IT’S A WELCOME HEADACHE FOR BOSS FAIRCLOUGH

PAUL FAIRCLOUGH says the 22 players at the England C training camp have given him a thumping selection headache.

The Three Lions’ boss began preparations for next month’s International Challenge Trophy final against Slovakia with a three-day camp at Lilleshall.

It culminated in a competitive 60-minute training match as the players aimed to book their ticked on the plane.

Fairclough hasn’t shut the door on other players he already knows plenty about, but says he’s got some big decisions to make before announcing the final 16-man squad.

“They’ve left me with a thumping headache, they really have,” Fairclough said.

“As I said to them, if we were going away to a tournament like the full England team and it was the 22 I had to take, I’d be more than happy. I could work with all of them.

“Now I’ve got to weigh up who performed to the level we want – and I could use them all – but I’ve also got to consider the lads who I already know about. The keepers like Brandon Hall, Joel Dixon and James Montgomery, Ebbsfleet’s Darren McQueen was injured, Barrow’s Dan Jones was too – so I’ve got to keep the gate open.

“The quality of the training game was super. It was 0-0, both keepers made some good saves, and it was played at a ferocious pace. So all good, but lots of thinking to do.”

Fairclough took charge of an FA XI on Wednesday night, as the Western League celebrated 125 years.

The league’s side took a twogoal lead at Melksham Town, before the FA team – made up of players from Steps 3 and 4 – pulled it back to 2-2 in an entertaining match.

And Fairclough says the action on the pitch just goes to show how many good players there throughout the Pyramid.

“It was a really good game in what can only be described as a magnificent set-up at Melksham,” Fairclough said. “The pitch is magnificent.

“Every time we do something like this with the lower leagues it substantiates what I really believe, that it is getting better and better in the lower leagues without a doubt.

“If you were a purist who’d come down and didn’t know what level you were watching you’d be hard-pushed to really know. It was by far on a par with National League football. It gives you a good feeling seeing the quality of players in Non-League football.”