Wales looking to end their U17 Euros campaign on a high
FELCSÚT, HUNGARY - 20 MAY 2023: Wales' Sam Parker during the 2023 UEFA Under-17 European Championship Group A fixture between Republic of Ireland & Wales at the Pancho Aréna, Felcsút, Hungry. (Pic by John Smith/FAW)
Sam Parker says Wales are looking to prove themselves and end their U17 European Championship campaign on a high against Poland.
Craig Knight’s side have suffered consecutive 3-0 losses against tournament hosts Hungary, and the Republic of Ireland.
Those results see them sit bottom of Group A as they prepare to round off the nation’s first youth international tournament in 42 years against table toppers Poland.
“We all feel a bit let down that we haven’t got a result from the first two games. It’s good to be here at this tournament, but we wanted to come here and perform.
“It’s very important that we still care about this game and don’t think too much about the fact that we are out of the competition. We all want to end this on a high.
“We want to go out and get the win to prove to people and the other nations that, even though we made mistakes in the first two games, we aren’t a team that loses everything.”
Having come off the bench during Cymru’s opener, Parker made his first start of the tournament on Saturday against Ireland.
It was the Swansea City youngster’s first competitive start for Wales’ U17, having made his debut for Craig Knight’s side against Israel in February.
“There was a bit of nerves before the game but that’s to be expected, especially playing in a stadium,” the 16-year-old added.
“It was brilliant to be there. Personally, I thought my performance was a bit of a letdown considering the season I’ve had. But that’s nothing to dwell on, I’m ready to kick on next season.”
Despite Wales exiting the U17 Euros at the group stage, Parker is optimistic for the future and feel’s that these experiences will be of huge benefit to the squad’s development.
“This is a good environment to be in. Whilst we are all disappointed, this has been a good experience, being the first group to do it.
“The game against Hungary was the first time playing in front of a crowd for a lot of us, and even playing in proper stadiums.
“I think a lot of us will look back fondly on this tournament when we have all grown up and had careers.”
