Darius Charles wins second England cap…

Ebbsfleet United skipper Darius Charles won his second England C cap after receiving a late call-up to the squad for Tuesday night’s game against Poland.

The England side beat Poland’s U23 team 2-1 in Grodzisk, near Poznan, with Cambridge United’s Chris Holroyd and Kidderminster Harriers’ Matthew Barnes-Homer scoring. Poland had equalised in first-half injury time through CSKA Moscow striker Dawid Janczyk.

Charles marked his second cap with a decent display in the England defence though picked up a yellow card, as did Rushden’s Max Porter.

Charles was a late arrival for the England team having been contacted en route to York by the FA asking if he could report for duty for the game. He won his first cap for England in the 1-0 defeat against Belgium last May.

“The English team really wanted to win, we had the better individual skills, but we could not show this. Football is about scoring goals,” said Poland’s U23 coach Stefan Majewski after the match. “Nobody has something written on a shirt saying they are better – it must be confirmed on the pitch. That is what we missed today. Each pro has to give his all, and today was not the case.”