Academy midfielder Josh Carson scored both goals as Northern Ireland’s U17s beat hosts Andorra 2-0 in their second UEFA U17 Championships qualifying group game on Saturday. Carson was one of three Town players in the Northern Ireland side, while Connor Wickham and England’s U17s are in action in their first qualifying group game this morning.
Carson netted in the 22nd and 25th minutes of the game and played the full 90 minutes alongside academy team-mates Rory McKeown, a left-back, and Cormac Burke, a midfielder, who was replaced just before half-time. All three were winning their fourth U17 caps.
The Northern Irish won their previous group game against Malta 2-0 with Carson again on the scoresheet. They face a stiffer test in their final match when they take on Holland on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Connor Wickham and the England U17s are in Azerbaijan for their qualifying group games and face Kazakhstan in their opening match this morning.
England then take on the hosts on Wednesday and Serbia on Saturday. Wickham has previously won four caps at U17 level, scoring one goal, having played at the Nordic Tournament in Denmark in 2008 in which England annually field an U16 squad despite the competition being for the older age group.