Peacock hopes for England return

Only one nation qualified for the first four UEFA European Under-17 Championship final tournaments from 2001/02, and although England's run was ended in the Elite round by eventual winners Russia last season, coach John Peacock - who took them to the semi-finals in 2003 and 2004 - is looking forward to having another attempt this spring.

New opponents
England take on Group 3 hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Azerbaijan from 23 to 28 March for a place in Belgium just over a month later, a draw that intrigues Peacock. "There are two new countries there to us," he told uefa.com. "When I was working for the FA back in the 90s we played Bosnia but Azerbaijan are a new proposition to us. Serbia we played in 2005. Some unknown quantities."

Preparations
Peacock's squad did not have to play in the qualifying round, as they are one of the top three seeds excused that stage. Instead that trio travelled to Belgium to play the finals hosts in a mini-tournament in October, and although England started with a 3-2 defeat by a Bojan Krkić-inspired Spain, they drew 1-1 with Portugal and overcame Belgium 2-0 to finish second, the same position they managed in the Nordic Tournament 2006 in the Faroe Islands last summer prior to winning the strong FA International event against Turkey, the United States and Portugal on home soil.

'Good week'
In Belgium, England also got to experience to of the venues where they could be playing finals games if they qualify - Eupen and Vise - and Peacock was impressed. "In Belgium it was very well hosted," he said "The venue was a quiet location, which for 17-year-old players is fine. The pitches were very good and the tournament was excellent, we pitched ourselves against Spain, Portugal and Belgium. It was a good week. We experienced tournament football, which is very different and a big test for young players. You have to give them as many opportunities to experience things as they can."

Experience
Peacock believes even going to mini-tournaments, especially somewhere new for them like Bosnia-Herzegovina, offers a tremendous opportunity for young players. "It's all about being a tourist in the sense of having to go away to these nations that our players have not been to before," he said. "It's good to experience that and is another challenge for them; not just playing football, but life off it."

Russia surprise
However England, who have fielded the likes of Wayne Rooney, Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott in U17 final tournaments, did not get to experience Luxembourg last year after running into Russia. Peacock admits that despite that loss, he still did not expect Russia to then go all the way. "Russia were very well organised, with good players, but it was a surprise to see them and the Czech Republic get to the final," he said. "You can never underestimate anybody."