Premier League stars who turned out for England's C team and Jamie Vardy regret
Mick Payne has pretty much seen it all during his 20-year-plus tenure with the England C team.
During Payne's time at the helm, a whole horde of household names have taken to the field for the national team that represents England at non-league level before making it big. Among them - unsurprisingly - are several current Premier League stars.
And while Payne can reel off player after player who made a significant impression for their country during their time in non-league, Jamie Vardy is still the one, he feels, that got away. Speaking to Mirror Football, Payne says: "We've had some really big-hitters over the years, people don't realise that.
"We played out in Estonia a few seasons ago, we had Ethan Pinnock, who's now at Brentford, at centre-half; Kieffer Moore, who played a full international against England at the World Cup; and Jamal Lowe. These guys get a chance to represent their country, they get their cap and they get a chance to play good competition.
"We've had some terrific, terrific players. I'd say we've had close to 200 players go back [into the league]. He never played, but we called Jamie Vardy up twice (he pulled out twice due to injuries). That was a bit of a sad one.
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"On the goalkeeping front, Chris Weale at Leicester and Matt Glennon who played at Carlisle were two very good goalkeepers too. David Stockdale is another one who was selected [for the C team] at 19; he went on to sit on the bench for Fabio Capello.
"In terms of general players, George Boyd is one [who stands out]. He went on and played a lot of great games in the Premier League. Andre Gray is someone who went on and commanded big transfer fees after playing at Brentford, Watford and Burnley. These were terrific, terrific players.
"Craig Mackail-Smith at Brighton...I could go on and on. There were so many great players who played for England C and then went on to play in the leagues."
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Mick Payne spent more than two decades coaching in England's C team set-up (Twitter: @Mick Payne)The criteria for selection for England's C team is simple: only players currently playing in the National League or below are eligible. Younger players are the ones who tend to be selected, too, with a predominant focus placed on those aged 23 and under.
Jesse Debrah, now of Port Vale, and Notts County goal machine Macauley Langstaff are just two of the names who were included in the Three Lions 25-man squad to face Wales C back in March that are now in the Football League.
Sam Dalby, another name who was selected, is a prominent figure at Wrexham, the League Two club co-owned by Hollywood co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Andre Gray and George Boyd are two others who made it to the Premier League after playing for England C (Jon Super/AFP)Although games have been scarce lately, Payne has confirmed that another meeting with Wales C is in the pipeline. But who does he believe could be the next England C star to make the step up into the EFL?
"There's one guy for me who [has] done exceedingly well in Tyler Cordner. I think he'd been in and around Bournemouth as a youngster and lost his way a bit. He is someone I still feel can go on and do really well; he's 24, a big individual and a good centre-half with leadership qualities playing for York City.
"There are gems out there [but] it's become a little bit harder to select because there's not been as many games, so we don't get to see as many games as we'd like. But he's one I'll definitely be watching in the future.
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"I know Peterborough do very, very well at recruiting [from non-league]. Barry Fry has been around non-league forever and is very, very good at it. He's always selected people in the non-league set-up and is always looking for players. Ephron Mason-Clark is scoring goals for fun at Peterborough, he was in our England set-up."
Payne believes featuring for the England C team can act as a natural springboard to playing at a higher level. Based on a string of high-profile names he has already reeled off, it's hard to argue on that front.
But doing so is easier said than done. He adds: "I think players should realise there is that chance to represent the Three Lions; to get that England shirt and that cap. We've got scouts all over the place - if you impress, we'll take note and we'll keep an eye on you for future reference.
"The players have got to have that desire themselves. Life has changed; expectations have changed and it's hard out there. [Non-league] is a very, very good level of football [now]. Some players have lost their way but you've got to have that determination to bounce back and go again. If you can do that, then you will be noticed."
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