ENGLAND C‘s quick-fire double sent them on their way to victory over Nepal in front of a bumper crowd at Aldershot Town‘s EBB Stadium.
The landmark friendly was watched by 5,560 supporters including chair of the Football Association, Debbie Hewitt.
Roared on by a large following, Nepal gave everything, hitting the crossbar late on, but ultimately it was two goals in five first-half minutes from Barnet duo Nicke Kabamba and Callum Stead that won the game.
Paul Fairclough‘s England led inside eight minutes. Johnny Goddard, picking up his third cap having played twice in 2016, sent the ball wide to Ollie Harfield and the Shots defender whipped in a gorgeous cross for Bees’ top scorer Kabamba to head in.
Just five minutes later it was two. Stead impressed on his first cap against Wales C in March and he doubled the lead with a composed finish to loop a loose ball into the net as Nepal struggled to clear their lines.
England went close to doubling their lead when captain Jack Payne’s shot skidded just wide just after Goddard had been denied by Kiran Kumar Limbu.
The Nepal stopper was inspired throughout the game and he had to be alert to push Toby Edser’s stinging drive over the bar.
The Three Lions – more specifically Danny Collinge – couldn’t quite believe it wasn’t three early in the second half when the Barnet defender’s close-range effort was somehow kept out by Limbu.
Stead then tried a spectacular overhead kick that looked destined for the net but for a Nepal defender to divert it over.
England dominated the ball for long periods on a drenched pitch that withstood plenty of rainfall before, and during, the match.
The Nepal fans were making for a fantastic occasion. And they turned the volume up as Gillespe Jung Karki made a lung-bursting run up the left before playing in Sanjeeb Bista, who drove into the box where keeper Elliot Justham, on as a half-time sub, stood tall to block.
They went even closer on 70 minutes when Chhiring Lama’s header cannoned back off the crossbar.
Bista pulled another shot wide as the the visitors sought a way back into the game late on but England held on.
See Sunday’s NLP for full reaction from on a special occasion at Aldershot Town
England C: Ashmore (Justham 46); Kensdale, Collinge, Ellison (Frost 60); Chapman (Asare 60), Goddard (Scott 60), Payne, Edser, Harfield; Stead (Barham 60), Kabamba
Nepal: KK Limbu, Basnet, S Rai, Lama, Bista, L Limbu, U Rai (Jung Karki), Bista, Shrestha, Danii, Chand. Subs: Baral, Sunar, Panday, Lama, Tamang, A Limbu, Gurung, Khawas, Thapaliya, Henjan, Ghale
Pictures: Ian Morsman
