U18 England Squad Train to Win

Wednesday 22 February 2017By ESFA Office

Last Updated:
10/02/2021 10:49:58

The squad secured two wins during last weekend's training camp at Carrington

The England Schoolboys squad ready to retain the Centenary Shield in 2017

The ESFA U18 England Schoolboys have taken part in their final training camp before they attempt to retain England’s title as Centenary Shield Champions in this season’s competition, starting next month. With an itinerary organised by Inspiresport, the boys spent Thursday to Monday in Manchester with trips to the Etihad Complex, a training session at Manchester United and the chance to catch Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United on Sunday 19th.

The training weekend also incorporated two more matches for the boys’ to test their determination as a team ahead of the looming competitive fixtures against the home nations.

ESFA U18 v Bury: Match Report

Friday afternoon saw the first of two friendly matches for the Under 18 squad. Facing a mix of younger academy and community players, England were always in command at Carrington and but for some excellent goalkeeping and some off target shooting, the 4-0 win could have been far more convincing.

With Jack Butler and Max Watters looking dangerous running at defenders it was Connor Short who put England ahead early on, firing home from the edge of the box past the advancing keeper.

That lead was extended before half time when Kingsford Adjei side footed home from 8 yards after a cross from Frank Arhin who had made a strong run down the right flank.

After half-time the England lads picked up the tempo, looking for more goals in a game they were much the stronger side and trying reap the rewards of their forward play.

With the Bury keeper doing all he could to prevent further goals, and some wayward finishing, it was Jack Butler who lobbed the keeper for the third goal, taking advantage of a defensive mistake.

A sweeping move was finished off with Kingsford Adjei netting his second, slotting home under the keeper from midway inside the box to make it 4-0 and complete the scoring for the afternoon.

Still plenty of work to do before the Scotland game and much tougher test against ISFA awaited on Sunday.

ESFA U18 v ISFA U18: Match Report

A high noon showdown at Carrington as the Independent Schools FA visited for what was expected to be the toughest test of the weekend.

And so it proved, in a match where the opposition clearly wanted to claim the England scalp the visitors took the lead with a strike from the edge of the box early in the first half having already tested Max Harris in the England goal.

England recovered well from that set back and worked their way into the game with Jack Butler doing great work down the right and providing the cross for Kingsford Adjei to add to his goal tally for the weekend.

The game was very competitive with plenty of work for captain Shahban Mohammed and Jordan Ngalo in the middle of the park although England were starting to gain the upper hand took a deserved lead shortly before the break with the goal of the weekend.

Dan Barlow cut in from the left and lofted a pin-point pass to Frank Arhin who brought the ball under control in mid-air, cut inside the defender and curled a lovely right footed shot passed the keepers left hand and into the corner of the net.

The second half saw England dominate the chances and should have further extended their lead but were denied by the woodwork with Connor Short hitting the bar from close range and Dan Barlow going close with a long range effort just over the top.

All in all a great workout from a very good ISFA side who approached the game in the same vein that England can expect to face from the home nations in the coming matches.

A Touch of Culture

The squad’s training camp also included a cultural trip to the fantastic National Football Museum, also based in Manchester, where the team took part in a Q&A session streamed live via the ESFA’s Twitter account, giving viewers the opportunity to get to know the squad members representing our Country a little better.

Answering questions on their future education and career plans, their footballing heroes and past experiences, the boys gave a resoundingly positive answer when asked if they were ready to retain the Centenary Shield for England this season. You can view the video on Twitter here and this will also be posted to our YouTube channel in the coming days.

Countdown to the Centenary Shield

With only nine days to go until the boys’ first match, away against Scotland at Cappielow Park, Greenock, the countdown is on for the England Schoolboys! There will be two home matches this season for the squad and we’re hoping to welcome as many supporters of England Schoolboys, the ESFA and Grassroots Schools’ Football as possible along to cheer on our team!

You can find full information on how you can purchase match tickets as well as fantastic hospitality packages here! Matches will also be streamed live online, so if you can’t make it to the venue, you can tune in and watch at home – full information will be coming soon…

Good luck to the boys with all four Centenary Shield matches and please remember to support the ESFA and grassroots football as well as our talented England U18 squad 2017.

Photos and match reports supplied by 353 Photography - with thanks.

Top

We use cookies to improve your online experience. For information on the cookies we use and for details on how we process your personal information, please see our cookie policy and privacy policy. By continuing to use our website you consent to us using cookies.