JOHN Seaden has expressed his pride after seeing his son Harry add to his collection of international caps.

The 16-year-old shot-stopper - who is based in Rayleigh - lined up twice in quick succession for England’s under-17 side.

And John was delighted to see the youngster add to his experience by taking on Turkey and Italy.

“We’re obviously very proud of Harry and what he has achieved and it was great to see him playing in both games,” said John.

“I think, as a parent, watching someone play in goal must be the worst position because you know that any slight mistake will result in a goal.

“I was certainly quite stressed the other night but Harry made some decent saves and he certainly didn’t disgrace himself.”

Harry - who is a youth team scholar at Southend United - helped England see off Turkey in their first fixture but was unable to prevent them losing 2-1 against Italy at Kidderminster Harriers’ Aggborough Stadium.

But John was impressed by the standard of play in both games.

Echo:

Walking out - Blues youngster Harry Seaden

“You could notice the step up from the previous age groups Harry has been involved in,” said John, who made 21 appearances for the Shrimpers during his own playing career.

“It was particularly noticeable in the Italy game, but it’s all fantastic experience for Harry and it’s great for his development too.”

Harry, a former FitzWimarc School pupil, will return to training with the Shrimpers today.

And Blues youth team coach Dave Huzzey was also delighted to see Harry receive international recognition.

“Everyone at the club is really proud and pleased to see Harry not only playing for England but playing well too,” said Huzzey.

“We’ve had feedback from other clubs as well as our own scouts to say how well he’s done but it’s also nice to hear back from England about how impressed they are with Harry’s professionalism and attitude.”

Harry will now be displaying that back at Southend United.

And Huzzey has been impressed with how the youngster has adapted to full-time training.

“We knew Harry would do well but he’s taken to the increased work-load even better than we thought he would do,” said Huzzey.

“There’s a big demand on goalkeepers at this club because there’s always work going on with the under-18s, the under-23s and the first team and there are always players who want to work on their game after training, but he’s doing well.”