Peterborough United goalkeeper Joe Lewis made his debut for the England under 21 side as he came off the substitutes bench to help his country defeat Wales in an international friendly at the Racecourse Ground.

Lewis was given 45 minutes to shine and kept a clean sheet as England strolled to a comfortable victory in front of the watching senior boss Fabio Capello and goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence.

'It was a comfortable second half for me and exactly what I wanted. There was not a lot for me to do and that allowed me to ease into the game. Obviously as I didn't have much to do I couldn't really impress too much, but it was nice that Mr Capello and Ray Clemence were in the stands.

'I knew I would be playing 45 minutes and I just wanted to do my best. Joe Hart wished me well at half-time and told me to play my normal game and that is what I did. We were always in control of the match and to be honest I thought we played better in the second half despite not scoring.

'Hopefully it is the first of many caps for my country and I look forward to playing regularly in the future. Joe Hart has been called into the senior side so there may be more opportunities if he plays well. It was a great evening for me and a good way to end the season,' Lewis told theposh.com.

England won 2-0 thanks to goals from Tom Huddlestone and Theo Walcott. The friendly game celebrated Wales U21's 100th match since their first game - against England in 1976.