6 September 2006
Peter Crouch post Macedonia

TheFA.com managed to grab the nation's new hero to get his reaction after another match-winning performance.

Phil Neville has paid tribute to England’s new management team after the Three Lions completed their third win in a row under Steve McClaren.

A 1-0 victory in Macedonia puts England top of Group E in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and experienced campaigner Neville is delighted with the way things are going.

The Everton man said: "When the boss came in, he wiped the slate clean. It was a fresh start for everybody and the World Cup was in the past.

"You've got to look forward and we enjoy this victory for an hour and then we've got to look forward to the next two games against Macedonia and Croatia.

"That's the way he is instilling things into us. There is a great team spirit and that's been formed through the management and the coaches and everything seems to be going well now.

"But I think the next qualifying games in October are real tests for us because they are real tough games."

Neville, who played at right-back for England in Skopje in place of his injured brother Gary, believes it was a competent and assured performance from the Three Lions.

He said: "I thought we controlled the game for large parts. There were always going to be times when they huffed and puffed a bit but Crouch has come up with another great goal and we have come out worthy winners.

"The boss warned us they would come flying out. It is a hard place to come. But now we have had two comfortable wins in this group. The Andorra game was a stroll in the park and even though the score-line was tight, for large parts of the game we controlled it and kept them out of our half.

"I thought at any given time we could have gone on and scored the second goal but we just used our experience and we just played out the 1-0 victory. We didn't want to open up too much because you never know what happens on this type of surface against these kind of teams.

"I don't think the atmosphere was as hostile as it was here three years ago. Probably the game didn't seem as tough as it did three years ago either. That experience from before made us be on our toes a little bit more and we used our experience well."

Neville also paid tribute to goalscorer Peter Crouch, who made it 11 goals for England so far by hooking home a Frank Lampard cross after 46 minutes.

"I think in terms of international football he is one of the most in-form strikers in world football at the moment," said Neville.

"His goal-scoring record is phenomenal. People go on about his height but his technical ability is second to none and he is a real threat when these games come along. Hopefully he keeps scoring."

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