Colchester to host under-21s

Colchester will host their first Under-21 international in September after being named as the venue for England's Under-21 Championship qualifying match against Lithuania. The npower League One club's 10,000-capacity Weston Homes Community Stadium has already staged both the England Under-19s and England Women. But the September 7 Under-21 game (kick-off 4pm) is the biggest to have been held there since it was opened two years ago. The match is England's final Group Nine qualifier and takes place four days after they travel to Portugal for the first of what could prove a must-win double-header. Under-21s coach Stuart Pearce said: "We're delighted to be heading to Colchester and we're really hoping that the match will turn out to be a success on every front. "We appreciate the kick-off time is difficult for some people, coming that little bit earlier in the day to avoid a clash with the seniors. But, by the same token, we hope that it might just help a few others to get to the game."

Source: PA