FOOTBALL is a funny old game – just ask Radcliffe Borough manager Kevin Glendon.

The boss of the habitually struggling Evo-Stik Division One North side was brimming with pride as he watched former protégé Craig Dawson lead England Under-21s to a 4-0 victory over Austria on Monday night.

The 22-year-old West Brom centre-back, who is currently on loan at the Wanderers, was named captain for the first time in his 13th appearance for Stuart Pearce’s side.

And Glendon, who signed Dawson for Boro when he was 17 and had him at Stainton Park for two seasons, believes there is plenty more to come from the Rochdale-born defender.

“To think that a future England captain could have started his career at Radcliffe Borough, that would be something wouldn’t it?” he said.

“He has got all of the attributes that could eventually lead him to that.

“Craig was only young when he came to us, but he was already mentally strong.

“He had the perfect attitude to become a leader and has gone on to realise that potential.”

Dawson has been a revelation since arriving at the Reebok on loan in January, scoring four goals in eight starts that have coincided with a sudden and impressive upturn in form for the Whites.

His move back to the North West followed a disappointing spell at West Brom, where he fell out of favour under Steve Clarke after originally earning his Premier League debut for now England manager Roy Hodgson.

And Glendon is confident that his recent blip at the Hawthorns will turn out to be just that.

“I’m not going to say that I always knew he would be an international, that would be a lie, but I had no doubt, from the first moment I saw him, that he would go on to earn a good living from football,” said the Boro boss.

“How far he could go was down to the lad himself, but he just seems to have taken everything in his stride.

“Every step up the ladder he has made, he has adjusted his game to cope with it.

“And yes, he’s had to take a little backwards step going to Bolton, but, speaking to people there, he has been absolutely fantastic for them and has been a real catalyst for how well they have performed.

“I guess that is what Stuart Pearce has seen in him to make him captain of his under-21s side.

“He always works hard on his game and inspires the other people around him to do the same.

“So I’m really happy for the lad, but it is also fantastic for our football club.”

Radcliffe Borough have endured a tough few seasons, languishing near the bottom of the division as they bid to clear debts.

But Glendon, in tandem with owner Bernard Manning Jnr, has helped to steady the ship and believes Dawson’s rise to prominence could be just the motivation he and his players need to move up the non-league pyramid.

“To have one of our players become an England captain at any level is fantastic for Radcliffe Borough, and it just goes to show what can happen in football,” he added.

“You never know when the next future England captain could turn out at Stainton Park.”