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| England manager Stuart Pearce with Tony Mowbray yesterday / Picture TheFA.com |
By Lucio Menin
MIDDLESBROUGH. Before Fabio Capello’s left him with the incumbency of leading England Senior team at Wembley against Holland, Stuart Pearce’s searched last November the inspirational venue for his Young Lions’ return leg against the Belgium U21 site who inflicted England’s U21 only defeat of their campaign with a last gasp 2-1 win in Mons earlier that month.
And where else better than quiet but passionate and reassuring north-eastern shores of Teesside and its surrounding regions to prepare with the right concentration such a crucial top-of-the-table clash UEFA 2013 Under-21 European Championship Qualification match against their Group 8 rivals Belgium? Former team mate Tony Mowbray was also available for positive advice (Picture above- Courtesy of Middlesbrough FC)
But three months in football are a life and at the Riverside on Wednesday - Kick Off is early at 6.00pm - Live on ESPN - so that England fans get home in time to watch the senior team playing Holland later in the evening - newly appointed Under-21s Coach Brian Eastick will be taking the reins of the squad instead. England Under-21s currently top their mini-league with 12 points, with Belgian opponents four points and one place behind them after five games apiece.
Having worked alongside Pearce in the Under-21s set-up for three years, Eastick – who has been Head Coaching almost any England team during his long permanence at the Football Association including the Young Lions U20 at last summer’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Colombia - expects in fact continuity to be maintained.
For the England Seniors team the fate has instead decided that ‘Psycho’s time - at the helm of his beloved Three Lions -has at last come. Stuart Pearce, seconded by Steve Wigley, will be in fact in London for the game against Holland on Wednesday evening as well. For his Young Lions a strong motivation to repay him back with good money and with a win which will definitely make the qualification for Israel 2013 sure. But also knowing that they have a friend now on who to count for their own senior careers.
Tickets for this exciting top of the table battle with Belgium are competitively priced at just £10 for adults and £5 for children. Group bookings and Charter Standard Club tickets are also available. Tickets will be available from Tuesday 29 November by calling 0844 499 1234, online at http://www.mfc.co.uk/ or in person at the Riverside ticket office.
ENGLAND UNDER-21 SQUAD Zaha earns first Under-21s call
Palace winger one of two new faces in Young Lions squad ahead of Euro 2013 Qualifier in Middlesbrough
Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has been handed his first call-up to the England Under-21s squad for next Wednesday's Euro 2013 Qualifier in Middlesbrough. The 19-year-old, who has previously appeared for the Three Lions at U19 level, has been impressing in the Championship since his debut two years ago. He's already racked up an impressive 81 appearances for the Eagles, including a key role in their 2-1 League Cup win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in November.
There is also a debut call for Hull City midfielder Cameron Stewart, who has made 30 appearances in the Championship since his move from Manchester United in November 2010, initially on loan. Having featured for England at U17, U19 and U20s level, he'll be looking to make his Under-21s bow at the Riverside, where he also had his first outing for the Tigers.
Middlesbrough themselves have two players in the squad keen to pull on the Three Lions in front of their home crowd; goalkeeper Jason Steele and defender Joe Bennett. "This opportunity is something I regard as a privilege, as I do whenever I have been Head Coach of any England team," said Eastick, who was Head Coach for England at last summer's FIFA U20 World Cup in Colombia.
"Due to the environment that Stuart has developed within the Under-21s set-up, it will hopefully be a seamless transition for this game with continuity being maintained with regards to our principles of play."
He continued: "Stuart and I have had a good professional relationship having worked together closely during his five years at The FA. Last week I sat down with him to discuss the overall plans for this get-together and careful consideration has been given to the make-up of both the Senior and Under-21s squads."
"There are a couple of new faces in the group, with Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha and Hull City's Cameron Stewart coming in for the first time. They both deserve their opportunities after some impressive performances at club level." Eastick added: "This match is very important to us and one we would dearly like to win, particularly after the loss we suffered away in Belgium back in November.
"That gave Belgium a life-line in the group and they are now just four points behind us. Therefore, the importance of this game cannot be underestimated if we are to reach our immediate aim of winning the group and going into the play-offs."
It was a special morning at training for England Under-21s on Monday as a group of kids from a local FA Tesco Skills centre watched the team in action in the first session of the international week ahead of Wednesday’s match with Belgium. And with three Liverpool players involved in the squad, there was also a buzz of excitement as captain Jordan Henderson brought out his League Cup winners' medal following Sunday’s Carling Cup final with Cardiff City. Henderson was the only one from the 23-man squad not to take part in the training session while he recovered from his exertions at Wembley, so instead spent time with the youngsters as they trained on an adjacent pitch. (Pictured below, courtesy of TheFa.com)
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| England Jordan Henderson with Tesco Skills kids / Picture TheFA.com |
Monday's training, (VIDEO) taken by Caretaker Coach Brian Eastick and John Peacock, was the opening session since the squad met up on Sunday and also featured first-time appearances from Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha and Hill City's Cameron Stewart. Also involved was Everton's Phil Neville, who is with the squad this week as part of his own coaching development pathway.
The visit to Middlesbrough's impressive training base was to celebrate a huge milestone for The FA Tesco Skills Programme this week after The FA announced that three million places have been taken up by children from across the country over the last five years.
The Programme, aimed at five to eleven year old boys and girls, was launched by Frank Lampard at Wembley Stadium in 2007, and visitors to the Riverside for the Three Lions' Euro 2013 Qualifier this week will see an FA Tesco Skills demonstration on the pitch before kick-off.
ENGLAND UNDER-21 SQUAD
Goalkeepers
Ben Amos (Manchester United), Jack Butland (Cheltenham Town - loan from Birmingham City), Jason Steele (Middlesbrough)
Defenders
Joe Bennett (Middlesbrough), Ryan Bennett (Peterborough United - loan from Norwich City), Steven Caulker (Swansea City - loan from Tottenham), Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion), Martin Kelly (Liverpool), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Smith (Leeds United - loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders
Gary Gardner (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Henri Lansbury (West Ham United - loan from Arsenal), Jason Lowe (Blackburn Rovers), Josh McEachran (Swansea City - loan from Chelsea), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool), Cameron Stewart (Hull City), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Forwards
Nathan Delfouneso (Leicester City - loan from Aston Villa), Will Keane (Manchester United), Marvin Sordell (Bolton Wanderers), Connor Wickham (Sunderland)
TEESSIDE’s PASSION
Middlesbrough has already played host to the England seniors at the Riverside, where Sven Goran Eriksson’s Three Lions beat Slovakia 2-1 in June 2003, with Michael Owen scoring both goals. There have also been five England Under-21 international fixtures at the Riverside Stadium – Middlesbrough’s home since moving from Ayresome Park in 1995 – all of which the Young Lions have emerged victorious from. The last time the side were on Teesside they beat an Azerbaijan side 2-0 in March 2005.
In presenting Wednesday venue last November Stuart Pearce said “We sold out our recent game in Colchester in record time, but it would be great to pack out a big venue like the Riverside. We’ve got a great rapport with Middlesbrough as a club and have had a look at a couple of their players recently, in Joe Bennett and Jason Steele. Newcastle’s Sammy Ameobi has also impressed us and we have a big Sunderland link through our captain Jordan Henderson.”
Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray added: “We are delighted The FA has chosen to host this important match at the Riverside and it will be a prestigious occasion for Middlesbrough Football Club.
“I’m sure our fans will relish the chance to see some of this country’s finest young talents in action as England Under-21s seek to qualify for the 2013 European Championships.”
The fixture against Belgium will also be shown live on ESPN, whilst The FA will be making 500 tickets available for the armed forces charity Tickets for Troops
Three Lions at the Riverside
Sven Goran Ericksson’s Senior team
England 2-1 Slovakia / European Qualifier / June 2003
England Under-21s appearances at the Riverside Stadium:
| England 2-1 Austria | UEFA European Qualifier | 14 November 1995 | attendance 13,496 |
| England 6-1 Georgia | Friendly | 31 August 2000 | attendance 5,103 |
| England 5-0 Albania | UEFA European Qualifier | 4 September 2001 | attendance 23,118 |
| England 3-1 Ukraine | Friendly | 17 August 2004 | attendance 5,658 |
| England 2-0 Azerbaijan | UEFA European Qualifier | 29 March 2005 | attendance 19,095 |
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