HUDDERSFIELD Town boss Lee Clark today revealed goalkeeper Alex Smithies was always going to be available for Town against Bournemouth - even if he'd made his England Under 21 debut in Portugal tonight.
Smithies received a first call-up at that level earlier in the week, but withdrew from the trip to receive further treatment on a dead-leg injury at the Galpharm with a view to linking up again with Stuart Pearce's squad for Tuesday's clash with Lithuania at Colchester.
Clark explained: "I am not trying to 'big' ourselves up here, but in all honesty because of our contacts with certain people at the FA, our relationship with them and with Stuart Pearce, Alex was always going to be available for us.
"He was possibly going to play for the Under 21s tonight in Portugal, fly straight back to be available for us and then link up with England again on Saturday night.
"When you talk about contacts and relationships in the game, this was one which was going to be a plus point for us.
"There is a very strong chance, providing he comes through unscathed against Bournemouth, that he will go straight back and meet up with the rest of the Under 21 group for the match at Colchester - that's judging by the dialogue we've had."
Clark added: "It's great to be in the Under 21 environment with a lot of very good players - people who have been linked with multi-million pound moves - and he deservest to be there.
"There is no way he should feel inferior at all because, as I never get tired of saying, Alex is a future international keeper at senior level, without a shadow of a doubt. The sooner he gets used to that sort of environment the better."
