England Under 21 manager Stuart Pearce says he is using his own tournament experience to help his players cope with nerves as they attempt to qualify for the European Under-21 Championship semi-finals, reports the BBC. He said: "I can draw on my experience to feed back to them. "I've gone to a World Cup and into the first group game. You're scared stiff. If they feel nervous, that's normal." England need to defeat the Czech Republic in their final group match this evening to go through to the semi-finals. Pearce played in the senior England teams which made it to the semi-finals of Italia 1990 and Euro 96. And although he was eager not to sound like "some old codger wheeling out another story", his journey with the late Sir Bobby Robson's team 21 years ago has provided him with plenty to pass on his young charges. He added: "That's the beauty of playing the game prior, when you say to them 'I know how you feel'. "I'm fortunate enough to have trodden the same path as these players. "A few years before that, I was an electrician, so the experience had come on me very quickly." Referring to the 1-1 draw against the Republic of Ireland in England's opening game of the 1990 World Cup, Pearce said: "I had 20 senior caps going into that game but I didn't play particularly well. "When I came in after the game, Bobby Robson looked at me and asked, 'Where is Stuart Pearce?'. "I said I didn't know, that I hadn't played well and I was a bit nervous. "He just turned around and told me that he had given me 20 caps not to be nervous. "Even after the 20 caps and starting against Brazil in my first game, nothing prepares you for stepping out at a World Cup. "For all these boys, this is the biggest tournament they have ever played in." England's draws in their opening matches against Spain and Ukraine has left them needing all three points from tonight's clash if they are to progress. The Czechs were unbeaten in qualifying and won their opening game against Ukraine. But they were comprehensively outplayed in a 2-0 defeat by Spain on Wednesday. Pearce added: "They certainly got a bit of a runaround by the Spanish, I think, having watched the game. "But they've got three points in the bag, so that puts them in a stronger position in the group than we are at the moment." "It's a really tough group we're in. We knew it'd go to the last game. "All four teams are in the same situation. They've got to go into the last games and get results. "There is not one team out of the four of us that can afford to get beaten. "If you get beaten, you go home, as simple as that. That applies to the Spanish as much as us."
