PENNANTS were traded at Bootham Crescent last night, but visiting Iceland wished they could have bagged England sensation Jermaine Pennant as part of the swap.

The 18-year-old Arsenal player - a late inclusion to the England squad - flared as the star of a 2-0 victory in an ebb and flow Under-19s friendly at York City's ground.

A controversial £1million recruit to the Gunners from Notts County three years ago, Pennant has since carried a high-profile tag around his neck.

But after an anonymous opening 20 minutes by which time England could easily have been trailing 4-1, the right-winger seized command.

As soon as he darted past three challenges on a 60-yard run Pennant found the belief that he could bypass the robust Icelandic rearguard at will.

That he did for the rest of the game, tormenting the visitors with sheer pace and no little skill and benefitting from an England second-half revival fuelled by Aston Villa's spindly schemer Stephen Cooke and Portsmouth's Gary O'Neil.

Fittingly Pennant swooped on the latter's pass for the first goal in the 61st minute before Villa's Stefan Moore stabbed home the second goal ten minutes from time to delight the 1,058 crowd.

Updated: 11:31 Tuesday, October 02, 2001