Young Spireite’s Malta U17 call-up

Chesterfield FC scholar Gunner Elliott has been selected to represent the Malta U17 international squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro U17 qualifiers this month.

He is set to face England U17 tomorrow at 10am BST with Malta also facing Sweden U17 on October 27 and Latvia U17 on October 30.

Elliott was originally chosen for the Malta U17 36-man squad, then the 26-man squad and has now been selected for Francesco Macri’s final 20-man squad.

Making the final squad means that Elliott could become the first Chesterfield youth player to play against England at international level.

The striker is the only overseas based player to feature in the Malta U17 squad.

Elliott joined the Spireites’ academy this summer, having previously played for the Buxton and Macclesfield youth teams and Derbyshire schoolboys.

Academy head of recruitment & development Justin Tellus said: “I am delighted to see that Gunner Elliott has got the call-up. It is surreal to see one of our academy players have the chance to face England.”

For the Spireites, Elliott made his debut for the U18s against Mansfield after coming on as a substitute in the Youth Alliance Cup, which saw a 1-0 win for Chesterfield.

He then scored a brace for the U18s as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Walsall in the Youth Alliance League.

Last time out, Elliott started against Notts County U18s in a 1-1 draw in the Youth Alliance Cup.

Chesterfield U18s’ coach Haydn Hollis spoke about Elliott’s development since joining.

He said: “Gunner is a brilliant player, and he fully deserves this opportunity that has been given to him. We wish him the best of luck in these next three matches.”

The game can be watched via TVMSPORT+ and the Malta FA’s YouTube channel.

View the full squad announcement here: https://www.mfa.com.mt/news/national-teams/coach-francesco-macri-announces-20-man-squad-for-uefa-euro-under-17-qualifiers/

To watch the game via Malta FA’s YouTube, click here: https://www.youtube.com/live/0RLDMkHVFgo?si=rYWimZri-T3EeDMu