THE spark that will one day ignite England's rise to glory in the international arena could be witnessed at York City's Bootham Crescent tonight.

That is the belief of national under-16 coach Clive Allen ahead of the Nationwide international between England and Thailand.

Despite the senior England squad's poor showing in Euro 2000 this summer, the former Tottenham marksman has spent the last year casting his eye over the country's brightest young talent and is convinced exciting times are near.

"We are starting to see young players being taught and guided in the right way at their academies," Allen told the Evening Press.

"I was playing in France 12 years ago when the likes of Christophe Dugarry and Bixente Lizarazu were in a similar position to these England lads now.

"The French Football Association were putting the structure in place for developing their players way back then and it is only now that it is starting to reap such dividends."

Allen, who also played for Chelsea, West Ham, Bordeaux and Manchester City, insists it is not matter of if but when some of tonight's young lions earn full international honours.

"It is not possible to bring all 18 lads through together so that they will play in the senior squad but we must be hoping that two, three or even four out of this current group will go all the way," he said.

"I would believe at least two at some stage will be good enough and will develop well enough to stake a claim for a full senior England cap."

However, Allen, 39, maintains change will be a slow process and few will match Michael Owen's meteoric rise to glory.

Back in 1996, Owen scored all four goals as England Under-18s romped to victory over Northern Ireland at Bootham Crescent. Two years later he scored his wonder goal against Argentina in the World Cup in France.

"These players have got to be given time to develop," said Allen.

"We are going to give them the opportunity to gain valuable experience of international football.

"Added to that the work they will be doing at their respective clubs and hopefully it will mean success further down the line. But it is a development process and there is no quick fix."

Tonight's match begins the countdown to next summer's Under-16s European Championships, to be staged in the North-East.

The England youngsters will also play Brazil at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on Sunday, while the boys from South America tackle Thailand at Bootham Crescent on Thursday.

"Since the start of last season we have looked at possibly 120 to 150 players who have been recommended to us by their respective academies, " explained Allen.

"Over that period of time we have had to pick different squads for different games and tournaments.

"We want the strongest possible squad for the championships and along the way we will use a lot more players, giving many more the chance to experience international football.

"We will guide them, help them and, hopefully, the experience will add things to their game.

"The lads are really excited about the match with Thailand because they all want to play in the big one against Brazil.

"There is just something magical about the words Brazil and football and the lads don't want to miss out."

Not that England are disregarding tonight's opponents.

"Football is a global game now and you cannot underestimate these teams," insisted Allen. "They will pose us difficult and different problems and it is all part of the learning process.

"They will have experienced little like this - playing against the likes of Thailand and Brazil - and for many it will be the biggest games of their careers."

Some of tonight's players featured for England in their 2-1 Victory Shield win over Northern Ireland at Bootham Crescent last season.

"We had a good performance here last year so many of the lads will be familiar with the surroundings," said Allen,

"They said at the time the pitch was superb and having had a rest over the summer it should absolutely perfect now."

Tickets for both matches, priced £3 for adults with free entry for under-16s when accompanied by an adult and pensioners, can be obtained tonight or by telephoning 01904 624447.

Tonight's game kicks off at 7.15pm and is expected to attract a posse of scouts from top clubs.