An excellent training day warm up for England’s Over 50’s shadow squad took place at Solihull Football Centre last Saturday. The newly formed teams from the North West Region managed by Tony Hartley and Birmingham County FA League were worthy opponents as all six games ended in draws. Goals were hard to come by as defences and goalkeepers were in fine form. England’s shadow squad tried various formations and combinations to ensure the best preparation for the forthcoming international at St Georges Park against Wales. Goals from Nick Morris and Neil Carr against the North West were enough for two 1-1 draws and bizarrely all Birmingham CFA games ended as nil - nil.
After the games England’s Assistant Manager David Castle commented,
“This was a great work out for the lads and really good for the big game in two weeks, Dave Scotney and Rob Pass were particularly impressive for me and with the Neil’s upfront (Davey and Carr) we’ve got so many options. Today was all about looking at alternatives and other ways in which we can play. We only get together every other month so it’s important we use the time wisely. Our opponents were tough and well organised which was exactly what we needed.”
