Fielding England's (under 21) No.1?

Frank Fielding has been handed the No. 1 shirt for the England Under-21 side ahead of their departure for Denmark for the European Championships with their first game against Spain kicking-off at 7.45pm on Sunday. The young Rams` keeper played the full ninety minutes and kept a clean sheet as his side beat Norway Under-21`s 2-0 at the St Mary`s Stadium in Southampton last Sunday in the final warm-up match with goals from Daniel Sturridge and Danny Rose. Whilst he looks to be in the driving seat to be first choice for the tournament Fielding is not reading too much into the squad numbers or his starting of five of the previous six internationals telling the Derby Evening Telegraph:

'I'm not reading too much into the team selection but I hope I've got a good chance of playing, the shirt is mine to lose, I think. It was my first game for quite a while, so I was happy to get a game - and keep a clean sheet. I felt a little bit rusty, as I hadn't played for some time. I didn't have a lot to do but I thought I did all right.'

Goalkeeping coach Martin Taylor believes that England will benefit from selecting Fielding to start and that the young keeper will also gain invaluable experience from playing at the highest level. Having spent two spells on loan at Pride Park last season Taylor knows the player well and The Rams acted quickly to bring him back to the club on a permanent deal when Blackburn decided not to stand in the way of his desire to move on to further his career. Talking to dcfc.co.uk Taylor said:

'It looks like Frank is going to be first choice for the tournament and if that is the case, England are in safe hands. His temperament is undoubtedly one of his strongest qualities and playing international football tests that to the limit."

'It will be a fantastic experience for him and ultimately we will benefit from it; it can only be positive for us to have Frank involved at this level of competition. We will be watching him in every game and hopefully that will be all the way to the final."

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