England U21s 1 Slovenia U21s 2: Djed Spence targeted by Huddersfield boo-boys as hosts lose

Ahead of Monday night’s game, you had to go back over a decade to March 2010 for their previous defeat in qualification on these shores, a 2-1 reverse against Greece on Yorkshire terrain at Doncaster Rovers.

The next would also arrive in the Broad Acres at Huddersfield and the hosts could have few complaints on a night when England floated like a butterfly between the thirds, but stung like a bee where it mattered.

Lee Carsley's side - whose qualification for next summer’s finals in Romania and Georgia had been comfortably secured - signed off for high summer with a whimper in front of a crowd of 5,236. No harm done really, but still flat and disappointing.

The tone for an unsatisfactory evening for the Young Lions for once began in the first minute when Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence scored an own goal. Some would say it arrived before kick-off.

Boos from some of the Terriers contingent in attendance had arrived towards Djed Spence and James Garner, part of the Nottingham Forest side who recently beat Town in the Championship play-off final at Wembley, when their names were read out.

Spence - tipped to make a big-money move to the Premier League shortly with Spurs in the driving seat - then had the misfortune to glance a well-delivered free-kick from Slovenia captain Dusan Stojinovic past Joe Bursik and a few more boos soon arrived for good measure.

One fed-up punter in the main stand showed what they thought of it later on in the half with an exasperated shout of ‘Shut up you idiots’ and many will have quietly nodded their heads in agreement.

There was nothing unfortunate about Slovenia's second goal mid-way through the second-half when Mark Zabukovnik cashed in on poor marking to power home an excellent header from Luka Vesner Ticic.

At the other end of the pitch, England tapped the ball around on the deck and offered little threat aerially until Leeds United defender Cresswell - at the venue where his father Richard scored on England’s only other previous international visit in a 3-0 win over Sweden in June 1999 - saw his header cleared near the line from a Slovenian defender..

A goal in stoppage time from substitute Cameron Archer, whose shot beat the defences of Martin Turk after being set up by another replacement in Hull City's Keane Lewis-Potter briefly revived the home followers. There was little animation before that.

The sight of a former Town loanee starting in Emile Smith Rowe was a welcome one for home patrons, while Morgan Gibbs-White and Folarin Balogun ended their seasons in Yorkshire following temporary stints last term at Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.

Gibbs-White's axis down the right with Spence, the pair had a couple of delightful exchanges, looked England's best hope, in truth with the boos reserved for Spence and Garner thankfully relenting.

England's ball retention was tidy and there were a notable few bursts forward from Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey, who spent a rewarding spell at Doncaster Rovers earlier in his career. But aside from that and some good situations for Gibbs-White and Spence, they struggled to get behind Slovenia's backline in the first half.

A slip from Gibbs-White when he threatened to surge clear early in the second half summed things up on a night when he was also cautioned.

Smith Rowe - whose previous appearance at the John Smith's Stadium saw him score the goal against West Brom which effectively clinched Huddersfield's safety and rubber-stamped Leeds' promotion at the end of the 2019-20 season - was denied a close-range equaliser by a late touch from a visiting defender.

The clinical moment would arrive at the other end and no eighth successive win for the Young Lions.

England under-21s: Bursik; Spence (Aarons 60), Cresswell, Harwood-Bellis, Johnson; Ramsey (Elliott 60), Garner (Lewis-Potter 74), Jones; Gibbs-White, Balogun (Archer 60), Smith Rowe (Gomes 79). Substitutes unused: Rushworth, Thomas, Doyle, McAtee.

Slovenia under-21s: Turk; Ilencic, Stojinovic (Feratovic 45), Zec, Spanring; Markus, Vesner Ticic (Antolin 80), Zabukovnik; Zugelj (Trontelj 83), Flakus Bosilj (Prelec 70), Matko (Kurtovic 70). Substitutes unused: Leban, Laci, Begic, Seslar.

Referee: Krzysztof Jakubik (Poland).