England U17 captain Ryan Ledson says there is no-one else he would rather have had in goal for the penalty shoot-out victory over Holland than team-mate Freddie Woodman.
Ledson led his side to European Championship success at the Ta’Qali National Stadium in Malta on Wednesday as John Peacock's side defeated the Dutch 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
The skipper showed all the leadership qualities needed on an occasion like this, stepping up to take the first penalty and converting to get England off to the best possible start.
England 1-1 Holland
England win 4-1 on penalty kicks
UEFA European U17 Championship
The Final
Wednesday 21 May 2014
National Stadium, Ta'Qali, Malta
“To be honest, I thought I was going to be more nervous than I was,” he told TheFA.com. “I was quite calm and won the toss. I always wanted first penalty, to put the pressure right on them, and even if I missed, it still would have been.
“Luckily though, we’ve been practising, and I’ve hit my best one of the week and put it right in the corner. It got the lads off to a great start.”
Ledson’s strike was followed by Taylor Moore, Callum Cooke and Jonjoe Kenny, who all converted spot-kicks. But goalkeeper Woodman showed his credentials, saving Holland’s first spot-kick and watching another go wide – and his performance was praised by the captain.
Ledson added: “Freddie has stepped up to the plate and does what he does best. I fancied him all the way through to save some penalties and there is no other keeper I would have had in that situation.
“The rest of the lads were excellent and I was made up when my mate Jonjoe scored the winner. It has been a tough couple of months for him. He broke his collar-bone back in January playing for England and it was fitting for him to hit the winner.”
Having achieved such an incredible feat, Ledson says the feeling of being a European champion is still sinking in – but he was quick to praise his manager for guiding an England team to European glory for the second time, following similarly triumphant scenes in Liechtenstein in 2010.
“It still hasn’t sunk in yet and I hardly got any sleep as the messages were just flying through all night. It’s unbelievable – to captain your country is amazing, but to lead them to European Championship glory will never be beaten.
“John has been brilliant all through the tournament. He has been great with all the players and got his tactics spot on. As you can see, when he gets to the finals, he delivers. That shows what a great manager he is.”
