England cruise into finals

Perfect record
John Peacock's side utilised home advantage to good effect over the course of the mini-tournament, winning all three games and scoring nine goals without reply.

Czechs finish third
England went into their final game against Scotland at Prenton Park, Tranmere knowing that a draw would be enough to progress, but in the event they secured a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Mark Noble (42 minutes) and Aaron Lennon (78). Scotland still finished second with Czech Republic third after winning their final game 3-0 against Slovakia in Leigh.

Good start for hosts
The tournament had began with England beating the Czechs 2-0 thanks to a goal from Martin Cranie and a Ryan Jarvis penalty in front of a crowd of more than 1,500 at the Deva stadium, Chester. Scotland drew their opening tie 0-0 with Slovakia at Southport.

Taylor at the double
On Friday the next series of games saw England beat Slovakia 5-0 in Bolton, with Steven Taylor scoring twice. Meanwhile, Scotland beat the Czechs 3-0 in Chester, with second-half goals from Kevin McKinlay, Darren Campbell and Robert Davidson.

Five to go
England's triumph ensures they join Spain and hosts Portugal in this May's final tournament. Five more mini-tournaments will be contested over the next few weeks to determine the other qualifiers.