One step at a time
Thursday, 10 September, 2009
John Terry eyes steady progress after sealing World Cup berth.
Stuart Mawhinney
TheFA.com caught up with England Captain, John Terry, shortly after the 5-1 victory over Croatia at Wembley Stadium and the skipper saluted England’s bright start to the match, which saw them take the lead after just seven minutes.
“I said it was important that we started well [and] we did,” Terry reflected.
“I was speaking to Slaven Bilic and he said we made it very difficult for them early on. When teams come here and we make it difficult it’s hard for them to play. [We scored] two great early goals [including] a great penalty form Lamps.”
Terry also praised the impact of England’s Man of the Match, Aaron Lennon, who had a hand in England’s opening two goals, winning the penalty and then crossing for Steven Gerrard to head home minutes later.
“He made a big impact, Aaron. He’s got great pace but he works so hard defensively as well; he helped [Glen Johnson] out a lot, [but] everyone on the pitch played very well. That’s what we're aiming to do; keep improving and not get carried away. It was a good performance but we have to keep progressing and keep our feet firmly on the ground.”
The 5-1 victory confirmed England’s participation in next year’s World Cup and Terry was quick to acknowledge the supporters’ contribution in qualification.
“We’re delighted to be there, he said. “Hopefully the fans enjoyed [the victory over Croatia], because we owed it to them for all the[ir] hard work and all the travel they’ve given to us over this campaign.”
You can watch the full interview with Terry by clicking on the play button in the top right-hand side of the screen.
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