All right on England's left

By Andrew Haslam in Belfast

England's performances at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals have been increasingly impressive, culminating in the dismantling of much-fancied Serbia and Montenegro in Tuesday's semi-final.

Developing partnership
A key factor has been the combination of Andrew Taylor and Lee Holmes down the left flank, a partnership that has flourished as the tournament has progressed. The pair have played every minute of England's four matches, and Taylor believes their understanding has developed as a result.

Left-sided link
"I link up quite well with Lee on the left, which started in the qualifiers and we've carried on from there," the Middlesbrough FC defender told uefa.com. "It's working well. We understand each other's runs, when to come short or go long, and we've done really well together."

Sharpness returning
Both players believe Tuesday's 3-1 semi-final success represented England's best display in Northern Ireland to date, and both identified match fitness as a crucial element. "We've been getting better every game, and we're going into the final hoping we can improve a little bit more," Derby County FC midfielder Holmes said. "With every game, we've got sharper and fitter. It took us a couple of games to get into it, but we've got going now."

Ready to peak
"I think the team's getting fitter as we go along," agreed Taylor. "We'd done a bit of running before we came, but it's not the same as match fitness and now I hope we're just starting to reach our peak and that we can carry that on against France."

Previous meeting
The two countries drew 1-1 in the first game of the finals, although Taylor and Holmes concur that England might have edged it. "France are a very good team, but we did well against them in the first game and I think we should have won that really," said left-back Taylor. "We've got the ability to beat them, but anything can happen on the day. Hopefully we'll come out on top."

Positive prospects
Holmes, meanwhile, told uefa.com that there is room for improvement from that first meeting: "I didn't think we played that well, even though we got a reasonable result we weren't at our best. We seemed to tail off a bit in the second half, although they didn't play as they can do either which maybe helped us. But if they look at the semi-final, they'll know they're in for a good game in the final.

'Every chance'
"We've got every chance of winning," continued the winger, who has scored five goals in 13 U19 appearances. "We'll both respect what the other has done and how they've got there, so it should be a good game. Both teams have got better and better as the tournament has gone on and I think the improving standard of play means it'll be a totally different game from the first. I think there'll be more goals, and the stronger team defensively will win."

'Hardest game'
Taylor, who sustained a leg injury against Norway but still produced a solid showing against the Serbo-Montenegrins, is confident that side will be England. "This is the European stage with the continent's best players and it's live on Eurosport, so it'll be the biggest and, I think, hardest game of my career so far," he said. "I feel ready for it, and I think the lads are all ready to go; we're all full of confidence, all together and we're ready."