ENGLAND C coach Mick Payne was full of praise for Alex Woodyard after he made his international debut last week.

Payne, a qualified UEFA A licence goalkeeping coach who has worked with the non-league based squad for the last 10 years, said the 21-year-old Concord Rangers midfielder seized his opportunity having been called up late to the squad.

And former Chelsea player Payne, 60, said he was impressed at how Woodyard applied himself on the pitch, having been introduced at half-time in the 2-1 defeat to Cyprus under-21s.

“He has done himself no harm at all,” said Payne. “I had seen him play a couple of times, including at Dagenham & Redbridge (in the Essex Senior Cup) where he really impressed me.

“He is a young player who has had ups and downs in his career like a lot of these boys. But what impresses me is how he has dealt with that. He is a stronger player for it.

“Joining the squad late on isn’t easy. We had a few new players but a lot of these boys have played here a number of times before so it can be a bit daunting.

“But he is well-mannered young man with a quiet disposition who had a real keenness to impress.

“I know Paul Fairclough (England C manager) has been looking at him for a while and he didn’t disappoint when he came on.

“I think it probably took him 10 minutes to adapt to the game but he got into the swing of things and always showed a real desire to get on the ball,” he added.

“He isn’t afraid to put a tackle in and there was one incident where he got his head in there and he won the ball well. All-in-all it was a very sound performance.”

Payne said the England C team would be getting together after the end of season play-offs, with a tour in the pipeline. And he said any non-league based player under-23 could be chosen for the next squad.

“We look at everyone,” he said. “We are looking for gems in the non-league game and Alex is the perfect example of someone grabbing that opportunity when it comes along.”