Ben Brereton believes he can help add a few extra bums on seats in Mansfield on Tuesday.
The Nottingham Forest striker is hoping to lead the line for England U19s when they face Germany at the One Call Stadium, just a short distance from his club’s base.
And with top quality opposition in store too, he wants to see some local support heading across county to watch the Young Lions.
“It’s just 20 minutes away from Nottingham, so it’s great for me, my family and friends,” revealed Brereton, who starts the new U19s campaign having been part of the squad which won last season’s Euro title.
“There’s been a few ticket requests coming into me for it, so hopefully we’ll have a bit more support but it’s great for me to have the chance to play for England so close to home.
“It’s always a competitive game against Germany and one that everyone wants to play in. It’ll be a good experience to have, so I’m looking forward to it.”
The 18-year-old is a relative newcomer to the international scene, having only received his first England call-up in March for the U19s’ final Euro qualifying round.
It’s all been plain-sailing from there, as the Young Lions have won every single game out of the seven that he’s featured in since.
And having now worked with Paul Simpson’s crop for the new campaign at St. George’s Park over the last week, he’s confident that success can continue.
“The lads were quality last season and I think this year’s group are just the same so hopefully we can get there and win it again,” he added.
“I only came in for the last camp [before the Euros] having not really been involved with England and then we went and won the Euros.
“It was something I’ll never forget, the team spirit was amazing and as the games went on, we were all confident that we were going to win them. We would get a result in each game and that would add to the togetherness, so it was great.
“I felt fabulous all summer after that, I came back to Forest with a lot of confidence having won the Euros and I took that into pre-season and it’s going well.
“Now, it’s about getting the team together and working on things, strengths and weaknesses in training and it’s a good game to have in place.”
Tickets for the game with Germany cost just £3 for adults and £1.50 for concessions and you can purchase them from the ticket office at Mansfield or call 01623 482 482.
