McClaren: It was what we expected
McClaren satisfied with win
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Wednesday, 06, Sep 2006 11:06
England boss Steve McClaren pronounced himself satisfied with England's narrow victory over Macedonia in Skopje - saying that his side's hosts had provided exactly the test he had expected.
A Peter Crouch goal in the opening minute of the second half secured all three points for England in a match which rarely saw McClaren's men sparkle, as they performed fairly cautiously in fending off spells of Macedonian pressure.
Displaying little surprise at what was a close-run encounter, the former Middlesbrough manager said: "It was the game we expected. Macedonia on their home pitch are always tough opposition. It was a tough game, in spells we had to really dig deep. It was a team effort and we got the points.
"The back four were magnificent, the defining moment came with the goal. We've got six points from two games so we're on target. We could have played better football. The referee was a bit bitty, he stopped the game too much and we couldn't get flowing. But overall that was the game we expected."
McClaren, who now celebrates three wins out of three as England coach, with no goals conceded, also paid tribute to the work of his forwards, highlighting the work they put in across the length and width of the pitch.
He added: "At the present moment Peter is doing a great job, Jermain Defoe as well. They put in some tireless work backwards and forwards. They both did that and Crouch deserved his goal."
The result ensured that England took maximum points from their first two matches in a qualifying tournament for the first time in a decade.