England take control of group
Monday, March 28, 2005
Article summary
England 3-0 Northern Ireland John Peacock's side are one point away from qualifying after another Group 2 win.
Article body
England are one point away from reaching May's UEFA European Under-17 Championship final tournament after a decisive victory that ended the campaign of fellow 2003/04 qualifiers Northern Ireland.
Davies' dream goal
While England had begun their Elite round Group 2 campaign on home soil with a 3-1 victory against Serbia and Montenegro on Saturday, Northern Ireland had lost 2-1 to the Republic of Ireland so could not afford another defeat. But they were soon behind at Molineux to a 19th-minute goal from debutant James Vaughan and seven minutes later Wolverhampton Wanderers FC's Mark Davies, captaining England on his club's home ground, doubled the advantage.
Wednesday decider
Michael Mancienne made it 3-0 just after the break to seal victory, and with England's Wednesday opponents in Walsall, Ireland, losing 2-1 today to Serbia and Montenegro, a draw would be enough to seal the available berth in Italy for John Peacock's side. Northern Ireland meet fellow eliminated nation Serbia and Montenegro in Kidderminster the same night hoping for a win that could relieve them of fourth place.
Peacock's comments
