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UNDER 17 CHAMPIONSHIP: Slovenia challenge British trio

/noticias.info/ "It is a pity that England were not drawn in this group," mused Slovenia coach Damir Rob as he considered their task in a UEFA European Under-17 Championship Elite round mini-tournament in Northern Ireland also involving United Kingdom rivals Scotland and Wales.

Hosts in form
The Group 5 hosts have the best pedigree in this tournament, having qualified for the 2004 finals and not failed to reach the second stage since the current system was introduced in 2002/03. Northern Ireland beat Belgium and Montenegro 1-0 in the qualifying round before defeating Moldova 3-0 to seal first place, and they warmed up last month in England with narrow 2-1 defeats by the youth teams of Everton FC and Manchester City FC.

Scottish threat
Manager Kenny Shiels said: "In last year's Victory Shield both Scotland and Wales beat us 3-0 at U16 level and the word is that this is one of the best teams to come out of Scotland for years. We have undoubtedly progressed from our first get-together last August and we must continue to improve." Defender Damien McNulty added: "In all the hype over the three UK teams in the one group, we must not forget about or underestimate Slovenia, they will play a different style and we have to be able to adapt to it."

Cooper connection
Scotland have not reached the finals since the switch to U17 classification in 2001/02, but have been busily preparing to put that right. Ross Mathie's side began their campaign with a 4-0 home defeat by Slovakia but they then beat Liechtenstein 8-0 and Belarus 5-1 to get past the qualifying round, and in January gained two 3-0 victories in Malta before creditable 2-0 and 1-0 losses in Germany last month. Among their squad is winger Alex Cooper, son of Aberdeen FC's 1983 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner Neale Cooper, who made a high-profile €150,000 move to Liverpool FC in January.

Antalya warm-up
Wales are also yet to make the showpiece stage of UEFA's junior tournament, but are in the Elite round for the fifth time in six years. They proved their worth in the qualifying round, beating Andorra and San Marino before a 2-2 draw with defending champions Spain, Wales denied victory with only four minutes left. Brian Flynn is in charge of all Welsh national teams from U21 downwards, and led the U17 squad to finals venue Antalya in Turkey last month where Nathan Craig's free-kick helped them beat Austria 1-0.

Slovenia motivated
Slovenia moved through as one of the best third-placed qualifying round sides having drawn 1-1 with Denmark and Ukraine and lost 1-0 to the Republic of Ireland, their first progression at U17 level, pipping Poland on fair play conduct. Rob admitted to uefa.com: "All three opponents are ranked higher than us. But my players will feel no pressure, and will be strongly motivated. We deserved our Elite round place and aim to prove it." They come in on good form following 5-3 and 4-0 friendly wins against Slovakia. notas_de_prensa_archivo