Middlesbrough news: Young striker nets a hat-trick for England, Martin Braithwaite scores for Denmark plus Checkatrade Trophy exit

Three Middlesbrough players featured for their countries yesterday during a busy night of international football.
Martin Braithwaite playing for Denmark.Martin Braithwaite playing for Denmark.
Martin Braithwaite playing for Denmark.

Academy prospect Stephen Walker, 18, enjoyed a memorable evening, as England Under-19s beat Macedonia 6-2 at St George's Park.

The Boro striker scored a hat-trick in the team's final warm-up game before the European Championship Qualifiers in Turkey next month.

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Martin Braithwaite was also on target, scoring a 93rd-minute goal for Denmark in a 2-0 friendly win over Austria.

It was a frustrating evening for Boro goalkeeper Darren Randolph, though, who played the full 90 minutes for the Republic of Ireland against Wales in the UEFA Nations League.

The Green Army lost 1-0 in Dublin, meaning Martin O'Neill's side now have to win their final group game against Denmark to stand a chance of avoiding relegation.

Defender Dael Fry didn't feature for England Under-21s against Scotland, while Nathan Wood, who captained England Under-17s on Sunday, was left on the bench as his side beat Brazil 3-1 in Telford.

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Elsewhere, Boro's under-21 side were knocked out of the Checkatrade Trophy last night following a 2-0 defeat at Port Vale.

Boro have now lost both games in the competition and sit bottom of the Northern Group E with one game left to play.

Their final game against Burton next month is now a dead rubber, as neither side can qualify for the knockout stages.

Despite the loss ,manager Paul Stephenson was keen to focus on the positives.

“Loads of positives. We’ve really competed with them, but I couldn’t fault the whole majority of the team. I couldn’t fault that effort and that desire to compete," said Stephenson after the game.