Shoe, beauty Aidy

AIDY BOOTHROYD claims England have got one foot in the semi-finals of Euro 2017 thanks to his lucky shoes.

The Young Lions boss bought a dodgy pair of £75 brown leather and blue suede brogues from TK Maxx before flying out for the finals.

But he claims it’s paying off now that his Under-21 side are finally finding their feet ahead of tonight’s crunch clash with Poland.

Boothroyd said: “I knew there would be a little bit of stress and pressure so I ® from PAUL BROWN in Kielce thought I would buy a pair of shoes that might be a talking point and take some off the heat off the players.

“I got them out of TK Maxx and as soon as I put them on Nathan Redmond looked at them and said, ‘Strange shoes, boss.’ So they are a nice little distraction.

“Lucky shoes? I don’t know about that, they only go with so many things! If

we win it, I might wear them every day.”

After an opening draw with Sweden, Boothroyd’s boys came from behind to beat Slovakia and will top Group A if they beat the hosts tonight.

Boothroyd added: “I’d be lying if I said I’d planned it this way because I didn’t want us to peak too early. But the honest answer is, we are finding our feet.

“We have had a bit of luck with injuries but I am pleased with how it’s gone.

“I think if we keep improving the way we have, we will have half a chance of going further in the tournament.”

Boothroyd, who is set to name the team which finished the Slovakia game, knows he is under pressure to perform after three successive group stage knockouts.

But he said: “It’s pressure you want. You don’t want to not have pressure in your life.

“You need a bit of pressure, it keeps you healthy.

“It’s good in many ways and is important because it helps keep everyone calm.

“For me, personally, it is really enjoyable, getting your stomach knotted up just like everybody else.

“I think over the years I have managed to keep calmer and hopefully more calculated.”