English Schools' Football Association

England Schools Under 18 Squad 2011

England’s interest in the Centenary Shield came to an end in front of the Sky cameras, at Tulloch Park, the home of Inverness Caledonian Thistle when going down by 1-0 to a dominant Scotland team on Thursday 21 April.

On a cool night at the Tulloch Stadium, with the ‘Haar’ swirling around the Black Isle England began this must win contest well. An early clearance from Hart was the only action in the first few minutes but the game exploded into life when some scintillating interplay between Boakye and Thompson set up a great chance for Gonclaves Abreu but his shot struck the post and bounced to safety.

The Scots forced their way into the game and began to put England under real pressure. Johnson placed a header just wide from a corner and had another header well blocked by Thompson. Urquhart then hit a well struck shot that just cleared the bar. In a sporadic England attack a good cross from Sherratt was met at the near post by Meaney but his header clipped the post and bounced to safety. Despite struggling to retain possession and build any meaningful attacks England showed dogged resistance ended the half all square and arguably had the best two chances.

Again England started brightly and Boakye who was a constant threat when pushing forward and Thompson set up Abreu who spurned the chance to shoot but put in a glorious chip which the onrushing Sherratt headed wide of the goal. This was to prove a costly miss. As the game developed Scotland began to dominate the possession and looked the more likely team to score but England would not yield and a splendid block by Summers denied Johnson. This was to prove his last contribution as he fell awkwardly when challenging for a ball and had to leave the field injured.

Missing such an influential forward England clawed their way back into the game and Thompson smacked the bar with the Scot’s keeper stranded and for the first time the white shirts were seeing more of the ball. England were having their best spell when a long clearance found Milton who floated a deep cross into the England area. Thompson having backtracked superbly was unable to control his header and it fell to the feet of Love who smashed the ball past a helpless Hart and into the England goal.

The goal was enough to send England to defeat and give the Scots their first win in a decade against ‘the auld enemy’.

The England team were devastated and now travel to Dublin to play the Republic of Ireland in what will be their final swansong.

Scotland: D Shaw Devlin O’Ware, Clark Lawson Urquhart), Ronald (Love, 46), Lennox, Milton (Kennedy, 63), Burns (Connelly, 87), Johnston (Scott, Livingston 63).

England: Hart, Boakye, Glover, Summers, White, Ayris, Goncalves Abreu (Wood, 89), Thompson (Moyo, 89), Sherratt (Evans, 78), Cheetham, Meaney.

Photo courtesy of www.rwt-photography.co.uk
England Schools 18 Fixtures and Results