The perfect end to a rewarding week . England ’ s five-day stay in the Czech Republic finished with a win that enhanced their credentials for summer success . England went Olomouc on Monday to familiarise themselves with the place they will call home and Under-21 head coach Gareth Southgate was thrilled with how the experiment went . He was even happier , then , after Tom Carroll ’ s goal in Prague chiselled out victory for a much-changed side . Having flattened inferior opponents in qualifying for Euro 2015 , Southgate was keen to see how his squad will fare against better nations and so far , it has gone how he wanted . Portugal – who will be opponents in Group B – were beaten in November and now the hosts have gone the same way . Tom Carroll celebrates his goal during the international match between Czech Republic U21 and England U21 . Though this performance against the host nation was not the flashiest but it had showed qualities that England will need if they are to go all the way . More than anything , it proved there is strength a depth beneath the core . ‘ I thought we did some very good things , ’ Southgate noted . ‘ There were also plenty of things we can improve on . The Czechs are a good side and they put us under pressure but we still wanted to play the same way . It was a good test. ’ There were four debutants in this experimental line-up , most notably Arsenal defender Calum Chambers , and for periods in the first half England lacked the cohesion of a team that has played regularly together . As an attacking force , they offered little . The England Under 21 squad celebrate as they take the lead against Czech Republic on Friday night . One thing , though , that was not in question was their fight to keep the Czechs at bay . Nobody embodied the spirit more than Carroll – whom Southgate called a 'super footballer ' – who was well placed in the 29th minute to kick a header from Watford striker Matej Vydra off the line . Southgate anticipated this being a game when England would have a lot of the ball and be on the front foot but the opposite was true ; the physically strong Czechs kept pushing England further and further back and the visitors ’ passing was not sharp as it can be at their most fluent . It was clear from looking at Southgate ’ s demeanour he was not happy with what he was seeing . He strode purposely down the tunnel at the interval and whatever he said worked as England re-emerged purpose . England U21 ace Alex Pritchard skips over Czech Republic star Tom Kalas during the game at Letna Stadium . They were immediately aggressive and within three minutes , they had taken the lead . Chambers surged forward and zipped in a cross that Tomas Kalas – the Chelsea defender on loan at Middlesbrough – failed to clear and Carroll took advantage , sweeping in from eight yards . Here was another indication of his tenacity : he took a heavy blow to the ankle when scoring his first international goal since August 2013 and hobbled away as his team-mates raced over to him ; the Swansea midfielder managed just another five minutes before his night ended . ‘ We think he will be ok for Monday , ’ said Southgate . ‘ He just caught his ankle a bit . But he produced a real captain ’ s performance . He is at a club that really suits the way he plays and is developing physically . There is no reason why he can ’ t score more goals. ’ Cauley Woodrow looks to beat Czech Republic U21 ace Matej Hanousek at Letna Stadium in Prague . His replacement , Derby ’ s Will Hughes , almost made an immediate impression when skipping past a number of challenges to set up Pritchard but , somehow , a posse of Red shirts managed to smuggle the ball away from danger . With the bit between their teeth , England looked for a second but ultimately , they could not find a way through and in the final 20 minutes they were penned back . That they came through it was thanks to an outstanding cameo from Everton defender John Stones . So another test has been passed and now Germany await on Monday . Negotiate that and England really will start to dream . ‘ This was a game we needed with small margins , ’ said Southgate . ‘ We enjoyed qualifying but we are playing real football now. ’ Gareth Southgate described England 's win as 'real football ' following their narrow victory on Friday night .
Tom Carroll secured victory for a much-changed Gareth Southgate 's side . Four players made their debuts in England U21 experimental line-up . But it was Tottenham midfielder Carroll that proved the difference . Hosts came close when Watford 's Matej Vydra had effort cleared off line .