West Ham United academy chief Tony Carr was delighted to learn of Jordan Spence's success with England U19 this week.
The promising West Ham United defender played the full 90 minutes as mini-tournament hosts England won 3-1 against Belgium in Barnsley to finish off their qualifying group for the 2008 European Under-19 Championship in style.
"It's a big step up from the U17s to U19s, but Jordan is a bright player who, when given the chance, will make the most of it. I think with the team doing so well in the qualifiers, the U19s coaches had the opportunity to blood in a few new faces in the squad, one of them being Jordan and this is when the young players want to impress. I think Jordan did just that."
Carr added: "He will no doubt drop back down to the U17s, as that is his age group, but if there are places up for grabs in the U19s in future games, then he has done himself no harm at all.
"It is all forward steps for Jordan and good for West Ham, as all this experience will benefit not only his own game, but the rest of the team here as we strive to get good results week in week out."