Hartlepool United's Mani Dieseruvwe makes non-league Lions debut as England C lose to Wales C in Llanelli
and live on Freeview channel 276
The 29-year-old forward has been enjoying the most prolific season of his career, netting 21 goals in 32 appearances in all competitions, and was rewarded with a call-up to Paul Fairclough's 16-strong non-league Lions squad.
The annual contest sees the best players from throughout England's non-league system take on the stars of the Cymru Premier and was held this year at Llanelli's Stebonheath Park.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDieseruvwe played the final half an hour but was unable to prevent Wales from securing the bragging rights as the home side ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a stunning first half free-kick from the impressive Sion Bradley.
The in-form frontman came on to partner Paul McCallum up top.
The pair ironically will meet as opponents this weekend when Pools travel to Eastleigh.
McCallum is one of only two players to have outscored Dieseruvwe in the National League and the experienced frontman leads the scoring charts with 30 goals in 32 games.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDan Pybus, who Pools were linked with earlier in the campaign before he signed for Dorking Wanderers, played the second half after being introduced at the break while Southend United's Gus Scott-Morriss, who was involved in a scuffle with David Ferguson during Saturday's 0-0 draw, got through the full 90.
Dieseruvwe, who joins Ben Killip and Luke James in having represented England C while at Pools, will now link back up with Kevin Phillips and the squad before the team travel down to Hampshire to take on Eastleigh on Saturday.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.