Cumbrians James Trafford and Jarrad Branthwaite can write their names into English football history today.

The duo and their England Under-21 team-mates are bidding to become European champions.

The young Lions take on Spain in this evening's final as England aim to claim the European crown for the first time since 1984.

Goalkeeper Trafford, who has kept five straight clean sheets in the tournament, is set to start for Lee Carsley’s side, with defender Branthwaite a likely substitute.

England have a 100 per cent record in this summer’s championships with Trafford, from Greysouthen, starring in successive victories against the Czech Republic, Israel, Germany, Portugal and Israel again in the semi-finals.

Wigton defender Branthwaite made his Under-21 debut in the group stage win over Germany.

Spain reached the final after winning two and drawing one of their group games, then going on to defeat Switzerland and Ukraine in the knock-out stages.

The final is a repeat of the 1984 showpiece when, that year, England saw off Spain over two legs to lift the European title.

Their side in the second leg included future Carlisle United defender Derek Mountfield, while other players in the respective sides included eventual full England internationals Steve Hodge, Mark Hateley, Gary Stevens, Mel Sterland, Mark Chamberlain, Gary Bailey and Dave Watson.

Current head coach Carsley, meanwhile, can emulate the likes of Carlisle United boss Paul Simpson in leading England to international glory at age-group level.

Simmo guided England to the Under-20 World Cup in 2017.

Carsley’s side have attracted praise for the quality of their football in these Euros and he has called on the team to make it a final to remember.

"That it’s being televised is brilliant for the players,” said Carsley, speaking in The Guardian, after Channel 4 confirmed they were showing the game live.

“They’ve played so well and with such freedom it would be great if they could put on a similar performance tomorrow and show the viewers potentially the next [full] internationals and what that team looks like.

“We’ve shown over the last two years [how we can play] – against the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Portugal – and to win [here] was a big thing coming in. We were ranked sixth so to get to the final, to get out of the group to start with, was a good achievement.

"The team have got maybe two or three levels to go. If they click it’ll be a hell of a performance. The bigger stage means you’ll see a different intensity to the team.”

“It’s a great achievement for the players. We spoke about creating our own history,” Carsley added after the semi-final win over Israel.

“We’ve done well up until now, but the next thing is the biggest thing.

“I still think we’ve still got a lot of improving to do. There’s still another level for this team to go. They’ve really grown as a group.

“All the credit goes to the squad, they’re a very determined bunch. They have a lot of pride in possession, but also in the blocks and clearances. But there are still a lot of things we can sharpen up ahead of the next game.”

Bookmakers make England favourites by a tiny margin tonight.

Carsley's side are 13/8 for victory with Bet365, with Santi Denia's Spain 17/10.

Tonight's final kicks off at 5pm and is live on Channel 4.