England concluded their preparations for the Under 21 European Championships by securing a 10<sup>th successive win in thrashing nine-man Austria at the Amex Stadium.

After goalkeeper Richard Strebinger was dismissed for deliberate handball nine minutes before the break, Liverpool's Jonjo Shelvy hammered in the resulting free-kick to give the hosts the lead.

Josh McEachran doubled the advantage from the penalty spot three minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute after Patrick Farkas handled his goal bound shot, with the Austrian midfielder subsequently sent off for protesting.

Connor Wickham laid on a third for substitute Marvin Sordell before Jordan Henderson played in the Sunderland striker late on to snatch a fourth and continue England's winning run going into Euro 2013 in Israel this summer.

Jonjo Shelvey
Shelvey scored the opener as England Under 21's defeated Austria.

Stuart Pearce's side have combined ruthless finish with defensive stubbornness with England having failed to conceded in 10 successive games and go into the summer championship's among the favourites to win the competition for the first time since 1984.

Captain Henderson, one of five Liverpool players in the current squad, said: "We're high on confidence and we've won the last nine games in a row and we haven't conceded a goal.

"We're high on confidence so we probably want the tournament to start straight away."

Wickham, who netted his fifth Under-21 goal, added: "It's important not just for me but for the whole team.

"We've worked hard constantly for the last year or so towards the Finals in the summer and we're creating chances, playing well and we can beat anyone."

The victory over Austria follows Friday's win against Romania as England's preparations for the summer finished in stunning fashion, but Pearce has downplayed his side's chances.

"My scouts were watching Italy and Spain this week," he said. "I don't think we'll have been above them in the favouritism stakes from what I heard on the telephone.

"There are a lot of good teams going to the championships this year and it's probably the strongest it has ever been. It will be a good test for us."

"I've certainly learned a few lessons over these two games about the players, which has shaped my mind in regards to the squad in the summer," he added.

"It has been a really good purpose and it gave a few players the opportunity to show what they can do. There are a lot of plusses and they certainly outweigh the negatives."