Despite the elation of scoring his first goal for England Under-21s to beat Belarus in Barnsley, Ben Gibson insisted Thursday’s game was about more than the result.
It took the Three Lions 83 minutes to break down their visitors, before the Middlesbrough defender smashed home a close-range shot to secure victory.
England U21s 1-0 Belarus
Vauxhall International match
Oakwell, Barnsley
Thursday 11 June 2015
But with the first game of the Euro Finals against Portugal just a week away for Gareth Southgate’s men, Gibson soon put thoughts from Oakwell to the back of his mind.
The game never really sprang into life, and for most of the second half it looked as though Belarus were about to hold on for what would have been a memorable result given the circumstances.
Ben Gibson scores his first goal for England Under-21s
But a close-range strike from defender Ben Gibson with just seven minutes remaining gave Gareth Southgate his 15th victory out of 17 games in charge and plenty to think about as his team prepare to head out to Czech Republic on Sunday.
“It was nice to finally get a goal, after I’d missed a few chances but it was good to get one in the end,” he told TheFA.com.
Ben Gibson opens his England Under-21s account
“More importantly though, it was a good run out for the boys, good minutes under the belt and it was a good test in the end.
“I should have scored in the first half and I had a couple of chances in the Germany game before that, so it was good to finally get on the scoresheet.
“But getting 90 minutes was more important tonight and it was good minutes for the rest of the boys, we need those minutes to get us flying for the rest of the Euros and the tournament that lies ahead.”
Gibson and his defensive colleagues were largely untroubled by a stubborn Belarus side for the most part of the contest.
“We have no injuries and we feel ready. We’re really excited about the test that lies ahead”
Ben Gibson
The Teesside-born central defender knows the onus is on them to be sharper in those situations, but after the best part of a fortnight together at St. George’s Park he believes they are now ready for action.
“We controlled large parts of the game and could have been a bit neater and tidier at times, me particularly, but we all demand of each other all the time but overall, it was a good run out,” he added.
“It’s been a really positive two weeks, just to get the lads back up and running again and feeling fit.
“We have no injuries and we feel ready. We’re really excited about the test that lies ahead.”