Liam for England (again)

Brownhill picked for England
By Andrew Simpson

LIAM Brownhill has kept his place in the England C squad.

The Witton full back has today been picked for the forthcoming International Challenge Trophy game against Wales.

He is one of only three players from outside the top tier of non league football to make the grade.

Blyth Spartans’ keeper Adam Bartlett and Chelmsford City midfielder Ricky Holmes are the others.

Brownhill, 21, impressed on his debut in the 2-0 victory against Finland in Helsinki last November.

England host Wales at Exeter City’s St James Park on Wednesday, February 20, kick off 7.45pm.


England C: Lance Cronin (Ebbsfleet); Adam Bartlett (Blyth Spartans); Dan Gleeson (Cambridge); Michael Morrison (Cambridge); John Brayford (Burton); Ronnie Henry (Stevenage); Liam Brownhill (Witton); Ricky Holmes (Chelmsford); Ben Harding (Aldershot); Dean Moxey (Exeter); Russ Penn (Kidderminster); Lewis Chalmers (Aldershot); Mitchell Cole (Stevenage); Scott Rendell (Cambridge); Shaun Harrad (Burton); Matt Tubbs (Salisbury).

Anyone going?

England
v
Wales

International Challenge Trophy, Group A
7.45pm, Wednesday 20 February 2008
St James Park, Exeter City FC

The FA today announced details of how to apply for tickets for the forthcoming International Challenge Trophy Group A fixture against Wales.

The game is to be played at Exeter City FC on Wednesday 20 February, with a kick-off at 7.45pm.

Admission is £5, with £1 for concessions and tickets are available from Exeter City FC either in person or by calling the Ticket Office on 01392 411243.

Group Booking and Charter Standard School/Club Forms can be downloaded by clicking on the links.

:-X

FLYBE.COM - £150 return if you fancy it!

Welcome. Already a member? Log in. If not, why not register? Log-In | Register | Q&A | Contact Us

Confirm Flights Search Choose Your Flights Confirm Your Details Choose Your Seats Payment

Simply check and confirm
Below is a summary of your flights and total price excluding any additional services or payment card fees. Simply click continue to proceed with your booking.

Going Out
Flight No BE376
(Economy) Wed 20 Feb 2008 17:30 depart. Manchester (MAN)
18:35 arrive. Exeter (EXT)

Coming Back
Flight No BE371
(Economy) Thu 21 Feb 2008 06:45 depart. Exeter (EXT)
07:55 arrive. Manchester (MAN)

Fare
Booking for 1 passenger
Airfare per Adult £ 95.18 (per person)
Taxes and charges per Adult £ 54.80 (per person)

For 1 Adult
Total airfare and taxes £ 149.98

Copyright © Flybe 2007. All rights reserved

Have checked trains and it works out about 3 1/2 hr trip and about £90 return [br][size=1]Posted on: February 05, 2008, 04:18:42 PM[/size][hr]And also if you can get both days off you can get an early flight on the wednesday which brings the cost down to £105 return!

And 226.7 miles from Wincham Park by car (one way!),

Not that I’m thinking of driving,like. :wink:

GE

Surely Neil wil be though!!!

Small rundown of the squad in the Non League Daily today

Liam Brownhill (Witton Albion)…Defender
The Unibond Leagues most outstanding performer of the season so far deserves his chance for the national side.

We’ll be there (if we can drag Rabbit away from his laptop that is…)

::slight_smile:

Preview to England C game from the FA website.

International Challenge Trophy, Group A
7.45pm, Wednesday 20 February 2008
St James’ Park, Exeter City FC

England C Manager Paul Fairclough admits he can’t wait to see his side get back into action on home soil on Wednesday night when they take on Wales at Exeter City.

With a sizeable crowd expected at St.James’ Park for the match, Fairclough is hoping that the Three Lions can put on a good show and pick up a win.

After winning their first game in the International Challenge Trophy against Finland in Helsinki last November, Fairclough knows that a victory against the Welsh could set England up with a potential Group A decider against Italy from which the winners would progress to the Final next year.

The players know the importance of their task too, but Fairclough believes that his side will be taking to the field intent on putting on a show for the fans.

“One thing which all fans will see from the moment the players take to the pitch is the passion and the pride on show,” said Fairclough, ahead of the game.

“Because they are playing for the Three Lions and their country, that will be noticeable from the word go.

“We want to try and play good football and entertain the crowd at the same time, because that is what football is all about.

“It is about the supporters and it is about winning games, so if you can get that combination right, you’ve got the formula for success and hopefully that can be the case.”

With this being England C’s first home game since November 2006 when Holland were on the end of a 4-1 defeat at Burton, Fairclough admits it is something else for everyone involved to look forward to.

“It is our first home game of the competition after our trip to Finland last November and we’re all very much looking forward to the match and playing in front of a home crowd,” he added.

“That backing can be so important to the players and I think that Exeter is a perfect place for us to be playing at, because I am led to believe that we will be getting a lot of support.

“It’s a bit of a football hotbed in this part of the world and my experiences of coming down to Exeter in the past have always been good ones and I think the crowd will be really important to us in this game.”

Fairclough has had to make two changes to his squad since the weekend, with striker Matt Tubbs of Salisbury City having to pull out due to a hamstring injury sustained in their weekend match with Burton Albion.

He was replaced by Chris Hall of Stalybridge Celtic, but when he unfortunately learned of a family bereavement, Fairclough had to call on another of the standby players in the shape of Jeff Goulding from Fisher Athletic.

Squad changes are something that Fairclough is more than used to though, with the players at his disposal constantly changing. Many of them are often snapped up by League clubs in the transfer windows, whilst injuries are obviously restrictive too.

For instance, one of the goalscorers from the win in November, James Constable, is no longer available after sealing a move to League Two side Shrewsbury Town in January.

He joins a long list of former England C players who have gone on to play in the League, such as Junior Agogo, Aaron McLean, DJ Campbell and Craig Mackail-Smith and many of the players on show on Wednesday will be seeing the game as not only a chance to represent their country, but possibly get themselves in the ‘shop window’.

“We’re pleased with the players though and the success that we’ve enjoyed, because the squad is continually changing,” revealed Fairclough.

“We always have to make some changes because the squad selection alters in almost every transfer window. The players that we have lost from the squad for tonight’s game is largely because they’ve moved on to Football League clubs.”

Fairclough is also expecting a tough game from the Welsh too, with many of their players featuring in the Conference National on a regular basis.

“I’m sure they will give us an extremely tough test,” he admitted.

“They went over to Italy for their last match and whilst they lost 4-2, the game was quite tight and they scored two goals, so that was an achievement in itself.

“They will also be very passionate about representing their country and they need to get a result to get themselves back in with a chance of winning the competition.

“We also need to win to make sure that our next game against Italy ends up being like a group final, so we should have a terrific match in prospect.”

Tickets are on sale now and admission is £5, with £1 for concessions and tickets are available from Exeter City FC either in person or by calling the Ticket Office on 01392 411243.

Group Booking and Charter Standard School/Club Forms can be downloaded by clicking on the links.

England C Squad

Name
Club

Lance Cronin
Ebbsfleet United

Adam Bartlett
Blyth Spartans

Daniel Gleeson
Cambridge United

John Brayford
Burton Albion

Michael Morrison
Cambridge United

Ronnie Henry
Stevenage Borough

Liam Brownhill
Witton Albion

Ricky Holmes
Chelmsford City

Ben Harding
Aldershot Town

Dean Moxey
Exeter City

Russell Penn
Kidderminster Harriers

Lewis Chalmers
Aldershot Town

Mitchell Cole
Stevenage Borough

Scott Rendell
Cambridge United

Shaun Harrad
Burton Albion

Jeff Goulding**
Fisher Athletic

England are 1-0 up at half time but I’ve not been able to find out yet if Liam has started the game or not.[br][size=1]Posted on: February 20, 2008, 08:51:04 PM[/size][hr]Latest 2-1 England

attendance 2443

FT 2-1

Great result. Lets hope that Liam did ok, if he played, and that he comes back to us without any injuries

Lions slay Welsh dragon
By Alex Stone in Exeter. Wednesday, 20 February 2008.

England
2-1
Wales

Cole 39, Chalmers 51

Lawless 49

International Challenge Trophy, Group A
Wednesday 20 February 2008
St James’ Park, Exeter City FC

Football League scouts and managers were amongst the crowd of 2,443 as England C beat Wales 2-1 at Exeter City’s St James’ Park on Wednesday night.

The match was billed as a shoot-out between the leading scorers in the top tier of English non-league football - Stuart Fleetwood and Scott Rendell - but just hours before kick-off, Rendell’s loan move to League Two Peterborough United was confirmed, ruling him out of the game.

Fleetwood showed just why he has been linked with a string of League clubs in the fifth minute.

Michael Morrison failed to get enough on a header back to Lance Cronin in the England goal following a long ball over the top and Fleetwood showed great anticipation to pounce.

Flicking the ball past Cronin with the outside of his foot, the ball hit the left hand post before agonisingly rolling across the goal.

Aldershot’s Lewis Chalmers had England’s first chance on 17 minutes after a fluid passing move that he began, finding Dean Moxey wide on the left.

Moxey burst into the box, found Shaun Harrad, who then squared the ball to the onrushing Chalmers on the edge of the box but the midfielder fired over.

As both sides continued to scrap for possession, England were indebted to Cronin for standing tall and keeping the scores level on 31 minutes.

Craig Jones poked the ball past the challenge of John Brayford but his left foot shot from 12 yards was well beaten away by the Ebbsfleet United keeper.

After Russell Penn had screwed a shot wide, The Three Lions took the lead on 39 minutes.

Mitchell Cole and Shaun Harrad had been involved in some clever link-up play and this time, Cole’s flick found Harrad in the left channel, and onside.

Harrard bore down on the Welsh goal and squared the perfect ball for Cole to fire home at full stretch from eight yards.

Almost immediately Chad Bond drifted a shot inches wide of the England goal as the game continued to open up but England held on to their advantage at half-time.

Whatever was in the tea at half-time saw the game immediately burst back into life.

On 49 minutes, Wales’ Alex Lawless stepped inside Moxey and rifled a 20 yard shot across Cronin into the far corner, a goal which was a carbon copy of Steven Gerrard’s finish against Inter Milan.

Refusing to be knocked out of their stride, England immediately went on the offensive and Penn’s corner saw Chalmers steaming in unmarked to volley past Ashley Morris in the Wales goal to put England back in front two minutes later.

England were beginning to enjoy the bulk of possession and on 68 minutes, very nearly extended their lead.

As the Welsh backline failed to clear the ball, an impudent flick from Cole on the edge of the box set Harrard free. The Burton frontman checked, shifted the ball onto his right foot but his fierce shot was well parried by Morris.

Again the Welsh came back and Cronin stood tall once more to defy Fleetwood in a one on one.

As both sides made substitutions, England remained in the ascendancy but four minutes from time, Wales could have levelled the scores.

Edwards’ left footed cross drifted beyond the reach of Cronin but Craig Jones at the back post couldn’t steer his shot on target, with the goal at his mercy.

With no further scares, at the final whistle, it was The Three Lions who deservedly took the applause of the West Country crowd, in the process maintaining their one hundred percent record in the inaugural International Challenge Trophy.

England: Lance Cronin (Ebbsfleet Utd), John Brayford (Burton Albion), Liam Brownhill (Witton Albion), Ben Harding (Aldershot), Ronnie Henry (Stevenage Borough, capt), Michael Morrison (Cambridge Utd), Russell Penn (Kidderminster Harriers) Daniel Gleeson (Cambridge United, 81 mins), Lewis Chalmers (Aldershot Town), Shaun Harrad (Burton Albion) Ricky Holmes (Chelmsford City, 87 mins), Mitchell Cole (Stevenage Borough) Jeff Goulding (Fisher Athletic, 74 mins), Dean Moxey (Exeter City).

Wales: Ashley Morris (Merthyr Tydfil), Kyle Critchell (Weymouth), Adam Gross (Grays Athletic) Les Davies (Bangor City, 79 mins), Alex Lawless (Forest Green Rovers), Danny Parslow (York City, capt), Lee Surman (Port Talbot Town) Jamie Rewbury (Merthyr Tydfil, 72mins), Michael Byrne (Northwich Victoria) Sion Edwards (Bangor City, 70mins), Paul Fowler (Carmarthen Town), Chad Bond (CF Balaguer), Stuart Fleetwood (Forest Green Rovers), Craig Jones (Llanelli AFC) Ross Stephens (87 mins).

According to the Witton lads in Exeter Liam played well, did not have a huge amount to do. He came through the game fine however whether he comes through the after match drinks without picking up an injury is a different matter!!!

Stuart Fleetwood was apparently not all he was cracked up to be (maybe an off night) and Michael Byrne from across the waters hardly had a touch! :wink:

Described as not being the greatest of games but a winning one, by the sounds of things Liam is fitting in well and no reason why more call-ups should not follow!

Well, we went to Exeter and made it back in one piece! It was well worth the trip and Exeter City were great hosts. Thanks to GE for the tickets that allowed us to get into one of the lounges, very nice! The 2 days were very eventful and involved getting blocked in at Wetherspoons car park yesterday morning, a woman reversing into the middle of a roundabout, the head steward walking us round to a different stand so we could get near the tunnel, a few things that can’t be mentioned on here, and bumping into Steve Burr at the services on the way home (he was obviously very complimentary about Mr Connett!)!!!

The game itself was ok, end to end, and quite a few chances. Didn’t rate Fleetwood very much but it was only one game. Liam had a decent enough game, looked a bit nervous at the start but by the end looked very comfortable. He made a couple of brilliant last ditch challenges near the end that ensured England won. Personally, I think England’s style of play didn’t particularly suit him as he wasn’t able to get forward but there’s no reason why he won’t make the next squad. Me and Robbo had a quiet word in Steve Burr’s ear anyway to make sure!

Credit to Liam, as he was the defender who then cleared the ball off the line before a Welsh attacker could pounce on the loose ball.

There is a video on the FA website saying highlights of the game but I can’t get it to work not sure if its my PC or the video is a dud.

I’ve just watched it Picko so it must be your PC!

If you do manage to watch it, me and Robbo are in the corner where the England players are celebrating the 2nd goal! Fame at last!