Bradford City defender Andy O'Brien has described his debut for England's Under-21 side last night as "the highlight of my career so far".

The teenager produced an accomplished display against France at Derby County's Pride Park to help England to a 2-1 victory.

O'Brien was City's first player to appear for England's Under 21 side. Current skipper Stuart McCall was on the bench for England during a visit to Turkey in 1984 but failed to play a part and later pledged his allegiance to Scotland.

O'Brien said: "It all happened very quickly but I have loved every minute. When we trained on Sunday, I had a good idea I would be playing because we ran through a lot of moves and I played in the same position throughout.

"It was a shock at first to be called into the squad but it has been a great experience. I was very nervous to be training alongside players like Frank Lampard and Lee Bowyer but they have been great and made me feel at ease.

"I really enjoyed the game and the whole experience has left me hungry for more. I hope I can get into the next squad and, most importantly, I hope I can go back to Bradford and help the team win promotion."

O'Brien started the game tentatively before growing in confidence and in the second half City manager Paul Jewell, who watched the game with chairman Geoffrey Richmond at Pride Park, thought he was the best player on the field.

Jewell said he was extremely proud of his defender before adding: "I thought Andy did very well, particularly in the second half when England attacked a lot more.

"It is a great honour for the club and maybe one day we will be able to sit in the stand and watch a Bradford City player appearing in the full national side.

"Andy should be very pleased with his display. I see it as an honour for both Andy and the club, similar in a way to the recent Manager of the Month award."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.