Jordan Spence continued his perfect record as captain of England Under-18s with a 2-0 friendly win against Austria in Hartlepool on Wednesday night.
The 17-year-old, who has already played at U19 level and previously wore the armband as well for the U16s and U17s, turned in a good defensive display as Daniel Welbeck and Daniel Drinkwater scored the only goals of the game in the tenth and 90th minutes. Fittingly for fans of West Ham United, the homegrown talent was wearing the No6 shirt and ensured a second consecutive clean sheet for his country after a 2-0 win against Ghana last November. Welbeck and Drinkwater, both of Manchester United, were also the goalscorers on that occasion.
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Youth-team captain Spence was particularly effective throughout the contest, denying Austria an instant equaliser with a superb challenge on visiting No8 Georg Krenn just after Welbeck had opened the scoring from close range. The Chigwell School old boy also had a good chance to get on the scoresheet himself, going close with a volley as the first half drew to a close. Drinkwater wrapped up the win with a stunning set-piece at the death to complete a memorable evening that saw Spence play the full 90 minutes for the home side at Victoria Park.