England U19s smashed seven past Poland at St. George’s Park to kick-start their season in style.
Paul Simpson’s squad were in unforgiving form on Friday afternoon, as they begin their new campaign aiming to defend the Euro title which last season’s U19s lifted.
And the head coach will be pleased with the early signs as they collected a 7-1 victory at the national football centre, where they’ve been training all week, with all their seven goals coming in the first half.
The goals came from just three players too, as a hat-trick apiece for Sheffield Wednesday’s George Hirst and Arsenal’s Edward Nketiah along with a solitary strike from Sunderland’s Elliot Embleton completed the scoring.
Poland pulled a goal back in the 56th minute through Radoslaw Kanach.
The Young Lions will remain at St. George’s Park for the next few days, before they play their second game on Tuesday night against Germany at Mansfield Town.
Tickets for that game are on sale, priced at just £3 for adults and £1.50 for concessions. They can be purchased in person from the ticket office at One Call Stadium or via telephone on 01623 482 482. Supporters can also pay on the day of the match up until kick-off.
England: 1 Ellery Balcombe (Brentford); 2 Reece James (Chelsea), 3 Keanen Bennett (Tottenham Hotspur), 4 Joe Willock (Arsenal), 5 Japhet Tanganga (Tottenham Hotspur), 6 Ed Francis (Manchester City), 7 Daniel Kemp (West Ham United), 8 Tristan Nydam (Ipswich Town), 9 George Hirst (Sheffield Wednesday), 10 Elliot Embleton (Sunderland), 11 Edward Nketiah (Arsenal).
Substitutes: 21 Jake Turner (Bolton Wanderers) for Balcombe 46, 15 Tariq Uwakwe (Chelsea) for Willock 60, 23 Marcus McGuane (Arsenal) for Nydam 60, 17 Jonathan Leko (Bristol City, loan from WBA) for Kemp 60, 20 Mason Mount (Vitesse Arnhem, loan from Chelsea) for Embleton 67, 19 Reiss Nelson (Arsenal) for Nketiah 67
Substitutes not used: 12 Dujon Sterling (Chelsea), 13 Ryan Schofield (Huddersfield Town), 14 Jaden Brown (Tottenham Hotspur), 16 Flynn Downes (Ipswich Town), 18 Ben Brereton (Nottingham Forest), 22 Josh Tymon (Stoke City)
Head coach: Paul Simpson
Goals: George Hirst (6, 25, 27), Edward Nketiah (10, 18, 31), Elliot Embleton (15)
