MAN of the match James Armson was proud of his performance for his second England C cap – even if he did give the ball away three times!
The Nuneaton Town midfielder excelled wearing the Lions shirt again after making an impressive debut in Latvia earlier this season.
Tasked, along with FC Halifax’s Matty Pearson, to suffocate the Czech midfield and pass the ball quickly, Armson was an influential figure.
“To represent your country is an honour and I’m proud of how I played,” the 23-year-old said.
“Paul Fairclough wanted me and Matty to stay close to their central midfielders, not give them any time on the ball and then he wanted me to get on the ball, keep it short and move it quickly.
“I always keep track of how many times I give the ball away. Today it was about three – and one of those times the referee was in the way.
“Midfielders are judged on their passing and that’s something I like to concentrate on. After most games I can tell you how often I’ve given the ball away. It’s something I take a lot of pride in.
“I’m hard on myself, I set very high standards and I want to stick to them at all times.”
He could count himself unlucky not to get on the scoresheet too – but was just happy England were able to get their just desserts.
“It was no more than we deserved, we worked really hard,” he said. “We could have scored two or three of our own in the first half, let alone concede two.
“One was a long ball where we probably switched off a little bit. The same for the second and they’ve capitalised.
“I’ve had two or three chances myself; one was blocked on the line and the keeper pulled off a great save.
“They’ve got quality players. You look at the programme and see clubs like Chelsea and Sparta Prague. But I’d go as far as saying we were the better side.”
