Aidy Boothroyd praised his Young Lions after they completed their calendar year unbeaten with a 1-1 draw and shootout win Portugal.
The England U20s head coach – who took over the age group in March – ends the year with a record of four wins and two draws, including a triumphant Four Nation Tournament campaign in which they finished above Germany, Netherlands and Turkey to claim the trophy.
Portugal 1-1 England
England win 4-3 on penalties
Under-20 International
Estadio Sergio Conceicao
Coimbra, Portugal
Monday 17 November 2014
And Boothroyd says it has been a positive period for him and his players.
“It’s been excellent,” he said after the game in Coimbra. “I’ve really enjoyed working for England. To work with the quality of players we get to work with is very rewarding.
“To play against opposition like Germany, Portugal and Holland – strong European teams – and to come away with results is all part and parcel of the guys' learning and progression.
“My job is to get these guys ready to into Gareth Southgate’s team and hopefully further – that's what it’s all about.”
Boothroyd’s U20s took the lead at the Estadio Sergio Conceicao on 29 minutes through Southampton left-back Matt Targett but were pegged back by Gelson Martins’ goal on the hour-mark.
And after watching a successful penalty shootout, the Young Lions boss said he was pleased with the result against high-calibre opposition.
Aidy Boothroyd says his first year in charge of the U20s has been 'very rewarding'
“They were runners-up in the [U19] European Championships and were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Germany in the final, so to get a result like that on their home soil is very positive,” he continued.
“We were looking for a good performance. We certainly got that in the first half, we were excellent and it could have been a lot more than 1-0 at half-time.
“We created a lot of chances, especially in the first half, that we should of taken.”
The two sides had agreed before the game that should it end with the scores level, a penalty shootout would be used to decide to victor.
England won 4-3 and Boothroyd said it would be another useful exercise in the players’ development.
“It’s great because the lads might face that in the Toulon Tournament or in the Under-21s, or should they get into the senior team,” he added.
“So trying to recreate that pressure is something we’ve looked to do, not just in the U20s but in all the age groups.”
“When we get together in March we’ll continue that preparation and get them ready for Toulon – which is the most important thing for this group”
Aidy Boothroyd
England U20s head coach
The result followed a 2-2 draw against Canada in Bournemouth, and although Boothroyd expressed frustration at losing a late equaliser on the south coast, he finished by saying he was pleased with how the year has concluded.
He said: “All in all it’s been a really good week. We’re unbeaten as we finish the year.
“Results are not everything at this level but they are important and performance is important – and we’ve had some very pleasing games this year on that front.
“I just want them to continue to progress as players, whether they’re playing in their own teams or out on loan, we just want to see their development continue.
“We’ll be keeping a close eye on them, watching the games, getting out to the clubs and speaking to their coaches.
“When we get together again in March we’ll continue that preparation and get them ready for Toulon – which is the most important thing for this group.”
