The England C team are back in action following an enforced two-year hiatus as Paul Fairclough takes a side, made up of the finest talent in non-league football, to Wales.
Founded in 1979 as the England Semi-Professional Team, it wouldn’t be until 2007 that the C team (which was also called the England National Game XI between 2002 and 2007) would be recognised by the FA. Over the years, many recognisable names have turned out for England C, including several who have gone on to earn full international caps (not just for England).
What is the England C Team?
The England C team is a recognised national side made up exclusively of players playing in the English non-league football pyramid, with anyone contracted to clubs playing in the Football League and Premier League ineligible for selection. Normally, squads are Under-23, though the most recent squad selected for the fixture with Wales C on Wednesday 30 March is open age with several players aged older than 23 chosen by Fairclough, who has been the England C manager since 2003.
Here, we look at some of the names that you may or may not realise played for the non-league national team – proving that there is more than one way to reach the top. And no, Jamie Vardy does not feature in this list as he never played for the England C team, despite being one of the more famous players to come from non-league football.
Alan Smith
Former Leicester City and Arsenal striker Alan Smith holds the record for winning the most full England international caps (13) after turning out for the England Semi-Professional Team. Smith made three appearances in 1982 whilst he was at Alvechurch before moving to Leicester, who were then in the second division, linking up with Gary Lineker.
Smith did not score in any of his three semi-professional internationals but did manage to score twice for the senior team, as well as scoring four goals in four England B appearances. All of Smith’s senior England caps came during his time at Arsenal.
Barry Hayles
Probably best known for his six years at Fulham, Barry Hayles is fondly remembered by football fans. He continues to play to this day at the age of 49 as the player-assistant manager at Merstham in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
Despite earning 10 international caps for Jamaica between 2001 and 2003, Hayles made four appearances in an England shirt (two of which came in unofficial ‘FA XI’ fixtures against the Highland League). Hayles scored every time he turned out for the England Semi-Professional Team, scoring once in each game, before signing for Division Two Bristol Rovers from Stevenage Borough in 1997.
George Boyd
Another player that represented England in non-league football before playing for another country at full international level is George Boyd. Before earning two caps for Scotland (and another in a B international), the former Burnley and Hull City winger made six appearances for what was then known as the England National Game XI between 2005 and 2006.
Boyd played alongside another future Scotland international in Craig Mackail-Smith during his England C days before going on to be teammates at Peterborough United. Both Boyd and Mackail-Smith signed for The Posh in 2007 from Stevenage and Dagenham and Redbridge respectively, ending their eligibility for selection.
Aaron McLean
A player that knows Boyd and Mackail-Smith very well, having played alongside both at Peterborough, is Aaron McLean who played in the Premier League for Hull City. The striker earned five caps for the England National Game XI between 2003 and 2006 when he moved from Grays Athletic to Posh.
Unlike the previous entries on this list, McLean did not go on to earn a full international cap but did amass 181 goals in 619 senior appearances in all competitions. He retired in 2018 and is now a regular pundit as part of BT Sport’s non-league football coverage.
Andre Gray
Following in the footsteps of Barry Hayles, Andre Gray has also gone on to earn international caps with Jamaica having featured for the England C team. Gray earned six C caps between 2012 and 2014 during his spell at Luton Town, then in the Conference Premier, before moving to Brentford in the Championship.
Gray scored twice in England colours, once in a 2-1 win against Belgium Under-21s and again in a 6-1 victory over Bermuda. The striker is currently on loan at Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers from Premier League Watford and has, at the time of writing, earned 12 caps with Jamaica, scoring three goals.
There are many more examples of players that have featured for England C and gone on to enjoy a fruitful career, boasting many football trophies, at the top end of the game, with this list just the tip of the iceberg. In several years, we may well be looking at this most recent squad and picking out names in lists such as this.
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