INTERNATIONAL: Fairclough names 30-man England National Game XI squad

England National Game XI manager Paul Fairclough has named an initial 30-man squad, which will be reduced to 16, for next month's Under-23 friendly against an Italian side made up of players from Serie C, the country's third division.

20 of those named in the initial sqaud by the Barnet boss are new to international football, and all play in the Nationwide Conference apart from Stuart Thurgood of Gray's Athletic, who are in the Nationwide South.

Conference newcomers Carlisle, Crawley and York all have representatives in Fairclough's preliminary selection, while he has picked three of his own players from the table-topping Bees

The date of the game, at the home of Italian Serie C side US Ivrea, is yet to be confirmed.

England National Game XI squad:
Goalkeepers: David Stockdale (York), Nicky Bull (Aldershot), Craig Holloway (Farnborough), Andrew Ralph (Northwich)
Defenders: Peter Cavanagh (Accrington), Chris Blackburn (Morecambe), Ismail Yakubu (Barnet), Simon King (Barnet), David Perkins (Morecambe), Simon Jackson (Woking), Dean Moxey (Exeter), Luke Oliver (Woking), Kieran Charnock (Northwich)
Midfielders: Ian Craney (Accrington), Dean Sinclair (Barnet), Scott Kerr (Scarborough), Charlie Mapes (Crawley), Ben Surey (Gravesend & Northfleet), Stuart Thurgood (Grays Athletic)
Strikers: Craig Stanley (Hereford), Les Afful (Exeter), Chris Senior (Scarborough), Anthony Elding (Stevenage), Danny Carlton (Morecambe), Karl Hawley (Carlisle), Aaron McLean (Aldershot), Lloyd Blackman (Farnborough), Rob Purdie (Hereford), Andrew Bishop (York), George Boyd (Stevenage)