Noel Blake has left The FA after seven years as a National Coach

Noel Blake has left The FA after seven years as a National Coach

The former Stoke City, Birmingham City, Leeds United and Portsmouth player has spent the last five years in charge of the England U19 squad, leading them to the European Championship semi-finals in both 2010 and 2012 and thus securing qualification for the U20 World Cups of 2011 and 2013.

Blake also acted as an assistant coach with the England U16 squad and has been in charge of the Three Lions at both U18 and U20 level too.

Noel Blake has spent seven years with The FA and coached a number of England development squads

This season saw Blake take the U19s as far as the Elite Qualifying Round of the Euros, where a stoppage-time goal from Ukraine last month saw them miss out on another trip to the Finals in Hungary this summer.

He has also played a part in coach education and development during his time with The FA, who he joined from Stoke City, where he was Academy Manager, in February 2007.

The FA’s Director Of Elite Development Dan Ashworth said: "We’d like to place on record our thanks to Noel for his hard work over the last seven years.

"He has played a key role within the England development teams during that time and we would like to wish him all the best for his future career."

Blake said: "It has been a real honour for me to coach the England U18, U19 and U20 teams during the past seven years.

"The international tournament experience I have gained is invaluable and I have had the pleasure of working with some outstanding young English players, for which I feel very privileged."