Walcott praises team-mates after hat-trick heroics
Walcott felt the whole England team had played well against Croatia
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Wednesday, 10, Sep 2008 11:09
Theo Walcott praised the team ethic within the England team following his hat-trick in the side's 4-1 away to Croatia.
England now top their World Cup qualifying group and the young Arsenal midfielder says their success is down to them sticking together as a team.
Fabio Capello's men had been heavily criticised following a lacklustre draw against Czech Republic and an unimpressive performance during their 2-0 win over Andorra on Saturday.
However, Walcott insists they have now shown what they are capable of as a team. The midfielder was quick to praise his team-mates for helping him score three of England's four goals.
He said: "There were eleven stars out there tonight. We showed how strong we are as unit and it's been absolutely brilliant.
"It shows how together we are as a unit. It was a long day but we have become stronger for it and have shown what great football we can play and hopefully we can do on and do that against anyone."
Walcott is the first player to score a hat-trick for England in a competitive match since Michael Owen netted three times in England's 5-1 win over Germany in the qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup.
The Gunners midfielder had not scored at all for England until Wednesday's match and said his success was down to staying calm under pressure and seizing the opportunities that came his way.
"My first two goals were a bit similar just cross shots when I decided to be a bit greedier than normal. And the third was just a great ball by 'Wazza' [Rooney] and I just managed to keep calm," said Walcott.
"You have to take the opportunities you are given and I'm grateful for the one the manager has given me and I'll just keep working hard and hopefully improving."
The hat-trick is likely to cement Walcott's place in the side and could hasten the end of David Beckham's recent run in the first team.
Beckham came on for Walcott near the end of the match to earn his 105th cap for his country.