to squabble over who would go all the way to the Final.

 

Awaiting them at the showdown match three days later would be none other than the reigning champions. The previous evening had seen Portugal edge out pre-tournament favourites France on penalties following a thrilling 1-1 draw. Rui Jorge's side were now on the cusp of successfully defending the European Under-21s Championship, just like Spain had done in 2013 following their earlier success in 2011.

 

Spain were attempting to win this championship for a fifth time, matching Italy's all-time record. Though La Rojita had surprisingly slipped up against Greece earlier in the tournament, their subsequent 2-1 victory over England had reinstated their confidence at just the right time.

 

England were not simply gunning for vengeance on Spain in Bologna. Victory would see them set up a repeat of the 2017 Final, in which the Young Lions rolled over to the Esperanças and were trounced 3-0. That was a wrong they really wanted to put right sooner rather than later.

 

England immediately set out to show everyone - not least their opponents - just what they were about. They strung together a series of quick and slick passes from the kick-off, with a promising attack only breaking down after left-back Ben Chilwell's cross into the Spanish box was intercepted by Rojita captain Mikel Merino.

 

Spain first attacked the Young Lions in the seventh minute with some incisive passing of their own. Asier Villalibre threaded the ball through an English channel to Newcastle United's new £12.75million left-winger Javier Ontiveros. The former Málaga star then unleashed a shot that was caught by his new Magpies team-mate Freddie Woodman.

 

Ontiveros went for goal again in the 13th minute, though his strike from left-back Toni Lato's square pass flew straight over the bar. Two minutes later, he played a lovely pass ahead of Villalibre, who had broken clear of England centre-back Reece Burke and now only had to beat Woodman. Much to the Atlético Madrid striker's disappointment, his shot was just too close to the Young Lions keeper, who tipped it wide.

 

England then withstood a couple of Spanish set-pieces before pushing forward again on 24 minutes. Midfielder Tom Davies found the overlapping run of Chilwell, whose subsequent delivery into Spain's six-yard box was headed wide by captain Tammy Abraham.

 

Spain would mess up one final opportunity before the break. In the 37th minute, Sevilla right-back - and one-time Everton loanee - David Carmona saw his excellent whipped cross met by a terrible connection with Villalibre's head. The ball deflected well wide, and England were let off the hook.

 

The first half would end goalless, though not before a couple of England's midfielders had chances to end the stand-off. Free agent midfielder Kasey Palmer skimmed the crossbar from a 40th-minute free-kick, while Joshua Onomah's injury-time drive was palmed behind by Spain keeper Juan Soriano.

 

While the first period had been a somewhat clean affair, Spain started to show a bit more aggression in the 47th minute. Real Madrid centre-half Jesús Vallejo received the game's first yellow card in the 47th minute after shoving England forward Adam Armstrong in an aerial battle.

 

Six minutes later, La Rojita showed aggression of another nature. Merino blocked a Davies clearance deep in England's half and chested it down to Asensio, who then found Carmona out wide in the penalty area. Carmona went for goal, but another determined save from Woodman kept the match level... for the time being.

 

Carmona had some defending to do in the 59th minute, when he confronted Armstrong just outside Spain's penalty area. His attempted interception saw the ball deflect heavily off Armstrong's shin and towards the far post, where a quick-thinking Abraham tried to beat Soriano from a tight angle. Though Abraham's initial shot rebounded off the post, he tucked the rebound away, much to the delight of the English supporters!

 

Abraham's third goal of the tournament had given England a narrow 1-0 lead with half an hour to play. Spain could've cancelled that goal out within four minutes. Manchester City teenager Brahim Díaz deftly played Asensio's pass out left into the penalty area for substitute striker Kuki - another Málaga attacker who'd recently made a big-money move to the Premier League. However, Everton's new £18.75million man couldn't get the better of Woodman.

 

England countered from the subsequent corner, but their breakaway would end with Armstrong being upended by Vallejo. The referee quickly called Vallejo towards him to issue him with another yellow card, followed by a red. After 64 minutes, Spain had been reduced to 10 men.

 

With two clear advantages, England could now start to control the match a bit more. In the 70th minute, Onomah's corner into the Spanish area had to be punched away by Soriano just before Armstrong could head it home. Two minutes later, Abraham played an excellent pass through space to Palmer, who dribbled forward before narrowly missing the target from the edge of the area.

 

Mind you, even though they were firmly on the back foot, Spain could not be completely written off just yet. They racked up the corners in the closing moments, while Díaz had an ambitious angled shot tipped behind by Woodman in the 77th minute. Villalibre and Merino then sent wide a couple of shots that would ultimately prove to be La Rojita's last of the tournament.

 

The Young Lions again had to keep their concentration late on. Manager Mark Catterall and head coach David Byrne were relieved to see their men do just that... and when the full-time whistle blew, they could celebrate reaching another European Under-21s Championship Final.

 

The summer of 2019 had already been a successful one for England's Under-20s. The Under-21s were now just 90 minutes from adding to their country's trophy haul by taking home their first European title since 1984.

 

To do that, though, the Young Lions would have to confront their Rzeszów demons, and exact sweet revenge on Portugal on 6 July. Back at home, many of their compatriots would be praying that the 2019 Final of this competition would not have the same outcome as the decider from two years previous.

 

3 July 2019: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Semi Final - at Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna

Spain U21s - 0

England U21s - 1 (Tammy Abraham 59)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Freddie Woodman; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mason Holgate, Reece Burke, Ben Chilwell; Joshua Onomah (Josh Sims), Sam Field, Tom Davies (Lewis Cook); Kasey Palmer; Tammy Abraham, Adam Armstrong (Marcus Rashford). BOOKED: Chilwell 83.

[CFuller]

***

 

After knocking out Spain to reach the UEFA European Under-21s Championship Final, England's Young Lions had just three days to prepare for their showdown with Portugal. Manager Mark Catterall and head coach David Byrne would be determined not to leave anything to chance as they sought to exact revenge for their defeat to the Esperanças in the 2017 Final.

 

The England players were put through their paces at their training base in Bologna on Thursday and Friday morning, prior to Saturday's match. On Friday afternoon, Catterall took them to the centre of the city for some 'downtime'.

 

The group spent the afternoon exploring Bologna's Piazza del Nettuno. At its heart was the Fountain of Neptune, designed by the Flemish sculptor Giambologna in the 16th century. Catterall marvelled at the bronze statue of the eponymous Roman god atop the fountain, telling Byrne, "Not many people know this, but I was really into ancient Roman mythology when I was a lad. My three main Gods in those days were Neptune, Apollo and Colin Bell."

 

"I knew Colin Bell was old, but I didn't think he was around in Roman times," Byrne quipped, with his tongue clearly in cheek.

 

"Neptune was the Roman God of the sea, much like Poseidon was in ancient Greece. He and his brothers Jupiter and Pluto would preside over Heaven, Earth and the Underworld."

 

"Much like you preside over all the England teams, except you don't have your brother with you."

 

"I suppose. Andy has his own religion and his own beliefs, bizarre as they seem to me and my sisters."

 

Byrne then asked, "So what's the purpose of us bringing the lads over here? Do you reckon they need some divine inspiration or something?"

 

"To some extent, yes, but this is also an opportunity to relieve some pressure from their shoulders before tomorrow. Giving them a full taste of Italian culture won't hurt, either."

 

The players were given the freedom to explore the city as they wished before returning to the hotel. On the coach ride back, West Ham United defender Reece Oxford - at 20, one of the younger players in the squad - said, "This is such a great country, man! I'd love to come back here soon and explore some more."

 

Byrne replied, "Maybe you will in a couple of years, Reece. Italy are hosting the next Under-21s Euros as well, and you'll still be young enough for that."

 

"Great," Oxford smiled. "Maybe I could win TWO European Championships here!"

 

"Don't get cocky, mate, or you won't even get one!"

 

"Sorry. I'm just really excited. Tomorrow's gonna be a great day, I can feel it."

 

As the coach parked outside the hotel, Catterall declared, "Okay, lads. Before I let you go for the evening, I want you all to gather in the function room. We're gonna announce the starting line-up for tomorrow there."

 

The players then started to disembark as the manager added, "Axel, Kevin... can you two lads follow me? I want a private word with you two."

 

Central defender Axel Tuanzebe and striker Tammy Abraham obliged, following Catterall to a nearby picnic table, where the three men sat down.

 

"What's up, gaffer?" Tuanzebe asked, somewhat tentatively.

 

Catterall answered, "I just want to tell you how much me and David appreciate what you've done over these last few weeks. You two have been great leaders on and off the pitch, and you've put in some fantastic performances on it."

 

"Cheers," Abraham said. "It's nice to feel appreciated. We've been giving our all to make sure that what happened in 2017 don't happen again tomorrow."

 

"I can see you have made huge strides since Poland, Kevin. Back then, you seemed a little shy, a little overawed by the occasion. Now you're more mature, you've got more self-belief, and that's shown in your performances."

 

"Yeah, I've got three goals so far. To be honest, playing in the Premier League with Reading last season really toughened me up and gave me confidence. I'm not scared of anyone anymore."

 

"And you don't even complain when I call you Kevin anymore!"

 

Abraham chuckled, "I've got used to it now, Brian!"

 

Catterall raised a smile and then turned to Tuanzebe, telling him, "And Axel, I've not known you as long as Kevin, but you've been outstanding for the Under-21s since you came in. I thought you were very self-assured against Greece, and you didn't disgrace yourself when we lost to Spain either. A lot of countries would love to have a ball-playing defender with your strength and your technical abilities."

 

Tuanzebe said, "Thanks. I know DR Congo want me, for sure, but England's my home now, and I want to break into the first-team in the future."

 

"Maybe you will if you can take your form from Stoke City back to Manchester United. You've got a lot of rivals in your position, but if José Mourinho has been saying good things about you in the press, then that's something you can take heart from."

 

"I try not to read the papers, gaffer. It's all about staying in the zone and making sure you keep performing on the pitch."

 

"That's a great attitude to have, Axel. And that's why I'm making you captain for the Final."

 

Tuanzebe smiled, "That's a huge honour, boss. Thanks... again."

 

Abraham asked, "What about me?"

 

"I know you were on the bench for the last Final, but I'm afraid you're only on the bench again. We're gonna go with Adam Armstrong as our lone striker, with Marcus Rashford and Josh Sims out wide."

 

Abraham despaired, "So I'm being dropped? After my goal won the Semi Final?"

 

"David said you were feeling a little jaded in training these last couple of days. I'm not surprised, because I can't think of many other England players who've put more effort into this tournament. This Final could be a long and very difficult one, though, and we don't think we'll see the best of you if you play from the start."

 

"I guess that's fair enough... but I will come on at some point, right?"

 

"If we can help it, we'll make sure you get some gametime. It's the least you deserve after scoring so many goals in such a stellar career with England's Under-21s."

 

Tuanzebe added, "This will be the last chance for you and me to win this title, Tam. It'll be a lot of players' last time as well. We've got to pull together and make this happen."

 

"You're right, Axel," Abraham sadly nodded. "I'm gutted I ain't starting again, after not playing in the Final in Poland, but it is how it is. The team comes first."

 

"Good stuff," Catterall said. "Now let's go."

[CFuller]

***

 

On 1 July 2017, England faced Portugal in the Final of the UEFA European Under-21s Championship in Rzeszów, Poland. What had been billed as a close contest turned into an embarrassingly one-sided affair, as a Portugal side managed by Rui Jorge prevailed 3-0 in a match that ended with the Young Lions down to 10 men.

 

Two years and five days on, and those two teams had once again beaten all-comers to battle for the honour of being crowned the continent's best national team at Under-21s level. This time, the venue was the Renato Dall'Ara stadium in the eastern Italian city of Bologna.

 

Of those who played in the 2017 Final for the triumphant Esperanças, only Porto's holding midfielder Rui Pires was in the starting line-up for the reunion two years later. Sporting CP striker Pedro Marques, who'd scored twice in that rout, and Benfica centre-half Rúben Dias were both on the bench.

 

England's starting line-up featured two players who'd featured in that morale-sapping defeat - attackers Marcus Rashford and Adam Armstrong. Left-back Brendan Galloway was an unused substitute, while a number of players on the English bench also had runners-up medals from 2017.

 

With manager Mark Catterall and head coach David Byrne barking orders from the touchline, the Young Lions set out to make up for their earlier mistakes and take the spoils this time around. They showed plenty of attacking intent from the outset, but Armstrong was caught offside after latching onto a through-ball from midfielder Ovie Ejaria in the second minute.

 

England then found themselves under some pressure from Portugal, who racked up a host of early corners. However, with captain Axel Tuanzebe in inspired form at centre-half, the Young Lions managed to withstand the holders' early advances.

 

Meanwhile, England's talisman Marcus Rashford was a bundle of energy on the left flank, where he could make regular runs into space and attempt to drill in some cross. However, precious few of them found their target, leaving Armstrong a frustrated and often isolated man up front.

 

The star man in Portugal's team was arguably Renato Sanches, who at the age of 21 had won just the 43 senior caps for the Selecção das Quinas. The powerhouse Bayern Munich midfielder went for goal after 29 minutes, though his strike from Sampdoria wideman Mário Ferreira's pass into the box missed the target by some margin.

 

The action switched to the other half when the first shot on target finally came after 35 minutes. Kyle Walker-Peters had been a surprise choice to start the final at right-back for England, but the Tottenham Hotspur reserve justified his selection with a promising delivery to Armstrong in Portugal's box. Unfortunately for the Young Lions, Armstrong's header was comfortably caught by Esperanças keeper Pedro Silva.

 

After that attempt, the two teams cancelled each other out to take the deadlock into the second half. Though neither side was anywhere near at best, Rui Jorge and Catterall each opted to keep their powder dry, and their substitutions in reserve.

 

Portugal enjoyed the brighter start to the second period. Four minutes after the restart, Esperanças right-back Diogo Dalot's cross was unconvincingly intercepted by Tuanzebe, whose header wound up with his rival captain Daniel Bragança. The Sporting midfielder - who'd had a loan spell at West Ham United earlier in the year - saw his half-volley ricochet off Lewis Cook before being cleared into touch by Galloway.

 

Rui Jorge made his first personnel change shortly afterwards, sending Marques on to replace the ineffective Ferreira. Then, in the 54th minute, the Esperanças' West Ham centre-half Diogo Queirós received the game's first yellow card for bringing down Armstrong.

 

Portugal's head coach then took a big risk by using up his other two substitutions in the 58th minute, replacing Sanches and Queirós with Florentino Luís and Pedro Álvaro respectively. Catterall was more conservative, only taking central midfielder Sam Field off to bring Tom Davies on.

 

A minute later, England won a throw deep in Portuguese territory. Walker-Peters threw it out to Liverpool midfielder Ejaria, who withstood heavy pressure from Bragança and drilled the ball low into the area. Armstrong then took advantage of a hesitant defence to stab it in at the near post. Armstrong had broken the deadlock with his third goal of the championships, which matched a tournament record held by four other players, including his team-mate Tammy Abraham.

 

The Young Lions were in front, but not in total control. Though Bragança took a heavy knock in a rash challenge from Galloway in the 62nd minute, the playmaker bounced back quickly and unleashed a free-kick that narrowly cleared the England crossbar.

 

England were showing more aggression than their Portuguese counterparts, though it wasn't until the 67th minute that they eventually received a booking. Walker-Peters' petulant lunge on 18-year-old centre-back Gonçalo Figueiredo in the Esperanças' box drew the ire of the referee, who duly showed him the yellow card.

 

Five minutes later, the Young Lions' manes were ruffled further. Bragança sent an excellent hanging-ball corner over to Porto full-back Dalot, whose near-post header evaded a flailing England goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and found the net. Dalot had not scored in any of his previous 18 caps for Portugal Under-21s, but he'd come good at just the right moment to level the match.

 

When these two teams last met in a friendly match Covilhã a little over three months previous, it was Joao Santos whose consolation goal decided the meeting in Portugal's favour. The teenage Benfica striker could have made himself a hero again in the 74th minute, but he pulled the ball wide from a Marques pass.

 

England refocused themselves after that scare and pushed for a winner of their own in the 84th minute. An excellent passing move ended with Rashford teeing up Armstrong, whose attempted chip over Silva didn't fool the agile and astute goalkeeper.

 

The Young Lions had one more opportunity to clinch victory in injury time. By then, Joshua Onomah and Kasey Palmer had each come on to add some extra energy to their midfield. Onomah intercepted a woeful headed pass from Figueiredo and flicked it out wide to Palmer, who drove it ahead of Armstrong.

 

England's frontman battled past Álvaro to leave himself one-on-one with Silva. A simple finish would secure him the Golden Boot as well as the European Under-21s Championship. In the end, though, his shot was just too close to Silva, who pushed it behind.

 

The subsequent corner from Walker-Peters lacked any real power, allowing Álvaro to clear it with ease. Though England still had a little more time to try and launch the game-winning attack, the referee blew his full-time whistle with the scoreline still at 1-1. Extra-time beckoned in yet another major final for an England team.

[CFuller]

***

 

England's Under-21s were close to exhaustion after the first 90 minutes their Final against Portugal. Having conceded an equaliser when they were 18 minutes away from becoming European champions, the Young Lions needed some inspiration from their bosses.

 

Manager Mark Catterall told his players, "Okay, you played alright in those first 90 minutes. Don't beat yourselves up over Portugal's equaliser; in fact, forget about that goal, because the slate's been wiped clean now. It's basically a new game of 30 minutes."

 

"Make sure you keep your energy levels up," head coach David Byrne added. "Don't overexert yourselves unless you absolutely have to. Portugal will come out and attack from the restart, so make sure you stick to the plan and are prepared to hit them on the counter."

 

Under UEFA guidelines, teams could field a fourth substitute whenever a match went into extra-time. Catterall and Byrne had opted to make that extra change up front.

 

Catterall turned to Adam Armstrong - who had scored the Young Lions' only goal in regulation time - and said, "Adam, I think your race is run. We need fresher legs up front if we're to take advantage of any counter-attacking opportunities."

 

Substitute captain Tammy Abraham's eyes perked up as Catterall then told him, "Kevin, you're up. We want you to keep the pressure on the Portuguese defence. Do us proud, mate."

 

"Of course, gaffer," Abraham nodded.

 

Meanwhile, Portugal coach Rui Jorge subbed off his midfield captain Daniel Bragança and brought on an extra striker in Rui Pedro. The Esperanças' renewed focus on attack would become clear in the sixth minute of extra-time.

 

Right-back Diogo Dalot, whose equaliser had kept them in the tie in the first place, whipped a cross into England's penalty area. Young Lions defender Reece Oxford could only head it as far as Esperanças striker Joao Santos, who unleashed a vicious shot at goal.

 

Though Santos' effort beat Freddie Woodman, the England goalkeeper was relieved to see it come back off his far post. Right-back Kyle Walker-Peters then removed the danger, allowing Catterall and co to breathe a little easier.

 

England launched their first proper attack after 98 minutes, when Marcus Rashford won a corner off Portugal's substitute defender Pedro Álvaro. However, the delivery from Walker-Peters was comfortably plucked out of the air by goalkeeper Pedro Silva.

 

Another of Portugal's Pedros was in the thick of things when the Esperanças attacked again four minutes later. Attacking midfielder Bruno Jordão's short pass into the England 'D' was squared by Santos to Rui Pedro, who pulled his shot off target. The 1-1 scoreline from the 90-minute mark would be unchanged come the halfway point of extra-time.

 

Once again, Portugal were quick out of the blocks when the referee blew for kick-off. In the first minute after the restart, left-back Nuno Brandão knocked an excellent long ball down the line for Rui Pedro. The Porto forward got past Walker-Peters and then squared the ball to AC Milan prospect Jordão, who looked set to end the stalemate until Woodman caught his shot in the nick of time.

 

Moments later, Jordão neatly controlled a lofted pass from Dalot and played a square pass to Santos. The 18-year-old Benfica striker went for power with his 25-yard attempt, but he did not have the accuracy.

 

These were anxious times for England fans, and matters weren't helped when midfielder Lewis Cook was booked for bringing Portuguese forward Pedro Marques down in the 108th minute. The Young Lions would then survive a major scare four minutes later. Oxford's interception from a Rui Pedro was met by a vicious volley from Dalot, which Woodman had to frantically push behind.

 

The Esperanças continued to pressurise England in the closing stages, though they found the Young Lions' defence to be close to impenetrable. When a last-ditch injury-time corner from Dalot found its way safely into Woodman's hands, the referee almost immediately blew for full-time.

 

Portugal 1, England 1. Penalties would decide who won the 2019 European Under-21s Championship.

 

Of course, England no longer had a fear factor when it came to penalties. The Under-20s had won a major Final on spot-kicks just three weeks earlier at the FIFA U20 World Cup, so there was no reason why their slightly older compatriots could not do likewise.

 

Woodman would be suitably prepared, as goalkeeping coach Alec Chamberlain supplied him with a 'crib sheet' of where Portugal's players were likely to take their spot-kicks. Meanwhile, Catterall and Byrne asked for volunteers to take the Young Lions' penalties. Abraham was the first to put his hand up, saying, "I'm ready, gaffer."

 

Portugal won the coin toss and elected to take the first spot-kick. Rui Pedro stepped up and confidently strutted to the spot... but Woodman correctly guessed that the shot would be coming towards his left. England now had a slight advantage, which Abraham nailed down by converting his opening penalty.

 

Jordão was now under pressure to score Portugal's second penalty and make it 1-1. He did precisely that with a shot that was just too powerful for Woodman to reach. Following him was the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the England Under-21s team.

 

Rashford had found the net 27 times in 31 caps for the Young Lions, though none of those goals had come at these championships. Nevertheless, the Manchester United striker was still confident of finding the net for one last time at Under-21s level. He fired to Silva's right, and although the keeper went the same way, he couldn't quite reach the shot. 2-1 to England.

 

Then came Dalot, who was Portugal's hero from normal time. Within seconds, however, the hero had turned into a zero. When Woodman pushed the Porto right-back's shot away from his goal for a second save in this shoot-out, England found themselves tantalisingly close to taking the trophy.

 

Everton midfielder Tom Davies demonstrated nerves of steel in tucking away England's third penalty, which put them 3-1 up with two rounds to play. Portugal had to score their next penalty, otherwise they would be handing the trophy over to their opponents. Their next penalty taker was Marques, who had scored twice to win them the 2017 Final against England.

 

With Woodman ready to pounce on a poor strike, Marques composed himself and then went for broke. He struck the ball with venom towards the goalkeeper's left, hoping to find the top corner.

 

Marques did find the corner... of the goal frame. After hearing the ball clatter against his woodwork and deflect clear, Woodman sank to his knees and roared in delight. England had been crowned European champions at Under-21s level for the first time.

 

6 July 2019: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Final - at Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna

Portugal U21s - 1 (Diogo Dalot 72)

England U21s - 1 (Adam Armstrong 59)

[after extra time, England win 3-1 on penalties]

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT: Rui Pedro saved, Abraham 0-1, Jordão 1-1, Rashford 1-2, Dalot saved, Davies 1-3, Marques missed.

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Freddie Woodman; Kyle Walker-Peters, Reece Oxford, Axel Tuanzebe, Brendan Galloway; Lewis Cook, Sam Field (Tom Davies); Josh Sims (Kasey Palmer), Ovie Ejaria (Joshua Onomah), Marcus Rashford; Adam Armstrong (Tammy Abraham). BOOKED: Walker-Peters 67, Cook 108.

 

Marques' miss sparked scenes of mass delight amongst the English contingent in Bologna. The outfield players sprinted towards Woodman in celebration, while the coaches and substitutes in the dugout embraced one another.

 

Unlike most of his compatriots, Catterall exuded calmness as he simply walked across the technical areas to console his Portuguese counterpart Rui Jorge. He told him, "Unlucky, mate. It was a great game."

 

"You deserve this," Rui Jorge graciously conceded, "You played better than last time."

 

"We had to. You've got a fantastic team. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those players out there played in a senior championship Final in future."

 

"Possibly," Rui Jorge nodded.

 

Catterall then returned to the England dugout and hugged Byrne, telling him, "We did it, mate!"

 

"I never really thought we'd pull it off! Bloody hell! It just goes to show that anything's possible!"

 

"This is massive," Catterall said. "That's two big youth titles in a few weeks for England. Now it's up to the Under-19s to complete the set."

 

"You ain't already thinking about that, are you?"

 

"My father once told me that a winner never dwells on their last victory; they always look for the next one."

 

Byrne replied bemusedly, "Blimey! When did you turn into [René] Descartes?"

 

After the trophy presentation stage was built onto the pitch, the awards committee dished out their tournament accolades. The Golden Ball for the event's best player didn't go to an Englishman, but rather to Olivier Ntcham. The 22-year-old Manchester City midfielder had scored two goals and assisted for another two as France were eliminated at the Semi Final stage.

 

Despite being amongst five players who had scored three goals at the tournament, neither Armstrong nor Abraham would win the Golden Boot. The fact that Dusan Vlahovic had notched up his goals in just two appearances meant that the Serbia teenager took the prize ahead of France's Neal Maupay, Portugal's Rui Pedro, and the aforementioned England duo.

 

France surprisingly dominated the tournament's Best XI, with the line-up consisting of only two players from the new European champions - Woodman and defender Mason Holgate. The five English players named amongst the 'substitutes' were Armstrong, Cook, Brendan Galloway, Joshua Onomah and captain Axel Tuanzebe.

 

It was Tuanzebe who would lift the European Under-21s Championship once all the players and coaches had received their winners' medals from UEFA. After a brief speech in which he gushed about Italy's "incredible" hosting of the tournament, UEFA's beaming President Aleksander Čeferin handed the trophy to Tuanzebe, who triumphantly hoisted it into the air. The Young Lions' celebrations could now begin in earnest.

 

That was two youth titles down for Catterall as he prepared to enter his fourth year as England manager. Just one remained on his wishlist... but for how long would it elude him?

[CFuller]

Chapter 30 - Hot, Hot, Hot

 

The summer of 2019 had been a momentous one for England's footballers. The Under-20s had taken the FIFA U20 World Cup home for the first time after triumphing in France, while the Under-21s had secured the European Championship on Italian soil.

 

Those triumphs had been seen as cause for excitement in the English media. The Guardian's Adrian Pike wrote, "The Young Lions' triumphs in Bordeaux and Bologna could be regarded in a decade's time as being game-changing for English football. There have been too many false dawns for us England football supporters to mention them all, but this feels different. It really does seem like the Football Association have genuinely turned a corner."

 

The Daily Telegraph claimed, "After a 36-month probationary period, it is now safe to call the 'remote management' approach of Mark Catterall a success. England have never previously been so consistent at youth level, and the road from the junior teams to the senior set-up has never been so smooth for budding international players.

 

"It might not be an exaggeration to argue that Catterall has already done more good for the English game in three years than most former FA coaches and executives have done in up to three decades."

 

Hoping to make it a hat-trick of titles for Catterall were his Under-19s. The Young Lions had qualified for the European Under-19s Championship for the tenth time, and they were looking to go one step further than in 2018, when they succumbed to Serbia on penalties in the Semi Finals. It was perhaps fair to say that England's fortunes from spot-kicks had significantly improved since then.

 

This year's finals would be staged in the former Soviet republic of Armenia - in other words, considerably further away from home than either France or Italy. The Young Lions would start their campaign on 16 July, and they would hope to still be around for the Final in Yerevan on 27 July.

 

Playing five games in the space of 12 days would test England's squad rotation system to the limit, especially with only 18 players at their disposal. That said, they would still fancy their chances of going all the way in a tournament that was missing several leading teams.

 

2018 champions Serbia and runners-up Croatia had both missed out on qualification. Indeed, England were the only Semi Finalists from 12 months previous to have made it through to the following tournament.

 

There was also no sign of the likes of Belgium, Germany, Italy, Russia or Spain. Among the teams that had made it were 2016 and 2017 winners France, as well as the Netherlands and Portugal. Scotland had also qualified, so the Home Nations' interest in this event would not be limited to just one country.

 

The Group Stage draw took place in June, with the eight finalists finding out just what would await them the following month:

 

2019 UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group Stage draw

GROUP A: France, Iceland, Portugal, Scotland

GROUP B: Armenia (hosts), Austria, England, Netherlands

 

England had ended up in a relatively kind group, devoid of the two hot favourites France and Portugal. Their greatest challenge in the round-robin phase was likely to come from the Netherlands. Chelsea left-winger Juan Castillo and Feyenoord midfielder Anouar Baltham were considered to be among the hottest talents in the Oranje ranks.

 

Austria certainly could not be underestimated, especially not if their strong target forward Fabio Holzer was on form. Holzer had already scored four goals for the national Under-21s and had recently completed a £4million transfer to Manchester City from his local team SV Mattersburg.

 

Host nation Armenia would surely not provide much of a challenge to the Young Lions. The Havakakan had enjoyed precious little time together as a team in the build-up to the tournament, with their only victories this season coming against such powerhouse nations as San Marino and Liechtenstein.

 

England would start off in Yerevan, facing Austria on 16 July. They would then move to the north-western city of Gyumri, where they'd meet the Netherlands on 18 July and Armenia on 21 July.

 

Catterall was exhausted after the Under-21s' recent exploits in Italy, so his involvement at the European Under-19s Championship would again be largely limited. He would pick the final squad but would then follow the Young Lions' matches from afar, with FIFA U20 World Cup-winning head coach Ledley King fronting the team's crusade.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-19s squad - for 2019 UEFA European Under-19s Championship

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Terry Cowling             GK                  28/03/2001 (18)  Leeds           6'1"   12st 6lbs  £175K   
Josh Vokes                GK                  15/04/2002 (17)  Tottenham       6'2"   11st 13lbs £500K   
Alistair Rattray          SW, D (C)           17/02/2000 (19)  Southampton     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £1.7M   
Peter Turner              D (RC), WB/M (R)    09/03/2001 (18)  Chelsea         5'11"  11st 6lbs  £400K   
Jake Vokins               D (L)               17/03/2000 (19)  Southampton     5'5"   9st 10lbs  £140K   
Joel Latibeaudiere        D (LC)              06/01/2000 (19)  Man City        6'0"   12st 3lbs  £130K   
Adam Mingay               D (C)               19/04/2000 (19)  West Brom       6'0"   11st 2lbs  £350K   
Paul Brown                D/WB (R), M (C)     26/09/2000 (18)  Southampton     5'8"   10st 5lbs  £45.5K  
Ted Lapslie               D/M (L)             18/06/2002 (17)  Derby           5'10"  10st 9lbs  £1.4M   
Aaron Morley              DM, M/AM (C)        27/02/2000 (19)  Brighton        5'11"  13st 5lbs  £275K   
John Harrison             M (R), AM (RC)      25/07/2001 (17)  Liverpool       5'7"   9st 8lbs   £850K   
Alfie Davidson            M (C)               27/03/2001 (18)  Leicester       6'3"   11st 13lbs £700K   
Tashan Oakley-Boothe      M (C)               14/02/2000 (19)  Tottenham       6'0"   12st 12lbs £71K    
Glenn Sheppard            M (C), ST (C)       08/08/2001 (17)  Chelsea         5'11"  11st 2lbs  £1.5M   
Charles Ameobi            M/AM (L), ST (C)    29/07/2001 (17)  Arsenal         5'7"   9st 8lbs   £4M     
Stuart White              M/AM (C)            12/10/2000 (18)  Man Utd         5'10"  10st 12lbs £3.1M   
Lawrence Warner           AM (RC), ST (C)     28/12/2000 (18)  Liverpool       6'0"   12st 3lbs  £7.5M   
Reece Nicholls            AM (L), ST (C)      16/03/2001 (18)  Chelsea         5'9"   11st 2lbs  £1.8M   

 

Seven players who were still eligible for the Under-19s had already played in a major tournament this off-season, with the likes of Steve Hilton, Joe Wright and Neil Campbell proving instrumental in England's U20 World Cup success. That tournament had been an exhausting one, so Catterall opted to excuse six of them from this event.

 

The only player named in both squads was Leeds United's Terry Cowling, who had been the Under-20s' unused second-choice goalkeeper in France. As far as the Under-19s Euros were concerned, Cowling was likely to be the top dog, with Josh Vokes of Tottenham Hotspur serving as the Yorkshireman's understudy.

 

Chelsea had three players in the England squad, including right-back Peter Turner - one of the few survivors from the previous European Championship in Finland. Turner would captain the Young Lions in Armenia, where he would be joined by club-mates Reece Nicholls and Glenn Sheppard, both of whom were hoping to contribute plenty of goals.

 

There were also three representatives from Southampton - all defenders. Centre-half Alistair Rattray was back for another crack at European glory, while right-back Paul Brown would make his major tournament debut alongside the uncapped Jake Vokins. The 19-year-old left-back, who'd spent the previous season on loan with Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership, benefitted from Catterall's decision to rest U20 World Cup winner Ryan Sessegnon.

 

Another veteran from Finland 2018 was Lawrence Warner. The explosive and resilient frontman had taken huge strides over the last 12 months, which had seen him score his first senior goal for Liverpool before going out on loan to Leeds United. Warner would be one of the hot favourites to win the tournament's Golden Boot.

[CFuller]

***

 

England entered the 2019 UEFA European Under-19s Championship with a real sense of optimism. Having narrowly missed out on reaching the Final in 2018, the Young Lions felt that they could go all the way this time around.

 

Mind you, that wouldn't be easy. Armenia was swelteringly hot in the middle of July, and although England's rising stars had spent over a week acclimatising to the heat in the capital city of Yerevan, the conditions were not something they were overly used to. It was certainly a far cry from the relatively cooler climes of Finland, where they had fallen at the Semi Final stage 12 months earlier.

 

If the opening game in Group B suggested anything, it was that England's main rivals for qualification to this year's Semis would be the Netherlands. The Oranje had kicked off with a comfortable 3-1 win over the host nation in Gyumri, justifying their tag as one of the teams to beat.

 

Less than an hour later, it was England's turn to get their campaign underway in Yerevan. They faced a potentially troublesome encounter against an Austrian side spearheaded by Manchester City's new wonderkid striker Fabio Holzer.

 

Ledley King had yet to taste defeat since taking over coaching responsibilities of England Under-19s from Matthew Wells following the previous European Championship. As King oversaw the Young Lions' progress from the touchline, he remained in regular communication with manager Mark Catterall. 'Catts' was watching on from his home in Staffordshire before flying out to Switzerland the following morning to attend the 69th FIFA Congress.

 

Right-back Peter Turner might have been wearing the captain's armband for England, but their most influential player was undoubtedly Lawrence Warner. The Liverpool striker could have put his country in front via a poor clearance from Austria left-back Daniel Steffen after just two minutes. Warner got above centre-half Sebastian Bury to intercept the header, but he couldn't bury the ball into the net, instead flicking it wide.

 

Attacking midfielder Stuart White caused Austria another problem in the 12th minute. His collision with Burschen midfielder Holger Elshoff temporarily forced his adversary off with a knock. Three minutes later, White tried to score from a deflected cross by left-winger Charles Ameobi. Unfortunately, his shot ricocheted off Warner's back before being hacked clear by Andreas Engelmann.

 

There was another clash between Elshoff and White in the 18th minute, when the latter was tripped by the Austrian deep in Burschen territory. Elshoff picked up Austria's first yellow card... and it would not be their last.

 

Warner had a handful of chances to put England in front midway through the half. After having a 24th-minute free-kick deflected behind off Austria captain Belmin Sabanadzovic, he then put two further efforts wide in subsequent minutes.

 

When Bury upended Alfie Davidson on the edge of Austria's penalty area on 29 minutes, Warner was gifted another opportunity from a free-kick. This time around, the Lincolnshire-born attacker curled it delightfully into goalkeeper Martin Alberg's top-left corner. That stunning strike was precisely what the Young Lions needed to get their game up and running.

 

Austria had a heart-stopping moment in the 32nd minute, when a byline cross from Warner deflected off Engelmann and almost crept into their net. Alberg looked far from composed in palming the ball behind, but his luck would desert him three minutes later. Engelmann got in the way of a fierce strike from England's Arsenal winger Charles Ameobi, only to unfortunately divert it beyond Alberg's reach.

 

The Young Lions' second goal might have been a fluke, but their third really was sublime. After 40 minutes, star man Warner played the ball through Austria's defence to pick out Ameobi in the area. The Londoner then hit another vicious shot - one that didn't need to take a deflection on its way into the goal.

 

White and Warner were each denied opportunities to give England a 4-0 half-time lead by determined saves from Alberg, but there was a clear sense that the Young Lions were coping with the Yerevan heat much better than their Austrian counterparts. The Burschen made all three of their substitutions in one fell swoop before the second period, while England kept theirs in reserve.

 

England could've claimed another goal two minutes after the restart, thanks in part to Bury's scuffed clearance from a Davidson cross. The ball fell to Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tashan Oakley-Boothe, who took it on the bounce and blasted over the bar. The Young Lions would not have many more scoring opportunities after that, as they instead turned their focus towards conserving energy for their next group match versus the Netherlands.

 

Austria continued to battle through the heat, with Daniel Steffen being booked in the 50th minute for a clumsy tackle on John Harrison. The Liverpool right-winger received a yellow card himself six minutes later, after he pulled on the back of Burschen wideman Steffen Binder's shirt, but that was to be the only blot on England's disciplinary copybook.

 

A third Austrian had his name taken by the Italian referee after 59 minutes, as right-back Felix Berger was penalised for tripping Ameobi. That was followed by a couple of misses from England, including one by substitute Reece Nicholls, who'd come onto the field after White ran out of steam.

 

The Burschen did well to prevent England from scoring again thereafter, with SV Mattersburg defender Bury making a number of key interceptions. Bury's former club-mate Holzer hadn't been quite so busy at the other end of the pitch, though that would change in the final 15 minutes.

 

After 78 minutes, Holzer showed glimpses of the talent that persuaded Manchester City to part with £4million a few weeks earlier. The 18-year-old - who'd scored seven goals for Mattersburg in the 2018/2019 Austrian Bundesliga - ran onto a killer ball from Johannes Schumacher but couldn't quite get it past England keeper Terry Cowling.

 

Though he wasn't the fastest striker out of the blocks, Holzer had plenty of pace in his legs. He showed that in the 81st minute by breaking past England centre-half Joel Latibeaudiere and drilling Binder's through-ball in at the near post. Austria had claimed a consolation goal, though that was all they were getting.

 

In truth, Austria might've got closer to turning the match around had they controlled their discipline rather better. By full-time, they'd conceded an incredible 24 fouls, while midfielders Rene Hartl and Michael Thuller had taken their yellow card up to five.

 

Despite being far from their best in the second half, England won by a comfortable 3-1 scoreline and went joint-top of Group B with the Netherlands. The two co-leaders would face each other 48 hours later in Gyumri, in a match that was almost certain to deliver Semi Final qualification to the victor.

 

16 July 2019: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group B - at Hrazdan, Yerevan

England U19s - 3 (Lawrence Warner 29, Andreas Engelmann og35, Charles Ameobi 40)

Austria U19s - 1 (Fabio Holzer 81)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Terry Cowling; Peter Turner, Alistair Rattray (Adam Mingay), Joel Latibeaudiere, Jake Vokins; Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Alfie Davidson (Paul Brown); John Harrison, Stuart White (Reece Nicholls), Charles Ameobi; Lawrence Warner. BOOKED: Harrison 56.

[CFuller]

***

 

The 69th FIFA Congress was well underway at the Zürich headquarters of world football's governing body. FIFA's distinctive and modern complex was located on a large wooden hill overlooking Lake Zürich, in Switzerland's largest city.

 

One of the last big decisions to be made at this Congress was on the host nation of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. This would be the first World Cup to take place on European soil since 2018, with the 2022 and 2026 tournaments having been awarded to Morocco and Canada respectively.

 

England were among five major UEFA members who had lodged bids to stage football's biggest spectacle in its 100th anniversary year. France, Germany, Portugal and Spain were also in the running.

 

All five contenders would present their bids to the congregation on 18 June. The following afternoon, the 37 members of the FIFA Council - headed by President Gianni Infantino - would then vote on who should win the right to host the 2030 World Cup.

 

England had twice launched unsuccessful bids to stage the World Cup in 2006 and - more controversially - in 2018. The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments was tarnished by accusations of bribery and corruption, which ultimately led to the downfall of previous President Sepp Blatter and several other leading FIFA executives.

 

After succeeding his Swiss compatriot Blatter as President in February 2016, Infantino announced his plans to 'clean up' the bidding process for future World Cups. The much-criticised FIFA Executive Committee - or 'ExCo' - was replaced with a new-look FIFA Council, though some critics claimed that the President's cleaning-up procedures amounted to little more than a simple name change.

 

Infantino's other big call was to void the decision taken seven years earlier to award the 2022 event to Qatar, amid growing pressure from European leagues over the disruption that a winter World Cup would cause to their schedules. The bidding process was re-opened to all member associations outside of UEFA and CONMEBOL, and it was Morocco who prevailed during a vote at the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City in May 2016.

 

The 2026 World Cup bidding process had also been completed without any major hitches. The United States were expected to win the ballot in Bahrain's capital Manama in 2017, only for neighbours Canada to surprisingly beat them by two votes. That had prompted the newly-elected US President Donald Trump to call Infantino "a baby" and declare that he would "unleash fire and fury" upon those countries who'd voted in the Canadians' favour.

 

With their faith in FIFA having been restored for the time being, the Football Association now felt confident enough to throw their hat into the ring for the 2030 tournament.

 

Following two years of planning, England's World Cup bid team arrived in Zürich to find out if their efforts were successful. Just hours before the FA presented their bid to FIFA, the England manager arrived to give them their best wishes.

 

FA chairman Clark Gregory was first to greet Mark Catterall upon his arrival at FIFA HQ. "Cometh the hour, cometh the man," Gregory smiled.

 

"I'm glad to be here, Clark," Catterall said. "The wife weren't too pleased to see me go, mind. To be fair, I'd already been away from her and Luke for a month, but I couldn't miss this."

 

"Some women just don't understand how important these things are," Gregory replied. "I divorced two of them before I found a Mrs Gregory who could put up with me buggering off for days on end. My going away just allows Nancy to concentrate on her Book Club."

 

Catterall nodded, "Jenny's really into reading - crime novels, mainly. Maybe when I get back, I'll ask her if she'd like to join Nancy's club."

 

"I can't see the harm in that," Gregory said before turning to the matter at hand. "Now how about I introduce you to the team behind England 2030?"

 

"Absolutely."

 

As they advanced through the hall, Catterall turned to Gregory and said, "I take it you brought the big guns out, like you did for the 2018 bid."

 

"What, like when we brought Prince William, David Beckham and David Cameron over to charm the ExCo, but STILL got eliminated in the first round? Don't be daft, Mark! Instead, I'd like to think we've got three people who actually know what the hell they are doing!"

 

A female voice in a Home Counties accent then called out, "Hey, Mark! Over here!" Catterall and Gregory then looked over to see Connie Millstone - the FA vice-chairwoman.

 

"I can't tell you how excited we are to see you here, Mark," Millstone smiled. "Your presence can only help the E30 cause."

 

"E30?" Catterall asked bemusedly.

 

"Short for England 2030, obviously. Back in the 90s, I was a big fan of the boy band E17 - or East 17, if you prefer. So I thought I'd take some inspiration from them when marketing our bid. Don't worry; that's as far as their influence goes!"

 

"You've been organising this bid, I take it?"

 

"Technically, I'm the CEO of E30, so yes, you could say that!"

 

Gregory asked, "So, Connie... where are the other two musketeers?"

 

"Oh, Rosena's on her way, but Harry... OI! HARRY! The gaffer's here!"

 

Harry Kane had been speaking to Ronaldo (the somewhat chubby Brazilian original, not the bronzed Portuguese ace) when Millstone called the Tottenham Hotspur striker over. He beamed, "Alright, gaffer? How are you?"

 

"I'm great, Harry... but shouldn't you be in Greece for pre-season training with Tottenham?"

 

"Nah, mate. Jaap Stam gave me a couple of days off, didn't he? Y'know, I had to be here for England, get some goals, y'know, and hopefully, it'll be alright on the night, y'know?"

 

Millstone whispered, "You don't have to score any goals today, Harry. You just have to say a few words in front of loads of people, and that's it."

 

"Oh, right, but that's okay, cos speaking's my best skill, y'know... after scoring goals. And running. And heading. And passing. And being friends with Dele Alli. And playing Fortnite. Y'know, it's in my top 10 skills, for sure."

 

"Just pretend you're taking a penalty for the Gunners, and you'll be fine," a middle-aged Asian woman said in a south London accent as she patted Kane on the back before introducing herself to Catterall. "Rosena Allin-Khan, Secretary of State for Culture."

 

"Nice to meet you, Rosena," Catterall said as he shook Allin-Khan's hand. He then admitted, "You know, I'm a lifelong Labour voter, but I can't say I recognise you from the Cabinet."

 

"Well, Mark, I like to do my job behind the scenes instead of being on the soapbox all the time... like some MPs I know."

 

"Good grief," Gregory muttered. "We've got a humblebragging Culture Secretary who thinks Tottenham are nicknamed the Gunners! Typical out-of-touch socialist."

 

Allin-Khan smiled nervously and said, "Well, er, let's put politics aside today and concentrate on what we all want to achieve - bringing the World Cup back home after 66 years."

 

"68 years," Millstone corrected her, only for Catterall to then say, "No, Connie, it's 64 years, actually. By 2030, it will be 64 years since you-know-what happened in 1966."

 

Kane then asked, "Sorry, mate, but what happened in 1966?"

 

Gregory growled to Millstone, "And you expect him to read a pre-prepared speech? God give us strength."

[CFuller]

***

 

The auditorium at FIFA's headquarters in Zürich was crammed full of football administrators and executives, all of whom were sitting quietly and patiently. They had already witnessed presentations from four nations who were bidding to host the FIFA World Cup - France, Spain, Germany and Portugal.

 

England had been randomly drawn as the fifth and final nation to present their bid to the FIFA Council. Their presentation would begin with a short video. The audience were immediately greeted to the sound of 1990s boyband East 17 declaring, "Everybody, everybody in the house of love! Hey, everybody, everybody in the house of love!"

 

Football Association vice-chair and England 2030 bid chief Connie Millstone grinned ear-to-ear as the video began. "This is my proudest work," she whispered to England manager Mark Catterall in the front row of the auditorium.

 

As the East 17 song "House of Love" played out, various films of football fans across England were shown on the big screen. Various ethnicities, religions, genders and sexualities were represented in the film, along with clubs as diverse as Manchester United and Broxbourne Borough.

 

There were cameos from various legends of the English game. Sir Geoff Hurst, Viv Anderson, Bryan Robson, Gary Lineker, Tony Adams, David Seaman, Wayne Rooney AND Carlton Cole all appeared on the video alongside footage of their finest moments in an England jersey. Contemporary stars from the men's and women's national teams such as Dele Alli, Daniel Sturridge, Steph Houghton and Fran Kirby were also shown.

 

The four-minute video concluded with one more England icon - former Liverpool winger John Barnes - rapping to the song before bursting out laughing. The bid logo then came onto the screen, consisting of a red letter 'E' beside the number '30' in blue. The '0' was stylised like the London Eye Ferris wheel.

 

Catterall noticed something a bit peculiar about the logo, telling Millstone, "I don't know about you, but I think that looks like the logo they use at the E3 video game convention."

 

"What do you know about video games?" Millstone asked.

 

"I'm not one for video games, personally, but Jenny is. If she were here, she'd say that was plagiarism."

 

"Well, if there is a similarity, then it's probably just coincidence."

 

After the presentation video finished, England striker Harry Kane was invited onto the stage. He smiled awkwardly as he approached the stand and read a speech from an electronic tablet.

 

"Hello, FIFA," Kane began nervously. He frequently referred back to the tablet as he stumbled through his speech, "My name is Harry, and I am... aged 25 and three-quarters. I will be, er... 26 years old later this month."

 

Sitting in the audience alongside the rest of the FA's delegation, chairman Clark Gregory grumbled sarcastically, "He's a bloody natural, ain't he?"

 

Kane continued, "I was born in Walthamstow in east London. When I was very young, my family moved to Chingford in... erm, east London! So, yeah, I'm an east Londoner, I guess. A Cockney.

 

"Actually, I grew up 15 minutes away from Tottenham's stadium. It used to be called Old White Hart Lane, y'know, but now it's called New White Hart Lane. That's funny, innit?

 

"Anyway, I was always gonna be a Spurs fan growing up. I really loved Teddy Sheringham, y'know. He liked to go out there and get some goals, for both Tottenham and England. I wanted to be like Teddy when I grew up... and I still wanna be like him when I grow up."

 

Kane then looked towards Millstone, who gave him a thumbs-up and encouraged him, "You're doing great, Harry!"

 

"Today, I'm very proud and very..." Kane carried on, before struggling through the next word, "hun... our.. red... ah, honoured to play football for a living. I love getting goals for England and Spurs. I especially love playing with my mates - Dele [Alli], Kyle [Walker], Rosie [Danny Rose]. I used to be great mates with a Korean boy called Son [Heung-Min] as well, but he moved to Germany last year, which made me very sad.

 

"What I'm trying to say is that, y'know, English football is great. Y'know, it's about bringing people together. We're all on the same team, guys, whether you're white, black, Asian, Christian, Muslim, disabled, or Eric Dier."

 

Mark Catterall asked Millstone, "I don't get that last bit, Connie. Was that meant to be funny?"

 

Gregory growled, "If that was a joke, it was about as funny as smallpox, or Dennis Skinner."

 

Kane continued to struggle with his speech before saying, "Anyway, let me now pass to the woman who's in charge of this bid thing. Ladies and gents, give it up for... er, Connie Britton?"

 

Millstone mouthed her surname at Kane, who corrected himself, "Sorry, I meant Millstone Britton. No, wait... it's Connie Millstone, ain't it?"

 

Millstone then walked onto the stage and said, "Thank you, Harry. You did really well with that, and you got my name right in the end! Give him a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen!"

 

Kane left the stage to a smattering of applause before Millstone began her speech, "As Harry was saying, football in England is more diverse than anywhere else on the planet. We've got players from loads of different countries and different backgrounds in the Premier League. Supporters from all walks of life come from all corners of the planet to watch them play.

 

"In terms of infrastructure, England has everything you need to host a major tournament. Our transport network is one of the most modern in the western world. Whether it's by plane, train or automobile, you can rest assured that your journey will be safe and smooth.

 

"We can also boast world-class stadia throughout the country - from London to Newcastle, from Birmingham to Milton Keynes, from Manchester to Southampton. Our pitches are always pristine, so the most-skilled players in the world can always excel, even on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke!

 

"If you on the FIFA Council were to give the World Cup to England, you would be putting your most-valued silverware in a safe pair of hands. Most of what we need is already in place, so we don't need to bankrupt the country or put the taxpayer out of pocket to build the rest. You won't see any white elephants, either... except for those columnists who write for the Daily Mail."

 

As a few laughs went up in the auditorium, Gregory hissed at Catterall, "I told her to take that crap out of her speech! Lefty bitch!"

 

Millstone continued, "It has been 64 years since the World Cup was last contested at its spiritual home. I honestly believe now that we are ready to stage the finals again and make the greatest single-sport extravaganza on the planet even greater still.

 

"If any of you still have any doubts about England's credentials, let me assure you with the words of four famous philosophers who - just like Harry - came from Walthamstow. I believe that Mortimer, Harvey, Hendy and Coldwell once said, 'Alright, alright, everything's gonna be alright.'

 

"Believe me; everything is gonna be alright at the E30 World Cup. Thank you."

[CFuller]

***

 

Two days after beating Austria in Yerevan, the England Under-19s moved north-west to Armenia's second-largest city. Gyumri had a population of around 120,000 but was little-known to many British people - perhaps apart from the population of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, with whom it was twinned.

 

It was in Gyumri's newly-built community stadium - imaginatively named the Gyumri Community Stadium - that England played out their second match at the 2019 UEFA European Under-19s Championship. They were up against a strong team from the Netherlands, who had also won their opening match in Group B against Armenia.

 

With such a short turnaround between games, major changes were inevitable for England manager Mark Catterall, who watched the match from his Zürich hotel after watching the FA's 2030 FIFA World Cup bid presentation. In fact, he and head coach Ledley King would make six alterations to the team that had sauntered past the Austrians.

 

Only five players - Terry Cowling, Alfie Davidson, Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Alistair Rattray and Stuart White - started each of the Young Lions' opening two matches. With Chelsea right-back Peter Turner on the bench, Southampton centre-half Rattray would take over the captaincy.

 

The Netherlands were blessed with some exceptional talents in their Under-19s squad, headed by Chelsea's explosive left-winger Juan Castillo. They were managed by Maarten Stekelenburg - that's the one-time Ajax youth coach, NOT the former Fulham, Southampton and Everton goalkeeper.

 

With Austria having beaten Armenia 2-0 earlier in the day, both sides knew that a victory would all but guarantee them progression to the Semi Finals. Were England to prevail, there would be no 'but' about it; they would be progressing to the last four regardless of results in the final round of Group B fixtures.

 

England showed some real fighting spirit early on, though Leicester City midfielder Alfie Davidson perhaps went overboard when he tripped Dutch right-winger Dereck Darkwa in the third minute. Davidson duly received the game's first booking.

 

Two minutes later, another of England's midfielders made a more positive contribution. After being closed down by Orange defender Abdallah Aberkane, Brighton & Hove Albion's Aaron Morley exploited the extra space that had opened up in the Dutch backline. He threaded the ball ahead of striker Reece Nicholls, who dribbled away from opposing right-back James Fofana and smashed in the opening goal.

 

Morley set up another chance for Nicholls in the 7th minute, only to see the Chelsea frontman blast it over the bar from distance. Netherlands midfielder Dick de Graaf also went for power with his side's first shot eight minutes later, with a similarly wayward result.

 

When England's other striker Glenn Sheppard was brought down on the edge of the Dutch area by Jeroen Oosting in the 17th minute, they had themselves a great opportunity to make it 2-0. It wasn't to be, as Manchester United's prodigious attacking midfielder Stuart White curled it just wide of goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen's left-hand post.

 

England would later develop concerns about a couple of their midfielders. Morley was penalised for a trip on PSV striker David Pontes in the 23rd minute, and thus joined Davidson in the book. More worryingly, Oakley-Boothe was wiltering in the searing heat, with the temperature having reached 35 degrees Celsius. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was in such a bad way that he would have to be taken off at half-time.

 

The latter stages of the first half offered little to write about. Nicholls had a shot saved by Scherpen two minutes from time, but that was about it. The Young Lions went into the interval still 1-0 up, though Catterall was still sufficiently concerned about Davidson and Oakley-Boothe that he ordered them to be substituted. Taking their places were Turner and Lawrence Warner.

 

Liverpool striker Warner had opened the scoring in England's first group game, and he could have found the net again after being played through by White in the 47th minute. However, he was thwarted by an excellent reflex save from Scherpen. The Netherlands had their first shot on target five minutes later, but substitute striker Niels Schell's volley from a Castillo delivery was caught by Cowling.

 

Stekelenburg would later freshen up his attack with the addition of Ajax right-winger Chris Valk and FC Twente striker Cas Tepperik from the bench. The 18-year-olds would soon turn the match on its head, though not before Warner and Nicholls wasted further chances to strengthen England's position.

 

When de Graaf brilliantly intercepted a through-ball from White in the 66th minute, the Sunderland holding midfielder precipitated a devastating Dutch counterstrike. Moments later, Tepperik sprayed the ball out left for Castillo, who floated the ball into the opposition area. The cross evaded the leap of England centre-half Adam Mingay and fell to Valk, whose header flew narrowly past Cowling's fingertips. The Netherlands were level.

 

In the 74th minute, England tried to counter the Netherlands' counter with a counter of their own. Warner's clearance from a Piet Janssen corner started the move off, and he almost finished it when he dribbled White's killer pass into the Oranje area. Alas, his shot was simply not powerful enough to trouble Scherpen.

 

Three minutes passed before the Young Lions were undone by a second Castillo assist. His deft lob into the box found Tepperik, who just about got ahead of Turner to power in the shot that completed the turnaround. England had become so used to leading matches under King's stewardship, but now here they were - on the back foot, with only 13 minutes to go.

 

The Young Lions went for broke after Tepperik's strike, which they threatened to cancel out in the 79th minute. Aberkane could only nod England left-back Ted Lapslie's cross as far as Sheppard, who attempted to flick the follow-up past Scherpen. The Dutch goalkeeper had other ideas, reacting quickly to secure Sheppard's header.

 

Paul Brown drove a shot over the Netherlands crossbar in the 86th minute before Nicholls had two very late chances to salvage a point. Both of them were caught by Scherpen, who helped the Oranje to see their job through. Stekelenburg's side had won a second game on the trot and could now almost taste the Semi Finals.

 

Despite suffering their first defeat at Under-19s level since King became head coach, England's fate was still in their own hands. The Young Lions would guarantee qualification for the next phase if they could win their final Group B match against hosts Armenia. They would also go through with a draw, unless Austria could beat the Netherlands and therefore overtake them at the death.

 

18 July 2019: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group B - at Gyumri Community Stadium, Gyumri

Netherlands U19s - 2 (Chris Valk 66, Cas Tepperik 77)

England U19s - 1 (Reece Nicholls 5)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Terry Cowling; Paul Brown, Adam Mingay, Alistair Rattray (Joel Latibeaudiere), Ted Lapslie; Tashan Oakley-Boothe (Lawrence Warner), Alfie Davidson (Peter Turner), Aaron Morley; Stuart White; Glenn Sheppard, Reece Nicholls. BOOKED: Davidson 3, Morley 23.

[CFuller]

***

 

19 July 2019 was the final day of the 69th FIFA Congress in Zürich, Switzerland. England's bid team for the 2030 FIFA World Cup had done everything they could. They now found themselves at the mercy of the FIFA Council, who would decide the host nation for the 24th edition of world football's biggest event.

 

England were among five nations in the running to stage the tournament. France, Germany and Portugal were the bookmakers' outsiders, while the favourites were Spain, who had pulled out all the stops to bring the tournament back to their soil after a 48-year wait.

 

By now, fears about the recent Spanish flu outbreak had subsided somewhat. Mind you, that didn't stop The Sun publishing a potentially devastating story about the chief executive of Spain's bid team on the eve of the vote.

 

Quote

FIFA HIT BY SPANISH FLU: Boost to England 2030 as Spain bid chief struck down

by NICK TYNDALL-WALKER

 

World football's governing body was in lockdown last night, amid fears of a FLU EPIDEMIC.

 

54-year-old businessman Ricardo Arce - the man behind Spain's bid to host the World Cup in 11 years' time - was rushed into hospital last night after being taken ill at FIFA's headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland. He is now in quarantine.

 

It is feared that Señor Arce might have arrived in Switzerland while suffering from the H1N1 virus. A flu pandemic - dubbed #SpainFlu2 on social media - has already killed THOUSANDS across southern Spain this year.

 

FIFA bosses are now expected to take extra security and health precautions before voting on who will stage the 2030 World Cup this afternoon. Spain were favourites to win the vote, but this shock revelation has bolstered England's chances of bringing the tournament home after 64 years.

 

A FIFA Council member told The Sun, "I can't understand how the World Cup can possibly be staged in a country ravaged by a serious epidemic like this.

 

"I will be voting for England tomorrow, and I have asked many of my friends on the Council to do the same."

 

At 3:00pm Central European Time, the FIFA delegates and the bid teams congregated in the auditorium to learn the results of the vote. Mark Catterall was sat in the middle of an English contingent, with Rosena Allin-Khan to his left, and Clark Gregory and Connie Millstone to his right. Harry Kane had flown out to Greece to join Tottenham Hotspur's pre-season training camp following his cameo in the bid presentation.

 

Catterall and co awaited the results with bated breath, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino having their fate sealed in a golden envelope he was clutching as he strode onto the stage.

 

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Infantino began.

 

"The bidding process for the 2030 FIFA World Cup has been the most competitive in the history of the competition. We have received five outstanding bids from five very worthy host nations. If it was possible to stage this tournament in each and every one of them, we would have found a way to do exactly that.

 

"Alas, there can only be one host nation. The FIFA Council have spent the past four hours deliberating over who should earn the right to stage this festival of football 11 years from now. The result has been one of the closest votes conducted by FIFA in recent memory.

 

"But I do not wish to delay any further. I can now reveal that the host nation for the 2030 World Cup - the Centennial World Cup - is..."

 

Infantino opened up the golden envelope he was holding. Gregory muttered to Catterall, "I bet it's the f***ing Germans again."

 

Gregory was wrong. Infantino pulled out a card from the envelope, and promptly announced that the tournament would be staged in, "ESPAÑA!"

 

A huge collective roar went up amongst the star-studded Spanish contingent, who hugged one another joyfully as the vast majority of those in the auditorium applauded. Allin-Khan, Catterall and Millstone reluctantly joined in the applause as Gregory cursed, "For Christ's sake!"

 

Four hours later, the England delegation were stewing over their defeat at a Zürich restaurant. There was a glum atmosphere amongst the four key figures. Gregory was particularly downbeat, though he had calmed down somewhat since the vote.

 

"It's The Sun what lost it," Gregory sighed. "If they hadn't done that piece about the Spanish executive having the flu, we might've won."

 

Catterall scoffed, "Come off it! I'm sure the FIFA Council aren't that vindictive. If it had been the Times or the Telegraph, they might have been annoyed, but nobody takes The Sun seriously! Remember when they compared the Spanish Prime Minister to Manuel from 'Fawlty Towers'?"

 

"I get what you're saying, Mark, but this was supposed to be our time. Three countries have staged two World Cups apiece since we last hosted one - Mexico, Germany, and now Spain. It feels as if there's a FIFA vendetta against us."

 

"At least you're old enough to remember England staging a World Cup. I won't get a chance to see that until at least 2042 now, and I'll be 70 years old by then... if I'm still alive!"

 

Allin-Khan then intervened, stating, "No country has an automatic right to host a major sports event. We've been fortunate to have had many sporting competitions on our shores in the last decade. How about we just be good sports and admit that Spain's bid was the strongest one?"

 

Millstone was checking her phone when she put her head up to add, "Yeah, I was impressed by their bid as well. And the voting was very close."

 

"How close?" Catterall asked.

 

"Super close. It was always between Spain and England throughout. France were eliminated first, then Germany, then Portugal, and then it was a straight shoot-out between us two. We got 16 votes, they got 17, and two Council members abstained."

 

An alarmed Gregory asked, "Hold on... so ONE vote could have completely changed the outcome?"

 

"Potentially," Allin-Khan said. "If the votes were level, President Infantino would have had the casting vote... and I heard through the grapevine that he was leaning towards England."

 

Catterall asked Alli-Khan, "I presume that there were a few marginal voters on the Council. Did you do anything to try and steer them in your direction?"

 

"Yes, there were a couple of marginals from Africa. Connie, you did reach out to them, didn't you?"

 

"Of course," Millstone nodded as she spoke through a mouthful of Zürcher Geschnetzeltes - a veal dish that was very popular in Zürich. "There was this Mauritanian guy who was undecided. I had a word with him and promised him that England would play a match in Port Louis if he voted for us."

 

As Gregory angrily thrusted his hand against his forehead, Allin-Khan told Millstone, "Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius. You were speaking to the delegate from Mauritania!"

 

"Oh no! And now I remember... I promised the Mauritian delegate that the FA would fund a football project in West Africa! My God, how could I have got those two countries mixed up? But to be fair, does anyone know what the capital of Mauritania is?"

 

"Nouakchott," Catterall answered. "Jenny told me the other week. I didn't think I would ever need to know that."

 

Gregory seethed, "I know you can be a daft cow most of the time, Connie, but this is just taking the p***! You are the chief executive of England 2030! How the f*** could YOU confuse the Mauritian and Mauritanian delegates?"

 

"It was an honest mistake, Clark," Millstone exclaimed as she struggled to hold back tears. "It'll never happen again."

 

"Damn right it won't, Connie. Once we get back to London, I'm going to recommend to the Football Association board that you be removed as vice-chair with immediate effect. And when the Oxfordshire FA hear about this, you'll be very fortunate to walk into their boardroom again!"

 

Millstone sobbed, "How could you do this to me? I worked my arse off to try and get you the World Cup... and now you're firing me? Over this?"

 

"I'd like to say it was nice knowing you, Connie... but to tell you the truth, I received more valuable input on football administration from my grandson's pet rabbit. Mopsy also spoke a lot more sense."

[CFuller]

***

 

England's fate at the UEFA European Under-19s Championship came down to their final game in Group B. If they could defeat host nation Armenia in Gyumri, they would progress to the Semi Finals, no questions asked.

 

Were they to draw or even lose, though, the Young Lions would be at the mercy of Austria - the team they had beaten in the opening group match. If Austria's result against the table-topping Netherlands was better than England's was against Armenia, the Burschen would bump them out of the qualification places.

 

England manager Mark Catterall - now back home in Staffordshire after attending the FIFA Congress - was involved in a lengthy Skype discussion with head coach Ledley King over their starting line-up. They ultimately agreed to take a calculated gamble by benching several of their key players.

 

Among those relegated from the starting XI was Leeds United keeper Terry Cowling, whose place between the sticks went to Josh Vokes. The 17-year-old Tottenham Hotspur goalie was the second-youngest member of this squad, with only Arsenal left-back Ted Lapslie having been born after him.

 

It was two other London-based members of the England contingent who would help to get the team up and running after just six minutes. Arsenal left-winger Charles Ameobi ghosted past Armenia's bemused right-back Armen Hakobyan and then whipped in a cross from the byline. The recipient was Chelsea's Glenn Sheppard, who got between the home centre-back pairing of David Ghazaryan and Edgar Yeghiazaryan to prod it home.

 

England looked like following up that early goal with another in the seventh minute. Sheppard searched out the right-wing run of John Harrison, who advanced into the Armenia area and then cut the ball back to his Liverpool team-mate Lawrence Warner. However, the striker - who would join Swansea City on loan after the tournament - saw his shot charged down at the last moment by a determined Yeghiazaryan.

 

England's first cause for real concern came when captain Peter Turner was booked in the 17th minute for upending the hosts' frontman Albert Abrahamian. Five minutes later, Armen Hovhannisyan's close-range free-kick for the Havakakan was uncomfortably spilled by Vokes. Yeghiazaryan pounced on the loose ball and tried to drill it across to Abrahamian, but Young Lions centre-half Alistair Rattray hacked it away just in time.

 

Normal service resumed on 34 minutes, with Sheppard playing an excellent long ball up towards Harrison on the edge of Armenia's box. Harrison had never scored for England Under-19s, and a strong save from goalkeeper Aram Malkhasyan continued the Liverpudlian's barren run.

 

Though Jake Vokins' corner was easily dealt with, the Southampton left-back would cause Armenia greater problems just moments later. What had looked like a great interception from Hakobyan became less so when his attempted clearance struck Warner square in the face... and deflected past Malkhasyan and into the net! Warner's second 'goal' of the tournament - and England's second of the night - had been incredibly fortuitous!

 

They might have fallen 2-0 behind in bizarre circumstances, but that didn't stop Armenia from battling for what was likely to be a mere consolation goal. Abrahamian's 43rd-minute half-volley drew a second, more comfortable save out of Vokes.

 

England were 2-0 up at half-time, though they did have to make a substitution during the interval, with Harrison having sustained a dead leg just before the break. His replacement Paul Brown could've continued the scoring on 48 minutes, but he couldn't keep his shot down low after latching onto Hovhannisyan's interception from a Warner cross.

 

The Havakakan had their next scoring opportunity a minute later. Midfielders Artur Vardanyan and Mikhail Smirnov exchanged passes with one another before the latter unleashed a vicious effort that was superbly caught by Vokes. Disappointingly for the home fans in Gymuri, that would transpire to be Armenia's final shot on target.

 

From that point onwards, it was all too comfortable for England. Their only real cause for worry was in the 58th minute, when Brown appeared to strain his calf in the middle of a counter-attack. Though the Southampton right-back managed to play on for the final half-hour, this would be his final appearance in the tournament.

 

One interesting anecdote from England's appearance at the 2018 European Under-19s Championship in Finland was that they hadn't scored a single goal in the second half. The Young Lions' inability to find the net after an interval had reared its head again here, and a dreadful shot from Ameobi in the 67th minute kept that drought going.

 

England's last chance to add to their 2-0 lead came after 77 minutes. Rattray's long ball upfield found Sheppard, who ambitiously tried to beat Malkhasyan from 25 yards out. In truth, he wasn't even remotely close.

 

Nevertheless, the Young Lions had won without having to break much sweat. They had gone through to the Semi Finals, and they would do so as Group B winners. The Netherlands had surprisingly faltered against Austria, who beat them 2-0 to create a three-way tie in the group. The head-to-head records between the top three resulted in England being placed 1st and Austria 2nd, with the Netherlands eliminated in 3rd.

 

21 July 2019: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group B - at Gyumri Community Stadium, Gyumri

England U19s - 2 (Glenn Sheppard 6, Lawrence Warner 34)

Armenia U19s - 0

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Josh Vokes; Peter Turner (Tashan Oakley-Boothe), Joel Latibeaudiere, Alistair Rattray, Jake Vokins; Alfie Davidson (Stuart White), Aaron Morley; John Harrison (Paul Brown), Lawrence Warner, Charles Ameobi; Glenn Sheppard. BOOKED: Turner 17.

 

2019 UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group B (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     England U19s           3     2     0     1     6     3     3     6
2.    Q     Austria U19s           3     2     0     1     5     3     2     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Netherlands U19s       3     2     0     1     5     4     1     6
4.          Armenia U19s           3     0     0     3     1     7     -6    0

 

Despite winning Group B, England had arguably drawn the short straw when it came to determining their Semi Final opponents. Their last-four clash in Yerevan on 24 July would see them come up against Group A's runners-up - Portugal. Meanwhile, Group A winners France would take on Austria in the other Semi Final.

 

England would head into the knockout phase a man light, after Brown was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a calf strain. It was also touch-and-go as to whether Harrison - their other wounded Young Lion - would be fit to play in the Semi Final after sustaining a dead leg.

[CFuller]

***

 

18 days after England faced Portugal in the Final of the UEFA European Under-21s Championship, their rivalry was about to be renewed. This time, the Young Lions and the Esperanças would be battling for the right to contest the European Under-19s Championship Final.

 

The first Semi Final had already taken place in Yerevan's Hrazdan stadium. France had beaten Austria 2-1 after extra-time, with a 94th-minute goal from Southampton's Abdou Gado putting Les Bleus on the brink of a third European Under-19s title in the space of four years.

 

France's opponents would be decided across the city, at the Vazgen Sargsyan Hanrapetakan Stadium. Portugal were bidding to reach their first Final at this level since 2014, and England their first in exactly a decade. The Young Lions went into this Semi Final with Chelsea strikers Reece Nicholls and Glenn Sheppard leading their attack, and top scorer Lawrence Warner on the bench in case he was needed.

 

On Portugal's bench was someone who was very familiar to several England players. Manchester United's attacking midfielder Angel Gomes had played for the Young Lions in the qualification campaign for the 2018 European Under-19s Championship. However, after being overlooked for the tournament squad, the Mancunian had switched his allegiance to his parents' home nation and was now hoping to win the Euros with them.

 

Gomes' effective replacement in the England squad was another highly-rated United teenager in Stuart White. After five minutes, the playmaker moved the ball out right to Young Lions skipper Peter Turner. The Chelsea right-back's subsequent cross into the box was cleared by Portuguese defender Vítor Leitão before Sheppard half-volleyed the rebound off target.

 

Four minutes later, Portugal decided to stretch England's players out wide. Hull City midfielder Luís Rigor searched out the overlapping run of Porto left-back Jota, who swung it into the six-yard box. That was where Sumaila Moreira beat England's left-back Ted Lapslie to nod the ball into the net. The Real Sociedad right-winger had made it 1-0 to the Esperanças.

 

England launched their first attempt to equalise after 14 minutes. Turner played the ball inside to Tashan Oakley-Boothe, whose midfield partner Aaron Morley then scooped a first-time shot just over the Portuguese crossbar.

 

In the 19th minute, it very nearly went catastrophically wrong for England, and for their goalkeeper Terry Cowling. The Leeds United prospect misjudged the flight of a deep Rigor free-kick, leaving Leitão with a wide-open goal to head at when he connected with the delivery. The ball bounced well off target, much to the relief of the Yorkshireman, who redeemed himself two minutes later by making a more convincing fingertip save from Afonso Sousa's shot.

 

At the other end, Nicholls messed up a couple of scoring chances for the Young Lions before the half-hour. Indeed, England's only shot on target of the entire first half would not come until two minutes from time. Oakley-Boothe once again teed up Morley, whose 25-yard strike was palmed away from goal by Portugal keeper Pedro Melo.

 

Though he'd arguably been one of England's better players in the first half, Morley was an exhausted man afterwards. He was subbed off before the second half to be replaced with Liverpool right-winger John Harrison. Manager Mark Catterall also elected to bring on another Pool player in Warner, who took Sheppard's spot.

 

Before Warner could try to add to his two goals from earlier in the tournament, and potentially draw England level, the Young Lions had to defend against a 49th-minute free-kick from Rigor. West Bromwich Albion centre-half Adam Mingay's clumsy challenge on Sousa gave Rigor the opportunity to swing a 20-yard set-piece towards goal. Cowling caught it with ease.

 

Another Englishman committed a potentially costlier foul three minutes later. When Turner stuck a leg out to obstruct Moreira in the centre-circle in the 52nd minute, he was duly issued with a yellow card from the referee. As that was Turner's second booking of the tournament, he would be suspended from the Final were his team to complete the comeback and make it through.

 

That being said, any hopes of a comeback from England were soon looking very hopeful at best. Portugal's defenders had already twigged that shutting out Warner would be key to them preserving their lead, so they restricted the amount of space they would allow the Liverpool striker. That plan worked wonders, as Warner missed the target with each of his only two shots at goal - in the 65th and 69th minutes.

 

With their key man stifled, England needed an alternative plan, but they could not come up with one. The Esperanças were very disciplined at the back and would not be pulled out of position. The Young Lions were limited to long-range shots, such as one in the 78th minute from Nicholls. To be fair, Nicholls didn't exactly clear the crossbar by miles, but that would actually prove to be one of their better chances in a disappointing performance.

 

Portugal went for the kill a minute later, with Sousa's long-range potential having the potential to put the game to bed. The Porto midfielder found the head of Everton centre-half Antonio Guimaraes, whose header from the edge of the area flew just past Cowling's left-hand post.

 

Portugal's head coach Emílio Peixe had already made all three of his substitutions by then, but Gomes was still on the bench. It perhaps would have been too awkward had Gomes been brought on to play against his homeland, and against many of his former international colleagues. Regardless, his change of nationality was certainly looking like a wise decision when the final whistle blew.

 

Moreira's 9th-minute goal had proved to be the only one of the game. Having narrowly missed out on continental glory at Under-21s level, Portugal now found themselves 90 minutes from redemption at the lower age group.

 

England had again faltered at the Semi Final stage of the European Under-19s Championship. In all fairness, they hadn't even got close to reaching the Final and had rarely looked capable of doing so. This tournament was the one low-water mark in what had otherwise been a very successful couple of months for the England youth teams.

 

24 July 2019: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Semi Final - at Vazgen Sargsyan Hanrapetakan Stadium, Yerevan

Portugal U19s - 1 (Sumaila Moreira 9)

England U19s - 0

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Terry Cowling; Peter Turner, Adam Mingay, Alistair Rattray, Ted Lapslie; Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Alfie Davidson, Aaron Morley (John Harrison); Stuart White (Charles Ameobi); Glenn Sheppard (Lawrence Warner), Reece Nicholls. BOOKED: Turner 52.

 

England's disappointment at missing out on becoming European Under-19s champion would be tempered somewhat when the Final was played out three days later. A tense decider between France and Portugal ended with the latter narrowly winning on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate. For the second year in a row, the Young Lions had been knocked out by the team who went on to win the trophy.

 

A couple of England players etched their names into the competition's Best XI. Goalkeeper Cowling had excelled in the absence of the rested Steve Hilton, whose Liverpool team-mate Warner had shone up front. Warner would now head home to begin a season-long loan stint at Swansea City in the Championship and - he hoped - make a push for promotion to the Under-21s national team.

[CFuller]

2018/2019 Season Summary

 

Premier League

Final Table

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Man Utd                38    28    7     3     78    17    61    91
2.    CL    Man City               38    24    10    4     63    23    40    82
3.    CL    Arsenal                38    23    8     7     86    37    49    77
4.    CL    Chelsea                38    20    8     10    56    43    13    68
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Liverpool              38    20    6     12    62    49    13    66
6.    EL    Everton                38    15    13    10    49    42    7     58
7.    CL    Tottenham              38    15    11    12    52    41    11    56
8.          Norwich                38    15    10    13    43    44    -1    55
9.    EL    Stoke                  38    14    12    12    48    45    3     54
10.         Leicester              38    12    13    13    58    62    -4    49
11.         Southampton            38    14    6     18    44    52    -8    48
12.         Newcastle              38    13    8     17    43    58    -15   47
13.         Sunderland             38    10    12    16    40    56    -16   42
14.         Crystal Palace         38    11    9     18    40    57    -17   42
15.         Watford                38    11    7     20    45    63    -18   40
16.         Brighton               38    11    7     20    28    49    -21   40
17.         QPR                    38    8     10    20    33    63    -30   34
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Huddersfield           38    6     15    17    21    40    -19   33
19.   R     Bournemouth            38    8     9     21    43    63    -20   33
20.   R     Reading                38    6     11    21    30    58    -28   29

 

Awards

PFA Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Man Utd)

FWA Footballer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Man Utd)

PFA Young Player of the Year: Héctor Bellerin (Arsenal)

Golden Boot: Robert Lewandowski (Man Utd, 23 goals)

Manager of the Year: José Mourinho (Man Utd)

PFA Team of the Year: David De Gea (Man Utd); Héctor Bellerín (Arsenal), Michael Keane (Man City), John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd); Felipe Anderson (Arsenal), Juan Mata (Man Utd), Paul Pogba (Man Utd), Antoine Griezmann (Man City); Robert Lewandowski (Man Utd), Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal)

 

Managerial Movements

Tottenham - Mauricio Pochettino sacked on 24 November; Jaap Stam appointed on 8 December

Reading - Jaap Stam moved to Tottenham on 8 December; Gary Rowett appointed on 26 December

Watford - Walter Mazzarri sacked on 18 December; Carlo Cudicini appointed on 4 January

Brighton - Walter Zenga sacked on 26 December; Alex Neil appointed on 11 January

Bournemouth - Eddie Howe sacked on 6 January; Walter Mazzarri appointed on 26 January

Southampton - Claude Puel sacked on 22 March; Manuel Pellegrini appointed on 17 April

Reading - Gary Rowett sacked on 26 May; Tony Loughlan appointed on 12 June

 

Leading Transfers

DATE        NAME                      POSITIONS           FROM            TO              FEE (POTENTIAL)
01/07/2018  Saúl                      M (C)               Atlético        Man City        £69M
21/08/2018  Robert Lewandowski        ST (C)              Bayern          Man Utd         £56M (£87M)
15/07/2018  Federico Chiesa           AM (RL)             Fiorentina      Liverpool       £47M (£61M)
09/01/2019  Paulo Dybala              ST (C)              Juventus        Arsenal         £47M (£59M)
04/07/2018  Casemiro                  DM, M (C)           Real Madrid     Man City        £42M (£54M)
23/07/2018  Kostas Manolas            D (C)               Roma            Chelsea         £33.5M (£46M)
01/07/2018  Franco Vázquez            AM (C), ST (C)      Sevilla         Chelsea         £25M (£43.5M)
01/07/2018  Francisco Geraldes        M/AM (C)            Sporting        Chelsea         £25M (£32.5M)
18/06/2018  Pierre-Emile Højbjerg     M (C)               Southampton     Chelsea         £22M (£32M)
04/01/2019  Andrei Ivan               AM (RL), ST (C)     Southampton     Everton         £20.5M (£25.5M)

 

Also in England

Championship

Promoted: West Ham (1st), Sheff Wed (2nd), Fulham (3rd)

Also in Play-Offs: Derby (4th), Blackburn (5th), Hull (6th)

Relegated: Walsall (22nd), MK Dons (23rd), Wigan (24th)

 

League One

Promoted: Millwall (1st), Peterborough (2nd), Sheff Utd (3rd)

Also in Play-Offs: Gillingham (4th), Cambridge (5th), Bolton (6th)

Relegated: Port Vale (21st), Leyton Orient (22nd), Wycombe (23rd), Oldham (24th)

 

League Two

Promoted: Blackpool (1st), AFC Wimbledon (2nd), Northampton (3rd), Luton (4th)

Also in Play-Offs: Rochdale (5th), Bristol Rovers (6th), Crewe (7th)

Relegated: Newport (23rd), Barrow (24th)

 

National League

Promoted: Tranmere (1st), Cheltenham (2nd)

Also in Play-Offs: York (3rd), Grimsby (4th), Lincoln (5th)

Relegated: Maidstone (21st), Chorley (22nd), Boreham Wood (23rd), Woking (24th)

 

National League North

Promoted: AFC Fylde (1st), Stockport (3rd)

Also in Play-Offs: Southport (2nd), Kidderminster (4th), Nuneaton (5th)

Relegated: Curzon Ashton (20th), King's Lynn (21st), Workington (22nd)

 

National League South

Promoted: Hampton & Richmond (1st), Chelmsford (2nd)

Also in Play-Offs: Sutton Utd (3rd), Braintree (4th), Bishop's Stortford (5th)

Relegated: Hungerford (20th), Basingstoke (21st), East Thurrock (22nd)

 

Promoted from Regional Leagues

Billericay, Buxton, Hendon, Salisbury, Slough, Stalybridge

 

Domestic Cups

FA Cup: Stoke 2-1 Man Utd

EFL Cup: Man City 1-0 Man Utd

Community Shield: Man Utd 1-0 Man City

EFL Trophy: Sheff Utd 0-0 Millwall (4-2 penalties)

FA Trophy: Ebbsfleet 3-1 Grimsby

 

Europe

UEFA Champions League: Barcelona 4-2 Leverkusen - at Allianz Arena, Munich

UEFA Europa League: Tottenham 1-0 Liverpool - at Villa Park, Birmingham

UEFA Super Cup: Inter Milan 2-0 Real Madrid - at Philip II Arena, Skopje

 

Awards

Best Player in Europe: Luis Suárez (Barcelona)

Golden Shoe: Robert Lewandowski (Man Utd)

Golden Boy: Alexander Isak (RB Leipzig)

 

Dutch Eredivisie

Top Three: Ajax (1st), Vitesse (2nd), Heerenveen (3rd)

Relegated: VVV (17th), Emmen (18th)

Promoted from Eerste Divisie: ADO Den Haag, Go Ahead

 

French Ligue 1

Top Three: PSG (1st), Monaco (2nd), Lyon (3rd)

Relegated: Lens (18th), Sochaux (19th), Metz (20th)

Promoted from Ligue 2: Ajaccio, Troyes, Le Havre

 

German Bundesliga

Top Three: Leverkusen (1st), Bayern (2nd), RB Leipzig (3rd)

Relegated: Freiburg (16th), Darmstadt (17th), Düsseldorf (18th)

Promoted from 2. Bundesliga: Werder Bremen, Hamburg, 1860 München

 

Italian Serie A

Top Three: Roma (1st), Inter (2nd), Napoli (3rd)

Relegated: Frosinone (18th), Pescara (19th), Ternana (20th)

Promoted from Serie B: Spal, Verona, Pisa

 

Portuguese Primeira Liga

Top Three: Porto (1st), Sporting (2nd), Benfica (3rd)

Relegated: Santa Clara (17th), Chaves (18th)

Promoted from LigaPro: Estoril, Gil Vicente

 

Russian Premier League

Top Three: Spartak Moscow (1st), Krasnodar (2nd), Zenit (3rd)

Relegated: Fakel (15th), Mordovia (16th)

Promoted from FNL: Orenburg, Dinamo Moscow

 

Scottish Premiership

Top Three: Celtic (1st), Rangers (2nd), Hearts (3rd)

Relegated: Dundee Utd (11th), Inverness CT (12th)

Promoted from Championship: Falkirk, Partick Thistle

 

Spanish La Liga

Top Three: Barcelona (1st), Real Madrid (2nd), Atlético (3rd)

Relegated: Tenerife (18th), Málaga (19th), Almería (20th)

Promoted from La Liga 2: Sporting Gijón, Levante, Osasuna

 

Global

FIFA Club World Cup: Real Madrid 2-0 São Paulo - at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

 

Awards

Ballon d'Or: 1st - Paulo Dybala (Juventus), 2nd - Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 3rd - Luis Suárez (Barcelona)

FIFA World Player of the Year: 1st - Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 2nd - Paulo Dybala (Juventus), 3rd - Neymar (Barcelona)

World Soccer World Player of the Year: 1st - Paulo Dybala (Juventus), 2nd - Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 3rd - Luis Suárez (Barcelona)

FIFA/FIFPro World XI: Manuel Neuer (Bayern); Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Marcelo (Real Madrid); Thiago (Bayern), Eden Hazard (PSG); Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Neymar (Barcelona); Luis Suárez (Barcelona)

 

Leading Transfers (not including Premier League)

DATE        NAME                      POSITIONS           FROM            TO              FEE (POTENTIAL)
13/06/2018  Koke                      M (LC)              Atlético        PSG             £86M
06/07/2018  Philippe Coutinho         AM (LC)             Liverpool       Real Madrid     £47M
30/07/2018  Kevin Volland             M/AM (R), ST (C)    Leverkusen      Bayern          £46.5M (£63M)
31/08/2018  Iñaki Williams            AM (RLC), ST (C)    Athletic Bilbao Bayern          £43M
06/07/2018  Alessandro Florenzi       D/WB/M/AM (R)       Roma            Barcelona       £40M
04/07/2018  Romelu Lukaku             ST (C)              Everton         Atlético        £38M (£50M)
09/08/2018  Rafinha                   M (C), AM (RC)      Barcelona       PSG             £33.5M (£44M)
19/07/2018  Vitolo                    M (L), AM (RL)      Sevilla         Juventus        £30M
28/06/2018  Sime Vrsaljko             D/WB/M (R)          Atlético        Guangzhou       £28.5M
19/08/2018  Leon Goretzka             M/AM (C)            Schalke         Leverkusen      £28M (£49.5M)

 

[CFuller]

Chapter 31 - Calm Before The Storm

 

June and July 2019 had been two memorable months for English football. The Under-20s had won the FIFA U20 World Cup for the first time in their history after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, the Under-21s had conquered Europe, exacting sweet revenge on Portugal following their harrowing loss in the Final two years previous.

 

Now, though, England's 'summer of success' was over. The euphoria amongst the country's football fans had died down, while their newest heroes had gone back to the day job, kicking off a new season of league football.

 

This transfer window would see a flurry of activity surrounding England's best young players, though the established senior players would largely stay put.

 

One of the few members of Mark Catterall's main squad to seek pastures new in the summer was the enigmatic inside-forward Rolando Aarons. The previous two seasons had seen Aarons establish himself as a key player for mid-table Newcastle United, but London's bright lights would soon beckon for the Jamaican-born 23-year-old.

 

West Ham United were back in the Premier League, having lifted the Championship title under new manager Eddie Howe. Now the East End club were looking to establish themselves in the top half of the top flight once again, and they weren't afraid to splash the cash in order to do so.

 

Aarons was Howe's first big summer acquisition, signing a £58,000-per-week three-year contract after West Ham agreed a £12million fee with Newcastle. He would later be joined at the London Stadium by a couple of midfielders. Highly-rated 24-year-old George Evans arrived from Reading on a permanent deal, while Manchester City's more experienced aggressor Fabian Delph accepted a second loan move to the Hammers in three seasons.

 

West Ham already had an array of England prospects in their ranks, particularly in defence, where they had Josh Tymon at left-back as well as Joe Gomez and Reece Oxford at centre-half. However, they would lose another exciting young centre-back after Reece Burke - once tipped to succeed Mark Noble as Irons captain - completed a £10.75million transfer to Leicester City.

 

Burke was one of several new English faces at Leicester this summer. Another was 21-year-old Tom Davies, who would look to establish himself as a regular PL midfielder following his £11million move from Everton. Under-21s internationals Jay Dasilva and Reiss Nelson were loaned in from Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, with Nelson expected to provide the likes of Demarai Gray and Patrick Roberts with plenty of competition on the flanks.

 

Leicester's summer spending had largely been financed by the £21million sale of left-back Ben Chilwell to Liverpool. Chilwell slotted in as a direct replacement for Kieran Tierney at Anfield after the Scotland international joined Arsenal.

 

Shortly before his 20th birthday, Arsenal's roaming playmaker Joe Rankin-Costello went on a season-long loan to Norwich City - last season's surprise packages in the PL. Another youngster who could expect regular top-flight football off the back of winning the U20 World Cup was Ryan Sessegnon. Manchester City allowed the 19-year-old wing-back to rejoin Sheffield Wednesday for another season following their promotion from the Championship.

 

Jordan Williams was another member of that successful Under-20s team who moved on, leaving hometown club Huddersfield Town to join Chelsea for a ludicrously low fee of £82,000. The right-back was then sent out on a season-long loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship.

 

Chelsea also announced the curious signing of midfielder Will Hughes on loan from Manchester City. The blond bombshell had made just one cup appearance for City following his £8.75million move from West Ham in January.

 

Fresh from his penalty-saving heroics with the Under-21s in Italy, Freddie Woodman moved from Newcastle to Everton. Though he only cost £625,000, the 22-year-old would immediately challenge Wayne Hennessey for the right to be André Villas-Boas' first-choice goalkeeper at Goodison Park.

 

Three prominent PL players moved abroad on loan to try and get themselves back in Catterall's England plans. Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge had not played for the Three Lions since the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but a recall looked more likely after he joined Valencia for the upcoming La Liga season. 'Los Che' were now coached by Mauricio Pochettino, who'd famously led Tottenham to Premier League glory in 2016/2017.

 

Sturridge's old Reds colleague Raheem Sterling was also preparing to experience life in another country. Sterling had featured only twice for England in the last three years, which had seen him become a more familiar face on the front pages of national newspapers than on the back. Having been virtually neglected by Manchester City and Pep Guardiola for such a long time, the 24-year-old winger was now out of patience.

 

A couple of Serie A clubs enquired about Sterling's services, and it was Sampdoria who got their man, luring him to the Luigi Ferraris on a season-long loan. His agent Aidy Ward was quoted as saying, "Raheem has always dreamed of coming here, and playing with such footballing legends as Emiliano Viviano and Franco di Santo. Yeah, and Genoa has some of the fittest birds going."

 

Then there was Marcus Rashford, who finally plucked up the courage to seek a loan transfer away from Manchester United. Even after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's retirement, Rashford had found his chances of leading United's frontline stifled by the arrival of a new Swedish superstar in Borussia Dortmund's Alexander Isak, as well as the continued presence of a certain Robert Lewandowski. At 21 years old, he could ill afford to warm the bench for much longer.

 

In the end, Rashford decided to go in the opposite direction of Isak and Lewandowski - and move from Old Trafford to Germany. He was picked up for the season by ambitious Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, whose one-time manager Steve McClaren was playing in midfield for Derby County when incumbent coach Julian Nagelsmann was born in 1987. (Incidentally, McClaren could now be seen managing Milton Keynes Dons in League One.)

 

Back at United, Luke Shaw remained a guaranteed starter at left-back, but it was anybody's guess as to who José Mourinho would favour in the centre. Brendan Galloway, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and the fast-improving Axel Tuanzebe would have to battle it out amongst themselves as well as Ivorian ace Eric Bailly and German powerhouse Antonio Rüdiger for the manager's attention. That was quite some depth the Red Devils possessed.

 

Attention now turned towards the latest batch of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, with which came fresh speculation as to who would be in Catterall's squad. England would host Wales at Wembley on 5 September before travelling to Gibraltar three days later.

 

Meanwhile, the Under-21s would kick off their defence of the European Championship title by entering the qualifiers for the 2021 tournament. An early rematch with Portugal in Newcastle on 4 September would be followed five days by a trip to Greece.

 

The Under-19s' qualification campaign for the 2020 Euros in Northern Ireland would not begin until October. In the meantime, the Young Lions would face Wales at home and the Netherlands away in warm-up matches.

 

ENGLAND squad - for matches vs Wales (H) and Gibraltar (H)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Jack Butland              GK                  10/03/1993 (26)  Stoke           9     0     6'5"   14st 13lbs £21M    
Joe Hart                  GK                  19/04/1987 (32)  Man City        92    0     6'5"   12st 10lbs £8.5M   
Jordan Pickford           GK                  07/03/1994 (25)  Sunderland      0     0     6'2"   12st 1lb   £3.6M   
Calum Chambers            D (RC)              20/01/1995 (24)  Everton         7     0     6'0"   11st 6lbs  £13.5M  
Phil Jones                D (RC)              21/02/1992 (27)  Man Utd         28    0     6'1"   11st 4lbs  £28.5M  
Michael Keane             D (RC)              11/01/1993 (26)  Man City        22    0     6'1"   13st 3lbs  £32M    
John Stones               D (RC)              28/05/1994 (25)  Man City        34    1     6'2"   12st 3lbs  £41M    
Eric Dier                 D (RC), DM, M (C)   15/01/1994 (25)  Tottenham       41    6     6'2"   13st 7lbs  £36M    
Gary Cahill               D (C)               19/12/1985 (33)  CSKA Moscow     65    3     6'4"   13st 7lbs  £1.4M   
Kyle Walker               D/WB (R)            28/05/1990 (29)  Tottenham       36    0     6'0"   11st 6lbs  £15.25M 
Luke Shaw                 D/WB (L)            12/07/1995 (24)  Man Utd         31    1     6'1"   11st 11lbs £26M    
Danny Rose                D/WB/M (L)          02/07/1990 (29)  Tottenham       26    2     5'8"   11st 6lbs  £20M    
Jordan Henderson          DM, M (C)           17/06/1990 (29)  Liverpool       59    1     6'0"   10st 7lbs  £20.5M  
Danny Drinkwater          M (C)               05/03/1990 (29)  Leicester       24    0     5'10"  11st 0lbs  £11.25M 
Rolando Aarons            M/AM (RL)           16/11/1995 (23)  West Ham        12    5     5'9"   10st 5lbs  £12.75M 
Michail Antonio           M/AM (RL)           28/03/1990 (29)  Norwich         2     0     5'11"  12st 12lbs £8.75M  
Demarai Gray              M/AM (RL)           28/06/1996 (23)  Leicester       20    3     5'10"  11st 13lbs £16M    
Dele Alli                 M/AM (C)            11/04/1996 (23)  Tottenham       45    5     6'1"   12st 1lb   £36M    
Ross Barkley              M/AM (C)            05/12/1993 (25)  Everton         29    3     6'2"   11st 13lbs £20M    
Jack Wilshere             M/AM (C)            01/01/1992 (27)  Arsenal         60    9     5'9"   10st 3lbs  £16M    
Daniel Sturridge          AM (C), ST (C)      01/09/1989 (29)  Valencia        37    20    6'0"   12st 6lbs  £14.75M 
Harry Kane                ST (C)              28/07/1993 (26)  Tottenham       44    22    6'3"   13st 0lbs  £40M    
Callum Wilson             ST (C)              27/02/1992 (27)  Chelsea         28    11    5'11"  10st 7lbs  £34M    

 

Two sides who had endured dreadful starts to the new Premier League season were Liverpool and Southampton, who both found themselves in the relegation zone after losing their opening three games. Their English players would suffer the consequences when Catterall named a much-changed squad.

 

Although captain Jordan Henderson retained his place in the England squad, his Liverpool team-mate Nathaniel Clyne was not so lucky, and there was no indication of a recall for either Adam Lallana or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Meanwhile, Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster and winger Nathan Redmond lost their Three Lions spots after their error-strewn starts to the campaign.

 

Fabian Delph's England renaissance was a brief one, as the midfielder lost his place after being sent off in West Ham United's opening-day defeat at Norwich City. There was also disappointment for Jamie Vardy, who had effectively lost his place as Leicester City's main centre-forward to on-loan Inter Milan younger Andrea Pinamonti.

 

Five players were recalled by Catterall, including uncapped goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who'd kept three clean sheets in four games for Sunderland thus far. Tottenham Hotspur right-back Kyle Walker was back in contention as Clyne's replacement, while Leicester's Danny Drinkwater was ready to re-establish himself in the Three Lions' midfield.

 

Norwich right-winger Michail Antonio finally returned to the England team, three years after he'd won his only two previous caps whilst at West Ham. Antonio had impressed Catterall in the latter part of the last PL season, and he'd continued where he left off, notching up a couple of assists against the Hammers and Manchester City.

 

Then there was the return of Daniel Sturridge. Having fallen out of favour at Liverpool, and with his 30th birthday looming large, it seemed that the striker would not get the opportunity to add to his tally of 20 England goals. However, after grabbing a goal and an assist on his La Liga debut for Valencia against local rivals Levante, Sturridge was all set for a sensational international comeback.

 

Manchester United starlet Marcus Rashford's return to the England senior team would have to wait. The on-loan striker had not found the net in either of Wolfsburg's first two Bundesliga matches, and he would need to up his game to complete his graduation from the Under-21s. As for Raheem Sterling, the mercurial Manchester City winger was once again left out while he adjusted to life at his new loan club Sampdoria.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-21s squad - for matches vs Portugal (H) and Greece (A)

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            CAPS  GOALS HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Terry Cowling             GK                  28/03/2001 (18)  Leeds           0     0     6'1"   12st 8lbs  £200K   
Steve Hilton              GK                  26/07/2001 (18)  Liverpool       0     0     6'1"   11st 11lbs £130K   
Will Mannion              GK                  05/05/1998 (21)  Huddersfield    0     0     6'2"   13st 3lbs  £8.25M  
Alistair Rattray          SW, D (C)           17/02/2000 (19)  Bristol City    0     0     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £1.4M   
Jordan Williams           D (RLC)             22/10/1999 (19)  Wolves          0     0     6'1"   12st 12lbs £2.3M   
Trevoh Chalobah           D (RLC), WB (L)     05/07/1999 (20)  Reading         0     0     6'4"   12st 6lbs  £700K   
Joe Rankin-Costello       D (RC), M/AM (RLC)  26/07/1999 (20)  Norwich         5     0     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £8M     
Jack Vann                 D (C)               23/04/1998 (21)  Leeds           0     0     6'2"   13st 7lbs  £500K   
Reece Oxford              D (C), DM           16/12/1998 (20)  West Ham        7     0     6'3"   11st 9lbs  £7.75M  
Trent Alexander-Arnold    D/WB (R), DM        07/10/1998 (20)  Birmingham      13    0     5'6"   9st 10lbs  £2.9M   
Josh Tymon                D/M (L)             22/05/1999 (20)  West Ham        5     0     5'9"   11st 2lbs  £9.5M   
Ryan Sessegnon            D/M/AM (L)          18/05/2000 (19)  Sheff Wed       0     0     5'11"  12st 3lbs  £2.8M   
Tom Davies                DM, M (C)           30/06/1998 (21)  Leicester       19    3     5'10"  11st 0lbs  £10.25M 
Sam Field                 DM, M/AM (C)        08/05/1998 (21)  QPR             9     1     5'10"  11st 13lbs £8.5M   
Jonathan Leko             M (R), AM (RL)      24/04/1999 (20)  Brighton        0     0     6'2"   11st 2lbs  £9M     
Reiss Nelson              M (L), AM (RL)      10/12/1999 (19)  Leicester       6     1     5'10"  11st 9lbs  £7.5M   
Neil Campbell             M (C), AM (RC)      23/05/2001 (18)  Wolves          0     0     5'10"  11st 0lbs  £675K   
Callum Gribbin            M (C), AM (RC)      18/12/1998 (20)  Norwich         0     0     5'11"  11st 11lbs £9.5M   
Chris Willock             M/AM (LC)           31/01/1998 (21)  Aston Villa     1     1     5'9"   10st 12lbs £5.5M   
Stuart White              M/AM (C)            12/10/2000 (18)  Hull            0     0     5'10"  10st 12lbs £3.2M   
Lawrence Warner           AM (RC), ST (C)     28/12/2000 (18)  Swansea         0     0     6'0"   12st 3lbs  £7.75M  
Ben Brereton              ST (C)              18/04/1999 (20)  Nottm Forest    0     0     6'1"   13st 0lbs  £9.5M   
Eddie Nketiah             ST (C)              30/05/1999 (20)  Hearts          5     3     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £8.25M  

 

There were mass changes to the Under-21s squad at the start of a new European Championship cycle. Only four players from the side that won the European title in Italy earlier this year - Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tom Davies, Sam Field and Reece Oxford - retained their places. Indeed, only nine players in this new-look team had previously played for the Under-21s.

 

Most of the 14 rookies came directly from the victorious FIFA U20 World Cup side. Amongst them was Ben Brereton, who'd been in sensational scoring form for Nottingham Forest since his return from France. Others included former West Bromwich Albion winger Jonathan Leko, who'd joined Brighton & Hove Albion for £8.25million in the summer, and Reading's on-loan Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah - the man who lifted the World Cup as captain.

 

Three other members of that squad - midfielder Neil Campbell, and goalkeepers Terry Cowling and Steve Hilton - remained young enough to represent the Under-19s but were still promoted nonetheless. Cowling and Hilton's main rival for the number 1 jersey would be Huddersfield Town's new £10.5million gloveman Will Mannion. Liverpool's Lawrence Warner and Manchester United's Stuart White also earned promotions after their brave performances at the European Under-21s Championship in Armenia.

 

Only one of the 23 players in this squad had yet to represent England at any level under Catterall. That person was Manchester United midfielder Callum Gribbin. Having spent the previous season at Championship side Hull City, the creative Salfordian was now about to embark on his first Premier League campaign on loan with Norwich.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-19s squad - for matches vs Wales (H) and Netherlands (A)

GOALKEEPERS: Brian Farrell (Exeter), Jackson Stevens (Chelsea), Josh Vokes (Tottenham)

DEFENDERS: James Errington (MK Dons), Andrew Gray (Brighton), Will Hamon (Reading), Ted Lapslie (Derby), Daniel Marshall (Stoke), Stephen Nugent (Derby), Peter Turner (Chelsea), Nick Ward (Arsenal)

MIDFIELDERS: Charles Ameobi (Arsenal), Alfie Davidson (Leicester), John Harrison (Liverpool), Ben Logan (Watford), Jeff Mellor (West Ham), Ross Moan (Man Utd), Thomas Stacey (Newcastle), Calum Wilson (Ipswich)

FORWARDS: Willie Field (Liverpool), Mark Leonard (Birmingham), Reece Nicholls (Ipswich), Glenn Sheppard (Reading)

 

Eight players remained from the previous England Under-19s squad for the European Championship. They included Chelsea trio Reece Nicholls, Glenn Sheppard and Peter Turner - all of whom had since been loaned out to clubs in the Championship.

 

Those three were joined by a couple of Stamford Bridge team-mates in goalkeepers Brian Farrell and Jackson Stevens. Stevens was actually born in New Zealand, but his English parents returned to the United Kingdom when he was six years old.

 

Also amongst the newcomers were a triad of exciting talents from Manchester United - centre-half Stephen Nugent, right-winger Ross Moan, and forward Mark Leonard. Another player to look out for was 17-year-old Liverpool striker Willie Field, who'd been tipped to emulate Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen by becoming a homegrown hero at Anfield.

[CFuller]

Quote

EDITOR'S NOTE: These next couple of posts will highlight one of the peculiar differences between FM and real-life. While England squads are stacked with black and ethnic-minority players in real-life, there is a surprising dearth of promising English BAME newgens in this FM save. Of course, that is purely coincidental, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Certain historical details with regards to politics have been changed for narrative purposes and do not necessarily reflect my own political beliefs.

***

 

On the morning after announcing his latest England squads, Mark Catterall arrived at his office at St George's Park. His personal assistant greeted him there, and told him, "You've got a one-on-one with Russell Whiteman at 12:30pm."

 

"Russell Whiteman?"

 

"He's from The Sun."

 

Catterall exclaimed, "Yeah, I know who Russell Whiteman is... but you should at least give me some notice when it comes to these things, Rachel!"

 

"My apologies, Mr Catterall, but it was Ava who arranged the interview."

 

Catterall sighed, "Sorry, Rachel," before phoning the FA's Director of Communications.

 

"Hello, Mark," Ava Leggett answered.

 

"Ava, what the f*** is going on? Did you schedule an interview with Russell Whiteman behind my back?"

 

"Oh, Mark, I'm so sorry it's at real short notice," Leggett apologised. "It's just that Whiteman phoned me last night, demanding to speak to you ASAP."

 

"What about?"

 

"Something to do with the Under-19s, apparently. He seemed pretty insistent."

 

Catterall let out another sigh, and reluctantly agreed, "Alright, I'll do the interview."

 

"Yeah, but you should know by now that Whiteman will try any trick in the book to get his story, so be on your guard. Don't give him anything that could cause a scandal."

 

"Got it. But the next time someone asks for an urgent interview, Ava, you let me know straight away!"

 

"Of course. Sorry."

 

A few hours later, Catterall was on the phone to his wife Jenny in his office when he heard a knock at the door. His PA called out, "Mr Catterall, it's Russell Whiteman - from The Sun!"

 

"I'll call you back, Jenny," Mark said down the phone. "Kelvin MacKenzie's crony needs me for some reason."

 

"Sorry?"

 

"I'm being interviewed by The Sun."

 

"Okay, I won't hold you up much longer, then," Jenny replied. "Speak to you later. Love you."

 

"Love you too," Mark said before hanging up. He then called Whiteman in, and the pair shook hands before sitting back down.

 

Before the interview began, though, Catterall flicked through his phone, seemingly looking for an app. Whiteman noticed this and asked, "Am I disturbing you, Mark?"

 

Catterall hesitated before gently placing his phone into a drawer and replying, "I'm... I'm just flicking through some texts my daughter sent me. Ashley Minton. She plays for Liverpool Ladies, and England Under-19s."

 

"I can't say I know who she is."

 

"I guess your lot probably know her better as Ashley, 18, from Merseyside," Catterall wittily remarked as he fumbled his phone into a drawer.

 

Whiteman laughed, "I'm not even going to justify that with an answer. Anyway, I'm here to ask you about the Under-19s squad. Doesn't it look a bit... erm, white to you?"

 

"I'm sorry. Can you run that by me again?"

 

"Only two players in the Under-19s are black - Charles Ameobi and Andrew Gray. The rest of them are white."

 

"And Jackson Stevens is the only lad in the squad who talks like Richie McCaw. Since when has a player's skin colour been f***ing relevant?"

 

"Since England's football teams stopped representing the country as a whole. Just look at your squads for the last two European Under-19s Championships. There were eight black or mixed-raced players in 2018, there were four this summer... and now there's just two."

 

Catterall fumed, "Are you accusing me of racism, Whiteman? That's a bit rich coming from an English Defence League apologist like you!"

 

"What I'm saying is that the England youth teams have been very multi-cultural for about 10-15 years. Then you come along, and all of a sudden, the black kids all disappear and we seem to go back in time to the 1970s! That sounds a bit fishy, don't you think?"

 

Catterall's voice grew louder as he defended himself, "I can tell you for one thing that it's not racism! It's not my fault if most of the best teenage footballers in this country happen to be white! Also, a lot of them are privately-educated middle-class boys. I don't like the situation, but it is how it is.

 

"If you wanna blame anybody for the lack of black players, you should blame those f***ing Tories. They basically priced all them working-class inner-city kids out of organised football when they were in government! They've made it like bloody rugby union and field hockey! When was the last time you saw a working-class, ethnic-minority person play for the England hockey team?"

 

"I can't remember," Whiteman shrugged. "Then again, us SunSport writers haven't paid much attention to hockey since Sam Quek retired."

 

Catterall growled, "Surprise, surprise. There are many things I consider when picking my squads, and skin colour is NOT one of them. I do not pick certain players simply because they are white, or because they're black, or Asian, or... whatever!

 

"If you are good enough to play for England... then alright, you're in. If you aren't, you probably won't be in. Simple as that."

 

Whiteman then asked another question, "How can I believe what you've just said when most of your coaching staff are Mancunians, like yourself?"

 

Catterall groaned, and then answered, "Again, it's not about where you come from; it's about whether you're the right man for the job. Glenn Hoddle's from London, but that doesn't mean I don't trust him as much as Michael Burke or David Platt or Warren Joyce."

 

"You didn't mention Tim Flowers."

 

Catterall grew even more exasperated. "Who cares about Tim bleedin' Flowers or where he comes from? And who cares about your ridiculous claim that I ignore certain people because of their ethnicity? I DON'T CARE!

 

"I'm not the guy working for a newspaper who criticises Raheem Sterling for the heinous crime of daring to buy his mum a nice new house! I'm not the guy working for a newspaper whose front pages scream, 'KICK THE POLES OUT!' 'KICK OUT THE ASIANS!' 'GO BACK TO YOUR HOME COUNTRY!' 'BREXIT MEANS F***ING BREXIT!'

 

"Your people - your lot - actually want me to be a racist, so that you can sell more papers and keep pushing your own hypocritical far-right agenda! You're like f***ing Fox News across the pond!"

 

Whiteman got up from his seat and exclaimed, "I've heard enough of this! I thought you were just a northern snowflake, but now it turns out you're actually a clinically-insane gammon! I think I've got my story now, thank you very much!"

 

"Yes, Whiteman, you've got your story. BREAKING NEWS: ENGLAND MANAGER PICKS SQUAD ON MERIT!"

 

Whiteman shook his head in dismay and headed for the door, but not before Catterall interrupted him, "Stop right there! You do know that my daughter is a quarter-Jamaican, don't you?"

 

"So?" Whiteman shrugged as he opened the door and left the room.

[CFuller]

***

 

Monday morning, 2 September 2019. It was time for England's players to return to international duty and prepare for their next batch of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.

 

As always, Mark Catterall was at the St George's Park training ground by 8:30pm - half an hour before his players were due to start work. Upon his arrival, he was immediately greeted by the newest addition to the senior England coaching team.

 

"You're up bright and early, aren't you?" asked former England, Manchester United and Everton full-back Phil Neville.

 

"I expect my players to be on time, so I have to live by my own mantra," Catterall said. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

 

"I'm proper buzzing," Neville smiled. "My wife Julie says I'm like a kid getting ready for their first day at school!"

 

"And so you should be. You're gonna be part of something really special here."

 

"Nobody's gonna mention what happened with the girls, are they?" Neville asked. Earlier that summer, the 42-year-old had coached England at the FIFA Women's World Cup in France, where they were infamously eliminated at the Round of 16 by Nigeria. He was sacked from his post shortly afterwards and replaced with Chelsea Ladies head coach Emma Hayes.

 

"That's in the past, Phil," Catterall reassured him. "Anyway, you're better off working with me than going back to do punditry on the BBC. They're a waste of licence payers' money, and your brains and expertise are wasted on them."

 

"The Beeb ain't as bad as people make out, actually... but yeah, I get what you're saying. Getting Stormzy and Theresa May together on 'Match of the Day' was probably the worst idea ever."

 

Catterall and Neville then joined up with the rest of the England senior coaching staff, including assistant manager Michael Burke, who quipped upon seeing his new colleague, "Well, well, well... if it isn't Tracey Neville's twin brother!"

 

"You're Michael, aren't you?" Neville asked as he shook Burke's hands.

 

"Julia calls me that when she's angry with me. Everyone else just calls me Mick... or Ed Sheeran's dad."

 

"And obviously I know you, Joycey," Neville remarked upon meeting former Manchester United youth coach Warren Joyce.

 

"Welcome to the pressure dome, Nev!" Joyce laughed. "How's the kids?"

 

"They're grand, thanks for asking."

 

Neville was then greeted by David Platt, who told him, "The England coach initiation is at 3 o'clock. You've got a choice of two songs - 'I Can't Dance' by Genesis, or 'Sorted For E's & Wizz' by Pulp."

 

"I'll get back to you on that, Platty!" Neville laughed awkwardly before turning to the goalkeeping coach and asking, "I'm sorry... do I know you from somewhere?"

 

"I'm Tim Flowers," came the reply. "I was with your brother Gary in the England squads for Euro '96 and France '98."

 

"Yeah, right, and my name's Tinky-Winky!"

 

Burke then caught a glimpse of another middle-aged man sprinting towards the group in full training kit. "Hang about, lads," he said. "Look who's returned from the dead!"

 

"How ya doing, fellas?" Glenn Hoddle panted. "Didn't think I'd leave you in the lurch, did you?"

 

Catterall asked his former mentor, "What are you doing here? I thought you'd quit after... you know... Belfast?"

 

"That's all in the past, Catts. Let bygones be bygones."

 

"So you're back with us then?"

 

"Yeah, until the end of the Euros, but then I'm done. I'll be 62 next month - the same age Butch was when he died. I can't keep on working forever, you know."

 

"Course you can't, Glenn," Platt agreed. "The average lifespan in this country is 79.5 years for a man, and 83.3 years for a woman. You can expect to have about 17 years to enjoy your retirement before... well, the inevitable happens."

 

"Wow, David, that's really cheered me up no end," Hoddle remarked sarcastically. He then asked Catterall, "Hey, Mark, how was your holiday? I see you've still got a bit of a tan on you!"

 

"It was lovely, thanks. Me and Jenny went off to Cuba with Luke and Ashley for a fortnight. It was everything you'd expect from Cuba and more besides. The only sad thing about it is that Luke's now complaining about how the weather in Burton isn't as good as it is over there!"

 

"Yeah, Burton ain't exactly Havana, is it? Anyway... have you read what The Sun have written about you?"

 

Catterall said, "I wouldn't read The Sun if it was the only newspaper still in business. Why d'you ask? Has that Whiteman arsehole done a number on me?"

 

"Go have a read for yourself."

 

Burke passed his iPad over to Catterall, so that he could navigate to The Sun's website and discover what Russell Whiteman had written about him following their interview a few days earlier.

 

Quote

CATTS HATES BLACKS: Shock as England manager Mark Catterall morphs into Mark Sampson!

by Chief Football Writer RUSSELL WHITEMAN

 

England manager Mark Catterall has sensationally admitted that he is a RACIST.

 

In an exclusive interview with SunSport, Catts explained his decision to only name two black players - Arsenal's Charlie Ameobi and Brighton's Andy Gray - in the latest England Under-19s squad for upcoming friendlies against Wales and Holland.

 

The 47-year-old said, "I do not pick certain players because they're black. Whatever! Who cares that I ignore certain people because of their ethnicity?

 

"It's not my fault if the best teenage footballers in this country are white and middle-class. It is how it is.

 

"If you're all white, you're in. If you aren't, you won't be in. Simple as that."

 

Catterall then announced his desire to "kick the Poles out" of the UK and ordered British Asians to "go back to [their] home country". He also slammed Glenn Hoddle, saying he didn't trust his former mentor as much as other England coaches.

 

FA chief exec David Whiteman refused to speak to our correspondent when asked about Catterall's remarks last night.

 

Catterall recoiled upon reading Whiteman's article. He handed the iPad back to Burke and then shook his head furiously.

 

"That, right there, is a load of bulls***!" Catterall barked.

 

Burke agreed, "Hear, hear. We've been friends for 40 years, and I know you wouldn't say those things."

 

"That Whiteman b****** has twisted my words. I should never have let him interview me."

 

Hoddle queried, "Russell Whiteman? He's one of the best football journos around. That bloke's like a little terrier, in that once he gets his teeth into a good story, he won't ever let go of it!"

 

"Yeah, but he's also a complete arse," Burke retorted. "He's been on Catts' case ever since he took the bloomin' job. Now he's making up stories to try and force him out."

 

Hoddle laughed, "It's all part and parcel of the England job. Everyone who's been in it will tell you that they've had their detractors - me, Terry, Kev, Sven, McClaren, Fabio, Roy."

 

Catterall fumed, "Well, Whiteman's crossed the line with this. He's turned me into some kind of Nigel Farage on steroids! I'm telling you, he won't get away with this fake news crap anymore!"

 

"What do you mean by that?" Hoddle asked.

 

Catterall revealed, "I recorded the interview on my phone and hid it in a drawer. Whiteman's just walked right into a trap. Once this comes out into the open, the c*** will be lucky to get a job with the Chorley Guardian!"

 

"I'd have a word with Ava [Leggett] first," Burke warned. "I'm no lawyer, but I'd imagine there'd be a few legal problems with leaking this stuff to the press."

 

"Of course. I think I'll wait until the time is right."

 

Platt then declared, "Footballers at 11 o'clock."

 

"Hope not," Burke muttered. "They'd be two hours late!"

 

"No! Footballers at your 11 o'clock. You've heard of clock positions, haven't you?"

 

Burke turned his head slightly to the left and saw England captain Jordan Henderson waving his hands as he and the other players jogged towards the training pitch.

 

Catterall nodded and said, "Okay, lads. Let's get to work."

[Drogba11CFC]

One line? If Sid Collingwood (see my story) was reading this he'd probably conclude that Whiteman's crossed more lines so far in the story than there are at Clapham Junction. (The northern bit, where the Southern and South Western lines briefly run parallel) He has struck me as being a bit of a straw-man character though.

[CFuller]

1 minute ago, Drogba11CFC said:

One line? If Sid Collingwood (see my story) was reading this he'd probably conclude that Whiteman's crossed more lines so far in the story than there are at Clapham Junction. (The northern bit, where the Southern and South Western lines briefly run parallel) He has struck me as being a bit of a straw-man character though.

That's fair enough.

I really wanted to flesh out the feud between Catts and Russell Whiteman, and with Euro 2020 on the horizon, I thought this was a good time to do that. I'll also explore Russell's relationship with his uncle David in more detail soon.

[CFuller]

***

 

On 6 July 2019, the UEFA European Under-21s Championship came to a thrilling climax in Bologna. England and Portugal contested the Final for the second tournament in succession, with Mark Catterall's Young Lions eventually taking the title away from the holders after winning on penalties.

 

Exactly 60 days later, those two teams went toe-to-toe again - right at the start of their quests to win the 2021 European Under-21s Championship. They had been paired with one another in Group 8 of the qualifiers, and they would face each other in the opening match at St James' Park in Newcastle.

 

After the furore surrounding The Sun's controversial claims that he was reluctant to pick black players for the Under-19s, Catterall perhaps wisely opted to keep a low profile. He watched the match from back home in Staffordshire as head coach David Byrne led the Under-21s out in front of a passionate Geordie crowd.

 

England went into this match with no fewer than five members of their starting line-up making their Under-21s debut. However, Lawrence Warner would not be among them, as Swansea City's on-loan Liverpool striker had been forced to pull out of the squad after twisting his ankle.

 

Warner was replaced with Chelsea's Reece Nicholls, who was suddenly promoted from the Under-19s and plunged straight into the starting XI. Making their Under-21s bows alongside the Ipswich Town loanee were goalkeeper Will Mannion, centre-half Jack Vann, winger Jonathan Leko and attacking midfielder Callum Gribbin.

 

While some of the players on both sides may have changed since July, the fierce rivalry between the two nations remained. This was sure to be a thrilling contest to determine who would take the early initiative in Group 8.

 

Leko was barely a minute into his debut when he drilled an excellent ball towards Reiss Nelson at the back post. Alas, the Leicester City forward - on loan from Arsenal - could only half-volley it into the side netting.

 

In the fourth minute, Gribbin played an excellent lob from the halfway line ahead of Nicholls, who raced past Esperanças centre-half Miguel Lopes and then blasted a vicious shot at goal. It took a fantastic fingertip save from Porto teenager Diogo Costa to divert Nicholls' strike behind and keep the home fans waiting for their opening goal.

 

Portugal's own opportunities to advance towards goal were somewhat limited. Belenenses' sought-after 18-year-old striker Emerson Candé was flagged offside on 17 minutes after what proved to be a rare foray into England's penalty area. The visitors' only shot of the first half-hour was blasted wide from distance by flamboyant midfielder Miguel in the 24th minute.

 

England's defence was sitting quite deep and not giving Portugal's attackers much room to manoeuvre. Centre-halves Reece Oxford and Vann each made several big interceptions for the Young Lions in the first half.

 

If there was a chink in the home armour, though, it was arguably at left-back. 20-year-old Josh Tymon might have completed an eyebrow-raising £28million transfer from West Ham United to Arsenal just a couple of days earlier, but he looked very nervy here. Tymon was constantly pressurised by Portugal's right wing-back Diogo Dalot, and he made quite a few mistakes, though none of them would prove particularly costly for the Young Lions.

 

Nevertheless, the Esperanças were starting to bear their teeth. Candé and striker Joao Santos each flicked headers just off target in the closing stages of the first half, leaving the home fans on edge as the teams retreated into the dressing rooms still goalless.

 

England tried to reinvigorate their attack before the second half by replacing Nicholls with the big Nottingham Forest forward Ben Brereton, but it was Portugal who resumed quicker. After 47 minutes, captain Daniel Bragança lifted a long-distance free-kick into the Young Lions' box. Though Santos managed to beat Oxford to the header, he couldn't quite direct it towards the target.

 

Another Bragança free-kick in the 60th minute ended in disappointment for Portugal, with Lopes unable to find the net on that occasion. Two minutes later, though, the Esperanças' luck would take a turn for the better.

 

Leko's dribble towards the Portugal penalty box was halted by a vital tackle from Bragança, who then saw left-back Pedro Pereira punt the loose ball upfield. Oxford misjudged the flight of the long ball, and his mistimed jump opened the door for Santos to break away and go one-on-one with goalkeeper Mannion. The Nantes striker came out on top, and the deadlock had at last been broken.

 

The Young Lions reacted by taking off the tiring Gribbin to give a debut to Manchester United's 18-year-old attacking midfielder Stuart White, who had already scored two games for loan club Hull City this season. White couldn't force an equaliser here, and neither could Brereton, whose 72nd-minute effort was deflected behind by Lopes.

 

The resultant England corner proved to be significant. A host of English and Portuguese players, including visiting goalkeeper Costa, went after an excellent hanging-ball delivery from Nelson. It was Vann who prevailed, with the Yorkshireman's header flying into the net to restore parity for the Young Lions.

 

England's relief did not last. After intercepting a couple of Nelson crosses in quick succession in the 75th minute, Portugal countered to devastating effect. Miguel burst up the right flank and then sidefooted the ball to Santos on the penalty spot. Although Mannion did well to divert Santos' point-blank shot away from goal, he wasn't quick enough to the rebound shot from Portuguese substitute Zé Gomes, who drilled it home from a tight angle.

 

Portugal's second goal would prove to be the winner. The hosts had been left badly rattled, and a hopeless injury-time free-kick from White would prove to be their last chance to avoid defeat. This was the first time that England's Under-21s had lost on home soil in the Catterall era.

 

Portugal went straight to the summit of Group 8, just ahead of Greece, who scraped to a 1-0 away win in Albania. The other group opener had resulted in a 1-1 draw between Macedonia and Georgia.

 

With Portugal and Greece having got off the mark already, England were now under real pressure to keep pace. If the Young Lions couldn't take a victory from their next match against the Greeks in Irakleio on 9 September, the new European champions would already be in real danger of surrendering their title without a proper defence.

 

4 September 2019: UEFA European Under-21s Championship Qualifying Group 8 - at St James' Park, Newcastle

England U21s - 1 (Jack Vann 73)

Portugal U21s - 2 (Joao Santos 62, Zé Gomes 75)

ENGLAND U21s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Will Mannion; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Vann, Reece Oxford, Josh Tymon; Tom Davies (Joe Rankin-Costello), Sam Field; Jonathan Leko, Callum Gribbin (Stuart White), Reiss Nelson; Reece Nicholls (Ben Brereton). BOOKED: Davies 59.

[CFuller]

***

 

England's strikers spent the Thursday morning of 5 September honing their shooting skills at St George's Park. Mark Catterall wanted them to be as sharp as possible before they travelled down to Wembley to face Wales in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.

 

Catterall was disappointed to see Daniel Sturridge struggle to get his shots past first-choice goalkeeper Joe Hart. In contrast, both Harry Kane and Callum Wilson had impressed the manager and his most senior coaches.

 

Glenn Hoddle gushed, "Harry is sharp as a knife through butter right now. The Welsh won't wanna come up against him on this form, that's for sure."

 

David Platt argued, "He's not bad, but his shooting accuracy is only 45%. Callum Wilson's is 48%. If Callum can knock it up a couple of percentage points, he'll be on a par with Matt Le Tissier."

 

Catterall asked, "Sure, Callum can tear it up in training, but can he do it when it really matters?"

 

"Of course, he can," Platt noted. "Who scored the winner against Uruguay at the World Cup? Who started the rout against Chile? Who rushed back to get my tactics folder when I left it on the coach before we played Belgium?"

 

"Yeah, but generally, he only seems to score against amateur teams like Malta and Gibraltar and Scotland. He could make an impact from the bench, but I'm not sure I can trust him against Wales from the outset."

 

Hoddle nodded, "I can see why you'd want to play Harry against the Welsh instead. He's been there and done that when it comes to big games. Callum... not so much."

 

Platt grumbled, "I've got a bad feeling you're going to regret that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a word with Danny Drinkwater about his running technique."

 

As the training session came to an end, Catterall called Kane and Wilson aside to have a quick word with his star frontmen.

 

"What did you think, gaffer?" Kane asked. "Did I get enough goals today?"

 

Catterall replied, "Ask me again tonight."

 

"Why? What's happening tonight?"

 

"You're starting against Wales. I want you to be on your best form so we can get qualification wrapped up ASAP."

 

Kane nodded, "Sure thing, gaffer! I won't let you down! Well, sometimes I do let you down when I try too hard... but y'know, mate, I'm working on that!"

 

"I'll talk to you soon, Harry," Catterall said. "Now I wanna have a quick word with Callum."

 

"Fast."

 

A bemused Catterall asked, "Sorry?"

 

"Fast. That's a quick word, ain't it?"

 

"Just go, Harry!"

 

As Kane jogged away, Wilson asked Catterall, "So what do you want from me, gaffer?"

 

"I think you've gathered already that you won't be starting tonight's game. I'll send you on from the bench if I feel the need to. Don't worry if you don't play, though, 'cos I'll give you another start against Gibraltar come what may."

 

"Cheers, gaffer," Wilson smiled. "I'm hoping to score six goals against them, like I did last time."

 

"I don't care how many you score as long as you put in a strong performance and the team wins well."

 

"Noted. Is that all you wanted to say?"

 

"No, it isn't, actually. There's somebody I'd like you to meet."

 

Catterall took Wilson over to the Under-19s pitch, where he called out, "CALUM! Can I have a word?"

 

"Erm, boss, I'm right here?" Wilson said awkwardly.

 

"Not you, Callum! Over here, CALUM!"

 

Ipswich Town's on-loan Arsenal winger Calum Wilson - one of the newest faces in the England Under-19s squad - rushed over to Catterall on the touchline. The manager then introduced his players, "Callum Wilson, meet Calum Wilson. Calum, this is Callum."

 

"Hi, Callum," Calum said as he shook hands with Callum, before quipping, "So you're my long-lost big brother, then?"

 

The three then laughed before Catterall asked Calum, "I just wanted to know how you are feeling about tonight's game against Wales."

 

"Well, since I'm not..." Callum began before Catterall interrupted him, "No, Callum, I was talking to Calum!"

 

Calum was understandably excited about the prospect of making his Under-19s debut in a friendly with Wales in Crewe later that afternoon. He replied, "Yeah, y'know, I'm buzzing! This'll be my first England game. Mum and Dad are driving up from Ealing, and my sister's booked time off from uni to come as well."

 

"I'm sure you'll make your family proud."

 

"Yeah, Mum will be proud for definite! Not sure about my old man, though; he's Scottish!"

 

Callum interjected, "Well, we all hate the Welsh, don't we? I'm sure he'll be delighted if you score."

 

"Cheers, mate."

 

Catterall then asked, "Callum, do you have any advice for Calum over here?"

 

"Erm, I think we need some nicknames, boss," Callum said. "We've pretty much got the same name, so you've got to tell us apart somehow."

 

Catterall pointed at each player in turn, "What about we name you Young Calum, and then name you Old Callum?"

 

Callum took offence to that. "Are you calling me old? I'm only 27, man!"

 

"Big Callum and little Calum?"

 

"That ain't gonna work, mate," Calum shook his head. "Look at us. I'm taller than him!"

 

"Flippin' heck, so you are. What about Cockney Calum and Brummie Calum?"

 

Callum corrected Catterall, "I'm no Brummie, gaffer. I'm from Coventry. That's completely different."

 

"And Cockneys come from east London," Calum stated. "I grew up in west London."

 

Catterall shrugged his shoulders, "Well, then, I'm out of ideas. I don't know how the hell I'm going to tell you two apart."

 

Callum sighed, "Alright. You can call me Old Cal, and he can be Young Cal."

 

"Good. I'm glad that's sorted."

 

Catterall then caught a glimpse of a player who had a somewhat unusual hairstyle for a teenager. He had a large bald spot on the front and top of his head, though he still had hair on the sides of his scalp.

 

The manager gasped, "Bloody hell! That lad had a rough paper round, didn't he? He looks like bloomin' Alan Cork playing for Sheffield United all them years ago!"

 

Callum told him, "That's Stephen Nugent, from Man United. He shaved the middle of his head to be like one of his favourite Norwegian comedians."

 

"Tell him to shave the rest of it then!" Catterall barked. "I ain't seen worse hair since Gregor Fisher did that fag advert!"

 

Calum blushed, "Okay, gaffer, I think you're really showing your age now."

[CFuller]

***

 

The footballing rivalry between England and Wales was renewed twice over on 5 September. Most of the public spotlight was on Wembley, where the two neighbouring nations would contest a pivotal match in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. However, a few thousand people in Cheshire had another 'Battle of Britain' to savour.

 

Situated less than an hour's drive from the Anglo-Welsh border, the Alexandra Stadium in Crewe was the perfect setting for the Under-19s teams of England and Wales to face each other. Both sides were warming up for the upcoming UEFA European Under-19s Championship qualifiers, with their quests to qualify for next summer's finals in Northern Ireland officially starting in October.

 

England's plans for this match had been unsettled somewhat with a couple of changes from Mark Catterall's initial squad. Reading left-back Will Hamon had been forced out of the squad with an ankle sprain, prompting Liverpool's Andy Hunt to be called up in his place. Meanwhile, Reece Nicholls' unexpected promotion to the Under-21s resulted in a recall for West Ham United striker Chris Scott, who had recently returned to his former club Bristol City on loan.

 

Hunt nearly had the perfect start to his international career after just 24 seconds, when his deep cross from the left flank clipped the Welsh crossbar. When England did take the lead in the fourth minute, though, it was through another of their defensive newcomers.

 

Stephen Nugent was the man celebrating when he nodded in a corner from centre-back colleague James Errington that had been flicked towards him by Leicester City midfielder Alfie Davidson. Seconds later, Davidson saluted Derby County's on-loan Manchester United defender by patting the top of his head. A large selection of the home crowd could then be heard chanting, "BALDY! BALDY!"

 

England's strikers then had mixed fortunes in their attempts to double the advantage. Liverpool poacher Willie Field was disappointed to drive wide a ninth-minute through-ball from strike partner Scott, who then showed him how it was done three minutes later. The agile Somerset native turned past Welsh centre-back and namesake Chris Webber before driving a fantastic effort into goalkeeper Ally Adams' top-left corner.

 

Adams would then be beaten at his top-right corner a couple of minutes afterwards. After Jason Morgan upended Field, England were awarded a free-kick 30 yards from goal. The distance didn't faze Milton Keynes Dons defender Errington, who showed himself to be a set-piece specialist by powering it past a stunned Adams.

 

The Young Lions were looking good to go 4-0 up in the 24th minute, when playmaker Ben Logan's header was volleyed into the net by fellow midfielder Thomas Stacey. However, the Newcastle United's midfielder was chalked off for an offside decision against Davidson, who had clearly been impeding Adams' view of the shot.

 

A minute later, Errington's long punt up the Welsh half found the run of Field, who got past defender Thomas Evans and was heavily fancied to continue the scoring. However, a poor strike into the side netting would sum up the Lancastrian's evening. Field and his club-mate Hunt would each have further efforts saved by Adams, who was very relieved not to concede again before half-time.

 

Wales had rarely come close to threatening their goal in the first half, but England's defenders perhaps showed some complacency shortly after the restart. The Red Dragons started to breathe fire in the 47th minute, when Newport County striker Tom Ellis' square pass was pulled inches wide by Cardiff City midfielder Dan Bird.

 

Five minutes later, England's centre-backs had a moment to forget. Wales' right-winger Callum Lewis intercepted an errant header from Errington and then whipped a cross into the direction of Ellis. Young Lions substitute Nick Ward tried to clean up the danger, but Ellis quickly closed the Arsenal defender down before powering in what appeared to be a consolation goal for the Red Dragons.

 

In truth, a full comeback from Wales was never particularly likely. It wouldn't be long before England put them back under pressure, with West Ham United midfielder Jeff Mellor having a shot deflected behind off Welsh counterpart Chris Evans on 62 minutes. Six minutes later, Mellor's fellow Hammer Scott headed wide a promising corner from Field.

 

Wales then frustrated England for a while, and it took the Young Lions a while to get back for their best. When they did grab a fourth goal after 82 minutes, the latest name on the scoresheet was a somewhat familiar one.

 

Arsenal winger Charles Ameobi's low centre was tapped into the far corner by team-mate Calum Wilson, who provided a clinical finish that a certain big-name Chelsea striker would have been proud of. His parents and sister, watching from the stands, certainly were.

 

England effectively declared at 4-1, and Ledley King's men were already off to a winning start in the new season. Next up for the Young Lions would be a rather sterner test in Eindhoven against the Netherlands - the team who had come from behind to beat them in the Group Stage of the last European Under-19s Championship.

 

5 September 2019: Under-19s International - at Alexandra Stadium, Crewe

England U19s - 4 (Stephen Nugent 4, Chris Scott 12, James Errington 14, Calum Wilson 82)

Wales U19s - 1 (Tom Ellis 52)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Josh Vokes (Jackson Stevens); Daniel Marshall (Peter Turner), Stephen Nugent (Nick Ward), James Errington (Andrew Gray), Andy Hunt (Ted Lapslie); Thomas Stacey (Glenn Sheppard), Alfie Davidson (Jeff Mellor), Ben Logan (Calum Wilson); John Harrison (Ross Moan); Chris Scott (Mark Leonard), Willie Field (Charles Ameobi). BOOKED: Sheppard 87.

[CFuller]

***

 

While his Under-19s were facing Wales in Crewe, England manager Mark Catterall was overseeing a rather more significant Anglo-Welsh battle in west London. Victory over their local rivals at Wembley would not only keep the Three Lions in pole position to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020, but it would extend their lead at the head of Group E to five points. However, a shock away win would see Wales leapfrog above them into top spot.

 

The build-up to that match had been marred by a libellous story in The Sun regarding Catterall. The Football Association quickly put out a press statement categorically refuting the claims by the tabloid's chief football writer Russell Whiteman.

 

FA chairman Clark Gregory stated, "Russell Whiteman is a widely-respected journalist of many years' standing, but his ridiculous and unfounded accusations will not be tolerated. We at the Football Association will take the sternest action that is available to us."

 

Whiteman was subsequently stripped of his FA accreditation until further notice.

 

The England players also seemed to disregard The Sun's story, even making light of it when the manager entered the dressing room before kick-off. Speaking in a faux-Irish accent, defender Michael Keane quipped, "I hear you're a racist now, gaffer!"

 

Right-back Kyle Walker then asked, also tongue-in-cheek, "Should we all be racist now? What's the official line the FA's taken on this?"

 

As Catterall chuckled, his assistant Michael Burke told the players, "Okay, lads, we'll have no discrimination in this dressing room. All we want you to do tonight is kick those leek-eating, sheep-shagging, rugby-playing, Tom Jones-listening WELSH B******S back to THE F***ING VALLEYS!

 

"If that f***ing monkey Bale ain't in tears at full time, that'll mean you haven't done your jobs properly! D'you understand?"

 

The England players roared passionately as captain Jordan Henderson declared, "Let's do this, lads!"

 

As his team left the dressing room, a bemused Catterall turned to Burke and said, "Hang on, Mick! I ain't done my team talk yet!"

 

"You don't need to give them one, Catts," Burke insisted. "Trust me. They've got this."

 

Wales were still unbeaten in their first qualifying campaign under the management of former Valencia, Chelsea and Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri. In fact, the Red Dragons had only lost one match since the popular Italian replaced Chris Coleman late in 2017 - a narrow 2-1 away defeat to future FIFA World Cup runners-up France in March 2018.

 

Ranieri was getting the best out of superstars such as Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, but he was also utilising Wales' best young talents. Liverpool's 19-year-old striker Ben Woodburn was born in Nottingham and could've represented England before declaring for his grandfather's homeland in 2017. Another exciting talent in the Welsh ranks was the aggressive Leicester City midfielder Russell McKenzie, who was given his senior international debut here at the tender age of 18.

 

Catterall went very much with the tried-and-tested when it came to his starting XI. Only Rolando Aarons had featured in fewer than 20 games for England, this being the West Ham United forward's 13th cap. Henderson made his 60th international appearance, though the Liverpool midfielder was aware that a booking here would see him miss England's next match in Gibraltar through suspension.

 

The Three Lions' most experienced player would be called into action very early on. Joe Hart was just 19 seconds into his 93rd cap when he was forced to tip behind a swerving strike from Ramsey. The quick Welsh attack had begun with left-winger Harry Wilson gliding past a mistimed slide tackle from Walker before crossing to Ramsey.

 

Wales' talisman Bale also had an early pop at goal, though his 7th-minute free-kick was superbly blocked by Dele Alli in the England wall. The Three Lions' first scoring opportunity also came from a free-kick four minutes later. After Aarons was felled by Joe Allen, his fellow wideman Demarai Gray lifted his set-piece over the Welsh wall, and into the hands of visiting goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

 

In all honesty, England had not started particularly confidently, and they could easily have fallen behind after 13 minutes. John Stones' decision to press Ramsey left Bale in bags of space to receive the midfielder's through-ball. The home fans were on edge as Bale unleashed a vicious effort just inside the area, but Hart fisted it clear.

 

Ten minutes later, it was the Welsh supporters' turn to breathe sighs of relief. Danny Drinkwater's deft chip was volleyed by Alli to his Tottenham Hotspur team-mate Harry Kane, whose attempted piledriver flew just the wrong side of Hennessey's left-hand post.

 

On 31 minutes, the Red Dragons started to cause England further problems. Woodburn sprayed the ball out right to Bale, who found space to whip a cross past Three Lions left-back Luke Shaw. Woodburn had made his way into the area to receive Bale's delivery, but Drinkwater in turn got in place to block the teenager's close-range shot.

 

Following their latest let-off, England took the game to Wales once again. Kane and Gray each had shots on target in the 37th and 41st minutes, though neither of them could particularly trouble Hennessey. The Everton keeper would make one more catch before the interval, from an injury-time free-kick by Gray, as he maintained parity at the interval.

 

While England's performance was leaving plenty to be desired, a strong end to the first half did give their fans reason for encouragement. Catterall looked to take control of proceedings by making a couple of substitutions, as Aarons and Drinkwater were sacrificed for Daniel Sturridge and Eric Dier. The latter had been a major doubt for this match with an abdominal strain, but with the result still in major doubt, Catterall decided it was worth risking Dier.

 

As for Sturridge, he could've marked his first England appearance in 14 months with a goal straight off the bat. The now 30-year-old Valencia striker beat Welsh right-back Chris Gunter to a deep cross from Walker in the first minute of the second half, though his header just looped over the crossbar.

 

England's other frontman would use their head more effectively in the 48th minute. Kane cut through the Wales defence to connect with a delightful cross from Shaw, which he powerfully flicked beyond the outstretched hand of Hennessey. With that, a huge roar - of relief as much anything - went up across Wembley.

 

The Three Lions had broken through at long last, and now it was Ranieri rather than Catterall who was under pressure. If the 67-year-old was feeling the heat, though, he didn't show it. He took Woodburn off straight after that goal, only to replace him with another teenage Liverpool striker - international rookie Callum Howcroft-Jones. It was a massive gamble, to say the least.

 

Howcroft-Jones' inexperience showed after 57 minutes, when he was stopped on the halfway line by a strong tackle from Henderson. Dier took the loose ball and lifted it up to Sturridge, who was then brought down by James Chester. The Aston Villa centre-half duly received Wales' first booking of three in this match.

 

Youngsters McKenzie and Wilson would also be cautioned for the Red Dragons, though not before England had chances to bolster their lead. Sturridge's header from a Shaw cross in the 65th minute was easily caught by Hennessey, while a couple of Welshmen made vital blocks two minutes later. Substitute captain Ashley Williams deflected away a free-kick from Walker before Alli's follow-up shot was cut out by McKenzie.

 

England resumed their attacking efforts in the 81st minute, with Shaw once again proving to be their main creative outlet. The Manchester United full-back's latest cross was flicked towards goal from an awkward angle by Sturridge. Though the Brummie's header looped over the despairing dive of Hennessey, it bounced inches past the far post.

 

Though the Three Lions were unable to build on Kane's goal early in the second half, they had still done enough to account for Wales' unbeaten record. That said, there was some disappointment from an English perspective in the 87th minute, when Henderson was booked following a shove on Welsh midfielder Joe Ledley. The England skipper would therefore be suspended from the upcoming trip to Gibraltar, even though he was unlikely to be needed.

 

England were now top of Group E by five points from both Wales and the new 2nd-placed team. Austria had edged ahead of the Red Dragons on goal difference, following a comfortable 3-0 win over Northern Ireland. Bologna striker Kevin Friesenbichler had scored all three goals for the Burschen in the first half.

 

Meanwhile, Gibraltar had earned an historic 2-2 home draw with Moldova, racking up their first ever point in a qualifying campaign for a major tournament. The Llanitos remained bottom of the group, though, and it would surely take something extraordinary to add to their haul against England three days later.

 

5 September 2019: UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E - at Wembley, London

England - 1 (Harry Kane 48)

Wales - 0

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Michael Keane, Luke Shaw; Danny Drinkwater (Eric Dier), Jordan Henderson; Rolando Aarons (Daniel Sturridge), Dele Alli, Demarai Gray; Harry Kane (Callum Wilson). BOOKED: Henderson 87.

 

Mark Catterall told ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke after the match, "We made a lot more work of that than we perhaps should have done. To tell you the truth, I think we underestimated Wales a little bit in the first half."

 

When asked about what he had done to swing the match firmly in England's favour, Catterall answered, "Well, I've been a little soft on the lads over the last year or so, perhaps too soft for our own good. Me and Mick put a couple of rockets up their backsides in the dressing room to remind them of the fans' expectations. You can't be drawing matches like these at home if you seriously want to challenge for honours."

 

Clarke then asked, "Harry Kane's 23rd goal in 45 caps got you the win. What did you make of his performance tonight?"

 

"I thought he led the line well again. Harry's aerial presence is just what we need to take advantage of the crosses that our wing-backs deliver into the box. I think he's scored in four of our five qualifiers so far now, and that tells me that he's adding a bit more ruthlessness to his game. He doesn't take it easy against the lesser teams anymore."

 

Clarke's final question was one that Catterall was perhaps expecting. "There has been a story written about you in one of the tabloid newspapers which has been widely condemned by the footballing community. Do you wish to comment on that?"

 

"I won't go into too much detail in public, Gabriel, for obvious reasons. I just want to say that the support I've received from the footballing community over the past few days has been tremendous. Most of us believe in freedom of speech, but as Mick told me the other day, that article crossed more lines than the dots-and-boxes world champion."

[CFuller]

***

 

To many of England's most prominent football journalists, the 1-0 victory over Wales was an underwhelming one.

 

The Daily Mirror's Mark Owens labelled the result as the Three Lions' most disappointing of their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign thus far. He added, "With all due respect, this Wales team - even with Gareth Bale in his prime - did not play to anything like the very high standards they hit in France three years ago. Mark Catterall's knights of St George could - and arguably should - have done a more convincing job of slaying the Dragons."

 

The Daily Telegraph wrote, "It has become almost traditional for England to grind out narrow victories against second- or even third-tier teams. Slovenia and Lithuania were particularly troublesome opponents in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, and now we have seen both Austria and Wales cause problems for Catterall. It does not augur well for England's prospects at next summer's finals."

 

Just three days later, England would have an opportunity to prove their harshest critics wrong and convince the tabloids to write more positive stories about their manager.

 

Catterall's charges had conceded just one goal on their way to five consecutive wins in the European Championship qualifiers. A sixth seemed to be almost certain when they arrived in the tiny British overseas territory of Gibraltar. This time around, the manner of victory really would be more important in most supporters' eyes than the actual accomplishment itself.

 

Gibraltar were ranked above only Andorra when it came to European teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The huge gulf in class between them and England had been apparent when the Three Lions thrashed them 8-0 at Wembley in March. Though the scoreline in the rematch at the Victoria Stadium was unlikely to be as emphatic, the Llanitos were still very much on a hiding to nothing.

 

Callum Wilson had scored a record-breaking six goals for England in that previous encounter. He would get another chance to fill his boots when partnering Valencia's Daniel Sturridge up front. At the back, CSKA Moscow defender Gary Cahill wore the captain's armband in place of the suspended Jordan Henderson, while Jack Butland replaced the rested Joe Hart in goal for just his 10th international cap.

 

Back in March, Gibraltar had conceded the opening goal after just two minutes. The Llanitos fared even worse here, going 1-0 down before the first minute had even concluded!

 

In fact, the Llanitos hadn't even touch the ball when - after just 15 seconds - Wilson was upended in the Gibraltarian area by teenage midfielder Carl Stoker. England were almost immediately awarded a penalty, which Sturridge struck so ferociously that not even a touch off goalkeeper Jamie Robba's right glove could keep it out!

 

Wilson would cause the hosts more problems in the 10th minute, winning a free-kick after being fouled by Kenneth Chipolina close to goal. While Jack Wilshere's set-piece was fired harmlessly over the crossbar, England would only need to wait another minute to double their advantage.

 

Everton midfielder Ross Barkley played a significant role in the second goal, hitting a fantastic direct ball for Wilson to run onto on the right flank. Gibraltar's defenders were at sixes and sevens as Wilson drilled the ball across their area for Sturridge to effortlessly tap it into the net.

 

As anticipated, the Three Lions had established a strong lead quickly. They were now expected to continue the rout, but they arguably made things more difficult than they could've done. Captain Cahill headed wide a Wilshere free-kick in the 16th minute, while Sturridge was denied an early hat-trick by a strong save from Robba three minutes later.

 

On 21 minutes, a cross from England right-back Calum Chambers deflected heavily off Gibraltar left-back Jayce Olivero, who played for The New Saints in the Welsh Premier League. The ball fell fortuitously for Danny Drinkwater, and the Leicester City midfielder came within inches of swerving in a maiden international goal, which continued to elude him in his 26th cap.

 

Robba was soon having to almost single-handedly prevent the Three Lions from running riot. The 27-year-old free agent, recently released by Havant & Waterlooville of the National League South, caught another strong header from Cahill after 28 minutes. Wilson, Sturridge and latterly Drinkwater would also be thwarted by the Gibraltarian custodian before the half was out.

 

Catterall was content enough to go into the break with a two-goal advantage, but he wanted to see more flair from England. He also wanted them to provide a greater threat out wide. To that end, he subbed off Drinkwater and threw on Norwich City's right-winger Michail Antonio, who won his third international cap - and his first since 2016.

 

The Three Lions continued where they left off two minutes after the restart, with Barkley setting up an opportunity for Sturridge to finally wrap up his treble. Alas, the Valencia striker could only get a shot in from an awkward angle, leaving Robba with a somewhat comfortable save.

 

After that, England's shooting started to become a bit lazier, and much less accurate. Barkley miscued a shot from just outside the area in the 51st minute, but Antonio was guilty of an even more glaring miss six minutes later. Antonio looked a dead cert to make it 3-0 when he volleyed Danny Rose's left-wing cross from close range, only to overhit it and send it flying over the crossbar.

 

Antonio's next effort on 66 minutes was a little bit better. The pacey wideman got behind Olivero to pick up a through-ball from Wilson, though his shot was lifted safely into the hands of Robba.

 

It wasn't until three minutes later that Antonio really came alive in the match. Eric Dier sent a long ball out right to Antonio just behind the halfway line, and the winger proceeded to dribble past Olivero before whipping in a cross for Wilson to volley home. 3-0 to the Three Lions.

 

Impressively, that was Wilson's seventh goal of the Euro qualifiers; less impressively, all of them had come against Gibraltar. The Chelsea striker was immediately replaced with Leicester City wideman Demarai Gray, as Sturridge once again took centre stage in England's attack.

 

Butland had only needed to make one save before that, denying Gibraltar right-winger Julian Valarino a goal in the 43rd minute. The England and Stoke City goalie would finally be tested again eight minutes after his team's third goal. The hosts' substitute midfielder Dean Torrilla ran into space to reach a through-ball from Tjay De Barr, but he fired his shot safely into Butland's hands.

 

England would then go on to take a 4-0 lead after 81 minutes. Barkley was kept off the scoresheet by a point-blank stop from Robba, who could only parry it on to Gray at his near post. Gray then slipped the ball across the goalmouth for Sturridge to prod in a simple finish that clinched his hat-trick. In truth, it was no less than the 30-year-old had deserved.

 

Gibraltar had been soundly beaten, but there was still some time for them to try and claim a minor victory of sorts. The home fans at the Victoria Stadium sounded their appreciation when Llanitos striker George Cabrera attempted an 86th-minute lob that was well caught by Butland, though they wouldn't have a goal to celebrate.

 

England's sixth win of the Euro 2020 qualifiers retained their unbeaten start, with France and Germany the only other sides who still had 100% records. The Three Lions remained five points ahead at the top of Group E, with Wales retaking 2nd place following a 2-1 victory in Austria, where 18-year-old Callum Howcroft-Jones scored the winning goal four minutes from time.

 

Northern Ireland also benefitted from a late winner overseas, with Niall McGinn's 90th-minute strike sparing them the ignominy of a 1-1 draw against second-from-bottom Moldova. That said, Michael O'Neill and his team still had plenty of work to do if they were to advance to Euro 2020.

 

England were now eight points clear of 3rd-placed Austria with four rounds to go. If the Three Lions could beat the Burschen in their next match at Wembley on 11 October, their spot at the European Championship would be all but secured.

 

8 September 2019: UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E - at Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar

Gibraltar - 0

England - 4 (Daniel Sturridge pen1,11,81, Callum Wilson 69)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Jack Butland; Calum Chambers, John Stones (Phil Jones), Gary Cahill, Danny Rose; Jack Wilshere, Eric Dier, Danny Drinkwater (Michail Antonio); Ross Barkley; Callum Wilson (Demarai Gray), Daniel Sturridge.

 

2020 UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group E (After 6 rounds)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          England                6     6     0     0     20    1     19    18
2.          Wales                  6     4     1     1     10    3     7     13
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Austria                6     3     1     2     10    4     6     10
4.          Northern Ireland       6     3     0     3     8     11    -3    9
5.          Moldova                6     0     1     5     4     14    -10   1
6.          Gibraltar              6     0     1     5     2     21    -19   1