Maybe they should ban the phrase 'football's coming home' at Bootham Crescent.

The footballing anthem rang round the stadium before kick-off in last night's England Under-18 friendly against Sweden with a touch of poignancy given City's current plight.

The last time it was heard, the ground was saved but the team still slid out of the League and last night England juniors suffered their first ever defeat at the Crescent in seven games.

The last time England U18s ran out at Bootham Crescent, one Michael Owen made a name for himself by scoring all four in a whitewash of Northern Ireland. And while there were no four-goal heroes, James Morrison - one of four FA Youth Cup winners from Middlesbrough in the starting line-up - had good footwork, passion and commitment. The boy's a bit special. Also impressive were Liverpool right-back Lee Peltier and Tottenham forward Jamie O'Hara.

But despite their individual effort, England simply failed to convert their many chances into goals.

Twice Blackburn Rovers' Keith Barker flashed crosses invitingly across the front of the goal requiring just a touch to send the 3,955-strong crowd into a rapturous high-pitched roar of approval. Twice Morrison just failed to make contact.

O'Hara looked odds-on to score the goal of the month with 18 minutes gone when he attempted a spectacular side-on volley - but the shot went wide. Ditto another volley 20 minutes later.

And Gary Liddle - another Boro youngster - showed a goal hunger akin to the senior number eight, Paul Scholes, as he tried more than once to catch Swedish goalkeeper Par Hansson off-guard from long range.

England's defence showed all the hallmarks of quality associated with players at the top flight with each one comfortable on the ball, preferring to take the opposition on rather than hoofing it down field or into touch.

But, just as power is nothing without control, talent is nothing without wisdom, and time and again the centre-halves ran themselves into trouble.

Even the otherwise solid skipper Martin Cranie, a product of the Southampton academy, was caught out as an attempted Cruyff turn backfired horribly to allow the impressive Marco Kotilainen a run on goal. Fortunately his blushes were spared.

Collective responsibility was assumed for both of Sweden's goals with a tendency towards lax marking clearing the way for the first, and a decision to stand off Colo Halit from 25 yards proving costly for the second.

A through ball set Joakim Sjohage through the centre of the flat-footed back four on 20 minutes and he sprinted through to unleash a shot at Manchester United junior stopper Tom Heaton. Heaton parried, but the ball returned to Sjohage's feet and he made no mistake second time around.

Halit replaced Sjohage at half-time and struck an absolute wonder-goal from outside of the box that swerved out and then inside Heaton's far post and beyond his outstretched palm.

If games were decided on chances, then England would have been home and dry well before the final whistle.

But, as City and, hopefully now, the U18s have learned, the shots have to go in to count.

Under-18s International (at Bootham Crescent)

England 0 Sweden 2

England: Tom Heaton, Lee Peltier, Andrew Taylor, Richard Jones, Matthew Bates, Martin Cranie (Matthew Mills 82), James Morrison, Gary Liddle, Keith Barker (Kyle Nix 65), Jamie O'Hara (Andy Taylor 76), Tom Carter (Will Hoskins 46). Subs not used: David Martin, Ian Ross, Paul Hopkins.

Sweden: Par Hansson, Mattias Bjarsmyr, Emil Johansson (Tony Mahr 46), Per Karlsson, Oskar Ronningberg, Jesper Weterberg, Jimmy Hellstrom, Marco Kotilainen, Joakim Sjohage (Colo Halit 46), Ola Toivonen (Alexander Mellqvist 46), Gabriel Ozkan.

Referee: Howard Webb (Sth Yorks).

Crowd: 3,955.

Updated: 08:37 Friday, April 30, 2004