Some of this country’s most promising young footballers were in action at Colchester United’s training ground today.

The England under-15 team took on the U’s under-15 and under-16 youngsters in two short training games at Florence Park, in Tiptree.

The squad, which included players from a range of teams across the country, had trained at the U’s Warrior’s Rest indoor facility last night.

And they returned to train at Florence Park today alongside their Colchester counterparts, before taking part in two 15-minute training games.

The England squad used their trip to Tiptree ahead of a trip to Italy for a forthcoming tournament.

England under-16 manager Dan Micciche said: "This is our first under-15s international tournament.

"It's really beneficial that we can expose these young players to the demands and experiences of playing tournament football, and against different styles.

"There is lots of good work going on at academies around the country and we receive good reports about the work going on at Colchester United with the vision of the chairman to produce home-grown players, many of whom have already broken into the first team.

"We are grateful for their support and for the use of their facilities."

For more on this story, see Thursday's Daily Gazette.