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03.04.2007 at 17:00 Chantonnay, France
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Attendance: |
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England |
3 - 0
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Ireland Under 16 |
Norwood 26 pen, 40,mins
Forrester 71 mins |
None. |
1.Wesley Foderingham,
2 Chris Solly,
3 Ben Gordon,
4 Oliver Norwood,
5 Kyle Bartley,
6 Thomas Cruise,
7 Matthew James,
8 Dean Parrett,
9 Nathan Delfouneso,
10 John Bostock,
15 Nicholas Ajose |
Harry Lee
John Dunleavy
Greg Cunningham
Gearoid Morrissey
Richard Towell
Conor Clifford
David Heagney
Paul Murphy
Aaron Doran
Kallum Keane
James Wallace
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England 3 Republic of Ireland 0
Norwood 26 pen, 40, Forrester 71
The Montaigu Tournament
U16 International Friendly Tournament, Group D
5pm, Tuesday 3 April 2007
Kenny Swain's England U16s kicked off their Montaigu Tournament campaign with a confident display against Ireland, scoring three goals with opportunities for more.
The annual competition in France sees the very best of youth football from around the globe competing over eight days of intense preparation for future competitive tournaments.
England started the game strongly and worked hard to press home their advantage and dominance in possession. With chances flowing for the Young Lions the most important thing for Kenny Swain's team was not to lose concentration at the back, but Ireland rarely had a chance on goal.
Despite the strong start it was not until the 26th minute that England took the lead, with Manchester United midfielder Oliver Norwood scoring from the spot. His club teammate Nicky Ajose was brought down in the box and Norwood stepped up to put his country in front from 12-yards out.
On the stroke of half time Norwood made it 2-0 with a powerful header at the far post. It was more than deserved for the overwhelming dominance that Swain's side had enjoyed in the first period, and it was a great way to start the tournament for Norwood especially.
Harry Forrester completed the scoring with just nine minutes to play, going through on goal the Watford forward showed composure to slide the ball past the onrushing Irish keeper.
Kenny Swain admitted he was pleased with the way the game had gone: "It is a solid start and all things considered we are relatively satisfied with how the game went for us," Swain told TheFA.com.
"From a defensive point of view there are one or two things we can work on, but we were good in possession and we controlled the game throughout.
"We have scored three good goals and when you really look at the chances it could have been more for us. In truth they haven't really threatened our goal either.
"The main test will be the number of games for these players in such a short space of time. This is a friendly tournament but it is crucial preparation for the competitive tournaments that these players will go on to compete in should they make the step up to U17 level next season."
England broke the deadlock after 25th minutes from the penalty spot before adding a second on the stroke of half-time. Ireland improved their performance in the second half and had chances to pull a goal back but the English scored a third goal with ten minutes to go until full-time.
Vincent Butler’s team have the opportunity of putting the result behind them when they meet the USA on Thursday in their second and final game of the three-nation group.
Ireland struggled to find any rhythm in the first half and conceded a penalty when Greg Cunningham, playing in the left-back position, committed a foul inside of the area.
Manchester United player Oliver Norwood found the back of the net from the spot to make it 1-0 despite Ireland keeper Harry Lee guessing the right way.
Gearoid Morrissey came close to drawing Ireland level within a minute but his shot from the edge of the box was well gathered by the English net-minder.
Whatever prospect Ireland had of rescuing the game in the second half shattered moments before the referee sounded the half-time whistle when their opponents bagged a second goal.
Manager Butler got the desired response from his players after the break and both Conor Clifford and Paul Murphy were presented with openings to reduce the deficit only to be thwarted by the keeper on each occasion.
England looked dangerous on the counter-attack and made it 3-0 in the 70th minute to compound Ireland’s misery.
Manager Vincent Butler had no complaints about the outcome of the match: “England were the better side and though we upped our game in the second half, they were always a threat in front of goal, “Hopefully, we can improve for the next match against the USA on Thursday.”
Ireland:
Harry Lee - Charlton Athletic
Richard Towell - Crumlin United
Kallum Keane - Derby County
John Dunleavy - Ballybofey United
Greg Cunningham - Mervue United
Aaron Doran - Blackburn Rovers
Conor Clifford - Crumlin United
Gearoid Morrissey - Ringmahon Rangers
Paul Murphy - Crumlin United
David Heagney - Huddersfield Town
James Wallace - Everton
SUBS:
Jason Hughes – Geraldines for Heagney - 52 mins
Conor Hourihane - Douglas Hall for Morrissey - 60 mins
Robbie Gibbons - Lourdes Celtic for Murphy - 74 mins
Karl Sheppard - Shelbourne for Wallace - 78 mins
England: 1 Wesley Foderingham, 2 Chris Solly (14 Adam Smith 76), 3 Ben Gordon, 4 Oliver Norwood, 5 Kyle Bartley, 6 Thomas Cruise, 7 Matthew James (17 Mitchell McPike 55), 8 Dean Parrett (12 Adam Phillip 72), 9 Nathan Delfouneso, 10 John Bostock (18 Harry Forrester 55), 15 Nicholas Ajose ( 11 Andros Townsend 76)
Subs Not Used: 13 Declan Rudd, 16 Jacob Mellis |
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