Promising England pay for false start

Won one, drawn one, lost one (albeit in reverse order). The statistics barely tell the story of England's efforts in UEFA European Under-19 Championship Group B which yielded not a semi-final place but a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup. For head coach Brian Eastick there was much more to England's story in Bohemia than an incremental improvement in results.

Slow start
The fate of a team who, according to Eastick, were "unlucky not to be going to the semi-finals", was coloured by their opening game in Jablonec on 14 July. England "started slowly", allowed the Czech Republic two quick second-half goals through defensive errors, and failed to take their chances. "It is all ifs, buts and maybes but you do look back and think 'if we hadn't made those two unforced errors'." Indecision between goalkeeper David Button and centre-back Krystian Pearce, followed by non-existent marking from a corner, invited Tomáš Necid to score twice. England were already playing catch-up.

Goal drought
"In tournament play you have to keep clean sheets," Eastick pointed out. "The first result left us needing to beat Italy and win the Greece game too." The coach felt his side deserved to achieve the required result against the Azzurri in Jablonec last Thursday. However, the goalscoring touch which had produced 17 goals in six qualifiers was nowhere to be seen, especially in a dominant first-half display. When the drought finally ended in Liberec on Sunday, with Greece being brushed aside by second-half strikes from Ben Mee, Freddie Sears and Daniel Sturridge, it was too late to rescue the campaign.

Narrow margins
"We got better and better, playing brilliant football at times," Eastick said. "It is not often you qualify with four points but we almost did." England, level with the Czechs but one point behind Italy, missed out because of their head-to-head record against the hosts. "The teams in the group were very tight, with not much in it. But they say that in tournament football you can't afford to lose your first game. Also, a clean sheet is not a negative thing and we needed to start with one."

'Terrific' experience
The evidence of the last two matches at least – "people will have been entertained" – suggests a bright future for the U19s and beyond. "We have good players," the coach said. "We will do a debrief with the players, let the dust settle, and a lot of them will come back next season – Jason Steele, Danny Rose and Krystian Pearce, for example. Hopefully the experience they gained will stand them in good stead next year. It will also mean they go back to their clubs as better players. They will have learnt from this tournament because it has been a terrific opportunity to come and play against the best teams and players in Europe."

Silver lining
If England's recovery of a clinical edge proves permanent, then Eastick and company could also make an impact at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt in September 2009. "Thirteen months is a long time in football and a lot can happen before the World Cup. But that will be a great chance to play against the best in the world. We hope our federation will be strong and will allow the best players to have the opportunity to go and sample the finals. I'm trying to hide my disappointment but we are through to the world finals, which is something to look forward to."