England Supporters Club

Southgate's delight for Under 21s crucial win

Posted by Team England at 16:23 on Wednesday 15 October 2014

Gareth Southgate spoke of his pride at the way his England side played their way into next summer’s Euro Finals in Czech Republic.

The Under-21s head coach saw goals from Liam Moore and Will Hughes help England to a 2-1 victory in Vinkovci on Tuesday, following on from the same scoreline in Wolverhampton last week.

And it was the way in which his team approached and executed their style of play in both ties which brought a smile to Southgate’s face after the game.

The victory means England will join seven other nations in Czech Republic next June and become the first nation in UEFA's history to reach five successive Finals in this competition.

And Southgate feels it is fully deserved for his players, including those who have been involved throughout qualifying so far.

“There are so many players who have played a part in getting us to the Finals and every challenge that we’ve put in front of them they’ve risen to,” he added.

“You could write a team-sheet out with three or four illustrious names who weren’t involved this week, but the players who played tonight were outstanding and that’s what I said to them after the game.

“I’m very proud of the group of players and the group of staff who now have the Finals to look forward to next summer.

“It’s a great credit to Stuart [former Under-21s head coach Pearce] for qualifying for four Finals and it put a bit of pressure on for tonight after all of the good things that we’ve done.

“We had to get to the Finals to test ourselves and we’re effectively now in the quarter final stage and it shows that we have got some quality players and depth of talent.”

Southgate and his staff will now start planning for the Finals, with more games to be scheduled in next month and then in the new year.

“We just want to enjoy what we’ve done, not just tonight, but over the last 12 months and the planning really starts now,” said the former Middlesbrough boss. “We believe in them and give them the opportunities, so what we’re going to do now is test themselves against top quality opposition so we’re as prepared as we can be.”