New-look England hold same ambition

Semi-finalists in 2007 then runners-up at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Sweden, England bounced back from the disappointment of their heavy 4-0 final loss to Germany by qualifying for their third consecutive finals. They clinched their place courtesy of a play-off victory over Romania after finishing runners-up to Greece in Group 9.

Stuart Pearce's new-look side took time to gel, but enjoyed the happy knack of securing the right result when required, starting with a 2-1 comeback win in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in September 2009. Only four of Pearce's first XI had started the 2009 final in Malmo, but one of that quartet, Lee Cattermole, buried the 83rd-minute winner after substitute Jack Wilshere, the exciting young Arsenal FC midfielder, had won a penalty.

A fifth-minute effort from Chelsea FC's Daniel Sturridge got England off to a flying start in Greece in their next outing but they had to settle for a 1-1 draw. England's frustration did not last long as they earned a 6-3 home win against FYROM – Zavon Hines and Andy Carroll both plundered doubles while Kieran Gibbs scored at either end – before Danny Rose thrilled a 33,833 Wembley crowd by helping dispatch Portugal 1-0.

Victory in Lithuania would have lifted England top alongside Greece yet the game finished goalless and Pearce's men then suffered a damaging 2-1 loss to the group leaders in Doncaster. Fortunately, a 1-0 success in Portugal rekindled their chances, Chelsea FC forward Sturridge firing the 32nd-minute decider, though the goal's architect was Manchester United FC midfielder Tom Cleverley, the only player to appear in all ten qualifiers.

A pair of strikes plus an assist from Daniel Welbeck then saw off Lithuania 3-0 and earned England a play-off place as one of the four best group runners-up. Welbeck is one of four players to have graduated so far from the England side that reached the UEFA European Under-19 Championship final in Ukraine, along with Nathan Delfouneso, Henri Lansbury and Kyle Walker.

And so to Carrow Road, Norwich for the first leg of the play-off against Romania, where Manchester United FC defender Chris Smalling earned the hosts a slender 2-1 lead via a scrambled 83rd-minute finish from a corner, Ioan Hora having earlier cancelled out a volley by highly regarded Sunderland AFC midfielder Jordan Henderson. Smalling's late contribution looked even more telling five days later when England sealed their ticket to Denmark with a 0-0 stalemate, goalkeeper Frank Fielding making a string of saves.