Wycombe Wanderers star dares to dream as Wales take on Iceland
NEWPORT, WALES - 22 MARCH 2024: Players of Wales huddle after defeating Lithuania during the Qualifier Match for the UEFA Under 21 European Championship Slovakia 2025 between Wales and Lithuania at Rodney Parade on the 22nd of March 2024 (Pic by Ryan Hiscott/FAW)
Wales’ U21 side stand on the brink of history, as they prepare to take on Iceland in their penultimate European Championship qualifier.
With two games to go, Wales sit second in Group I after picking up eleven points from six games. They are currently level on points with top of the table Denmark, who have played the same number of games.
The U21 side have never reached a major tournament but stand the precipice of a monumental achievement.
For large periods of this qualifying campaign, the word qualification felt forbidden, but for defender Joe Low, it’s now something that is openly talked about.
“At the start of the group, we never gave too much attention to the league table, but now, we put a little bit of pressure on ourselves. We know we can achieve something great here together. We have an eye on the table, and we are looking to finish as strong as possible.
“We were all sat watching the Lithuania game against Czechia, praying Lithuania could hold on to a win or a draw. We’re all really excited by the fact we can go on and maybe finish top of this group.”
Wales are in a position of luxury with two games to go. Matty Jones’ side will only have to play one game per camp, while the teams chasing them like Iceland and Czechia have to play two games per camp.
The manager believes only playing the one game puts his side in a great place to attempt to gain qualification.
“We had an eleven-on-eleven in-house match on Saturday to maintain our fitness and match levels, but it’s a luxury to be able to play one game for these next two camps.
“Countries like ourselves and Iceland sometimes struggle because of our depth, but we’re in a fantastic place now.
“When you play a double header, you’re really struggling at times with numbers and quality, but this puts us in a really good place.”
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Bellamy backing
This is the first window for Jones with a new manager at senior level, with Craig Bellamy in the middle of his first camp.
There’s already been plenty of movement from the U21s to the senior team during this international break, with Rubin Colwill moving up, and Charlie Crew moving back and travelling to Iceland with the squad.
Jones has praised the communication Bellamy has given him and spoke about how Owen Beck was close to joining the U21s for tomorrow’s crucial fixture.
“It’s been a very seamless transition between my relationship with Rob [Page] to mine with Craig. He is a good communicator, and he’s proven that over the last week.
“After the game against Turkey, Owen Beck was being spoken heavily about coming back to us, but a decision was made Sunday morning that he travels to Montenegro because of the complexities with the senior squad. I’m getting the sense and understanding that we’re both supporting each other.”
Even with the absence of Beck, this is an U21 team with plenty of senior squad experience.
Crew, Charlie Savage, Fin Stevens, and Low himself have all been involved with the first team recently, and the Wycombe defender says it’s always an incredible experience to be around the senior players.
“There’s just so much excitement every time I join up with the senior team. You always feel so proud, you’re full of energy, and you always want to impress when you’re up there. My time is only filled with positivity when I’m up there.”
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Iceland test
The excitement surrounding this team is unlike anything we’ve seen before, but tomorrow’s game against Iceland won’t be a walk in the park.
The Nordic side are under new management, and they picked up an impressive 4-2 win over table topping Denmark on Saturday night.
While the result highlights the dangers this team possesses, Jones has seen things that will give his team a lot of confidence.
“There’s clearly been a lot of change in this Iceland team since we last played them, now that they’ve got a new manager.
“They’ve given us hints and examples of how they’ve changed certain aspects of their game, and that’s allowed us to make adaptations with our players.
“We want to give our players a lot of confidence, give them all the solutions to be able to execute the gameplan, in order for us to go out there with as little pressure as possible.”
In the reverse fixture, despite having Swansea City’s Josh Thomas sent off, Wales picked up a 1-0 win at Rodney Parade, with Low scoring the winning goal.
The towering defender knows Reykjavik will be different to Newport but believes they can find a way around Iceland.
“We know it’s going to be a little bit colder than when we played them down in Newport! The artificial pitch that they’ve got will be more difficult to play on than what we’re used to, but we’ve been watching them and studying them the best that we can, and we will try to impose ourselves onto them.”
