Clifford chuffed by senior call-up

CHELSEA midfielder Conor Clifford thought his Under-21 boss Noel King was joking with him yesterday when delivering the news of his senior call-up.

19-year-old Clifford was taken off at half-time in last night’s 2-1 win over Austria to allow him link-up with Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad for tonight’s meeting with Croatia.

“I thought Noel King was winding me up,” said the playmaker, who had loan spells with Plymouth Argyle and Notts County last season.