KEVIN Nolan is likely to take his next step up the representative ladder when the Reebok stages its first England Under 21 international.

The Wanderers' midfielder, already capped at Youth and Under 20s level, has been knocking on the door of David Platt's U-21s for the past year with his club boss, Sam Allardyce, repeatedly advocating his selection.

Now, with a successful season of Premier League football under his belt and the benefit of a game in his own "backyard", he has never had a stronger claim.

Platt sees the friendly against Yugoslavia on Friday, September 6 (ko 8pm) as a key part of the build-up to the European Championship Qualifiers, which begin in October.

"We're all looking forward to this game against a technically very gifted Yugoslavia team," Platt explained. "It's ideal preparation ahead of the European qualifiers. The older players from last year's group have now moved on, so this game is a good opportunity to assess the squad that we have at our disposalfor this season.

"I'm also delighted to be taking the team to Bolton. The Reebok Stadium is a great venue and I'm sure it'll bring the best out of our players."

Allardyce welcomed the decision to hold the game at the Reebok saying: "It's a fantastic honour for the football club and the town to host the game. "Already at the Reebok Stadium, we have successfully hosted an England under 20s game and this is the next step up.

"It just goes to show the amount of progress we are making as a football club."