Jake Forster-Caskey was delighted to mark his full debut for England’s under-21 side with a goal in a 3-0 win against Qatar last night.
The 20-year-old starred for the Three Lions in their opening game of the Toulon Tournament in France, netting the second goal with a superb left-foot strike from the edge of the area.
He told seagulls.co.uk, “It’s always an honour to play for your country and to score was a great bonus for me. I was playing just behind the striker, which gave me a bit more freedom than I’m used to, and I really enjoyed it.
“When the ball left my foot, I knew it was going in. It wasn’t quite as spectacular as the goal I scored at Doncaster last season, but it was a great feeling to see the ball hit the back of the net.
“Having come on as a sub against Wales last week [in a European U21 Championships qualifier], it was nice to start this time. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression as they say, and I was pleased the game went well, both personally and for the team.
“We’ve got a really good squad here, players who want to get the ball down and play, and as we play the same way at Brighton, I settled quickly into the game and really enjoyed the experience. It was a good win against a side that dug in, defended deep and proved hard to hard break down – again, I’ve had plenty of experience of coming up against teams like that when playing at the Amex. It was a game where we had to be patient.”
Jake’s 54th-minute strike also saw fellow Seagull Solly March involved in the build-up, and he was delighted to see the winger make his international bow. “It was good to play alongside Solly,” Forster-Caskey added. “We all know what he can do when he gets on the ball and he did well. Hopefully we’ve both done enough to keep our place for the next game.”
Brazil are the next opponents on Monday and although he is expecting a sterner test, Jake believes the game could play into England’s hands.
“It will be a difficult test because Brazil have some really good players, but it could be an easier game than Qatar in some respects because they won’t just sit behind the ball and ask us to break them down. They will come to attack, and we play the same way, so it could be a really open game.
“It’s game I’d love to play in though, so I’ve got to keep working hard in training and hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to build on my performance last night.”*
Original article
The 20-year-old starred for the Three Lions in their opening game of the Toulon Tournament in France, netting the second goal with a superb left-foot strike from the edge of the area.
He told seagulls.co.uk, “It’s always an honour to play for your country and to score was a great bonus for me. I was playing just behind the striker, which gave me a bit more freedom than I’m used to, and I really enjoyed it.
“When the ball left my foot, I knew it was going in. It wasn’t quite as spectacular as the goal I scored at Doncaster last season, but it was a great feeling to see the ball hit the back of the net.
“Having come on as a sub against Wales last week [in a European U21 Championships qualifier], it was nice to start this time. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression as they say, and I was pleased the game went well, both personally and for the team.
“We’ve got a really good squad here, players who want to get the ball down and play, and as we play the same way at Brighton, I settled quickly into the game and really enjoyed the experience. It was a good win against a side that dug in, defended deep and proved hard to hard break down – again, I’ve had plenty of experience of coming up against teams like that when playing at the Amex. It was a game where we had to be patient.”
Jake’s 54th-minute strike also saw fellow Seagull Solly March involved in the build-up, and he was delighted to see the winger make his international bow. “It was good to play alongside Solly,” Forster-Caskey added. “We all know what he can do when he gets on the ball and he did well. Hopefully we’ve both done enough to keep our place for the next game.”
Brazil are the next opponents on Monday and although he is expecting a sterner test, Jake believes the game could play into England’s hands.
“It will be a difficult test because Brazil have some really good players, but it could be an easier game than Qatar in some respects because they won’t just sit behind the ball and ask us to break them down. They will come to attack, and we play the same way, so it could be a really open game.
“It’s game I’d love to play in though, so I’ve got to keep working hard in training and hopefully I’ll get an opportunity to build on my performance last night.”*
Original article