English Schools' Football Association

England U18 Schools' Manager, Andy Williams (light blue) coaches squad

esfa.co.uk caught up with England Under 18 Schools' Team Manager, Andy Williams, after the 1-0 win against Wales on Friday 25 March at Yeovil Town FC.

Andy reflected, "When you suffer bitter disappointment as we did, all you want to do is put it right as quickly as possible. So the three week wait since the defeat to Northern Ireland was probably the longest three weeks of my life! With that in mind we deliberately kept the build up low key and relaxed with everything lively and upbeat. I have to give the players enormous credit, because to a man they arrived with real focus and determination to put that disappointment behind them and to get the result they knew they were more than capable of. I have to say this squad of players are so talented and so professional, through all of the build-up we had total faith in their ability and they duly delivered.

I am delighted the boys got the result the performance deserved. We started brightly and managed to carve out some early opportunities. In gaining the upper hand I was always confident we would get the first goal. Although the goal was as a result of their goalkeeper error and the game finished one nil, I think we were good value for that; it was just a shame we never managed to get the second and close the game off earlier. I am also equally as pleased for the organisers and the 6200 crowd. It was fantastic to see so many people come out and support us and to fill the stadium. I'd like to say a huge thank you to the crowd for their contibution to our victory and the goal in particular - they were magnificent.

We now approach the next international against Poland and the challenge of Scotland that lies ahead in better spirits and with great optimism."

England Schools' Fixture List 2011
England Schools' Squad profiles 2011