. November, one of the players to make his mark in the football world that played in a previous Victory Shield match, 100 cap Wayne Rooney, has been talking about his experiences playing for England Under 16’s.thAs excitement builds for the forthcoming Victory Shield match between England Under 16’s and Scotland Under 16’s at Huish Park on Thursday 20
With his young career progressing at Goodison Park, it was no surprise when Rooney was included in an England U16s squad for their Victory Shield campaign in 2001.
And it wasn’t long before he netted his first-ever goal in a Three Lions shirt – one of many that would come in the following years.
“The first game we played was against Wales. I was on the bench and came on as a sub,” recalls the Manchester United man.
“I was disappointed because I wanted to start, I wanted to play up front, and I always remember the coach saying that I wasn’t a centre-forward – he said I was a winger.
“The next game he played me as centre-forward from the start and I scored against Scotland. That was a nice moment.
“I was a young lad, 15, the game was on television and was something different to what I’d been used to.
“All my family and friends were watching the game, so it was a big moment. Once I’d tasted that, being on TV playing football and everyone seeing what I could do, I just wanted more of it.”
Rooney is just one of an amazing list of today’s top stars who have played in the Victory Shield matches.
Tickets are still available for the match at the Huish Park ticket office priced just £1 for kids and £3 for adults with bookings of over 15 being as little as 50p.
The Squad:
Goalkeepers:Taye Ashby-Hammond (Fulham), Ryan Sandford (Millwall).
Defenders:Jaden Brown (Tottenham Hotspur), Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea), Dujon Sterling (Chelsea), Japhat Tanganga (Tottenham Hotspur), Lewis Thompson (Manchester United).
Midfielders:Ayotomiwa Bashiru (Manchester City), Jay Beckford (Leyton Orient), Sadou Diallo (Manchester City), Andre Dozzell (Ipswich Town).
Forwards:Keanan Bennetts (Tottenham Hotspur), Niall Enniss (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Mackenzie Heaney (Newcastle United), Adam Lewis (Liverpool), Dan N’Lundulu (Southampton), Okera Simmonds (Liverpool), Joe Willock (Arsenal).
