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England’s Under-21s will play their first fixture of the year against Holland at the Kingston Communications Stadium in Hull on Tuesday 17th February. Kick-off is at 8pm.
A sell-out crowd saw the Under-21s beat Serbia & Montenegro in a thrilling friendly at the KC Stadium in June 2003, and coach David Platt will be hoping for similar support against the Dutch. “Last summer’s friendly was a great game in a great stadium and the crowd certainly played their part.
“The atmosphere was fantastic and we knew that we would try and come back to Hull as soon as possible. The local fans showed tremendous passion and we hope they will turn out in force for the Holland game.”
England played Holland in Platt’s first game in charge of the Under-21s, a friendly at Reading which ended in a 4-0 win back in August 2001.
The last encounters took the form of a nail-biting play-off to secure qualification for the 2002 European Championship. A superb fight-back featuring goals from Sean Davis and David Dunn saw England claw back a 0-2 deficit in Utrecht, before over 32,000 fans packed Derby County’s Pride Park to see Michael Carrick’s close-range strike seal a 1-0 win in the return leg.
Platt expects another close encounter next month. “The Dutch have fantastic pedigree and consistently produce outstanding individual players. We can expect a very difficult match and it will be excellent experience for some of the younger players we are looking to bring through.”
Adam Pearson, Chairman of the Stadium Management Company (SMC), added. “The SMC is delighted that the FA and Mr David Platt have decided to return to the KC Stadium so quickly after the Serbia & Montenegro game.
“The Stadium facilities and magnificent Hull support will, I am sure, lead to another enjoyable and successful sporting occasion at the KC Stadium, which will bring great credit to the City of Hull.”
Ticket details will be announced in due course.
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