Despite his burning desire to play the English off the park, County’s winger David Pipe, and Welsh under-21 captain, got an unruly surprise last night at the hands of England’s young guns. Pipe’s young Welsh Dragons were beaten by their English counterparts rife in experience, depth and quality who swept past the Welsh with help from substitute, Darren Bent.
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Yet it took just thirty seconds for Peter Taylor’s under-21 side to find the net after the restart, with James Milner getting the English noses in front – with Pipe playing an instrumental role in England’s opener, giving the ball away for the opposition to strike.
But super-sub Darren Bent, who replaced the injured Carlton Cole early on, was to administer the lethal blow to the Welsh with an inevitable second for the mainly Premiership studded English.
Wayne Henderson, who’s agreed to fly home from the French capital today to rejoin the squad for tomorrow’s trip to Moss Rose, suffered the similar feat to his adopted County team-mate, Pipe. With Henderson also turning in a full game for his respective country, despite being unable to halt their French counterparts’ 100 per cent start to their under-21 qualifying campaign in Troyes last night.
The Irish were perhaps lucky to hold onto the contest when Liverpool’s Florent Sinama-Pongolle fluffed his penalty after already having had to be denied by Henderson himself in the Republic’s goal against a French team that forced even Arsenal’s Gael Clichy out of the starting XI.
But the French were to snatch all three points in the dying moments with defender, Stephen Drouin heading past Henderson to claim victory.
Ex Notts players Jermaine Pennant – nearing an under-21 caps record – and Patrick McCarthy (Republic of Ireland) were also in action last night alongside our two very own international hopefuls.