Legs 11 as Crouch pounces for winner

PETER CROUCH just keeps on scoring, and goal number 11 secured three crucial points for England.

England were made to work extremely hard by the team ranked 67th in the world. But they stuck at their task and left Skopje with the win thanks to a volley from Crouch which rattled the bar and bounced just over the line.

Manager Steve McClaren insisted the match threw up no surprises.

“It was the game we expected,” he said.

“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.

“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 deserve his goal.”

Crouch’s incredible international scoring record is now 11 goals from 14 appearances. All of them have come in six months since March, when he opened his account in a friendly against Uruguay at Anfield.

England were slow to find their passing range on a dry and difficult surface but they carved out three good first-half chances thanks to long-throws from Phil Neville.

It may have been crude but it proved effective with beanpole Crouch causing problems for defenders.

First, the Liverpool striker forced goalkeeper Jane Nikoloski to make his first save in the 25th minute when he got his head to one.

Then a Neville throw was allowed to bounce in the penalty area and Jermain Defoe was off target with an overhead kick.

He missed another sharp chance before the break when Crouch flicked a Neville throw to him and the Spurs striker fired over.

England took control as half-time approached but needed a brave block from Terry to stay level, three minutes before the break.

Terry hurled himself in front of a fierce shot from Velice Sumulikoski.

Frank Lampard caught a 25-yarder sweetly in the final minute of the first half and forced Nikoloski into a full-length save.

Seconds after the break, Macedonia’s keeper was beaten by Crouch and England had the breathing space they wanted.

Lampard was at the heart of the move, chasing into the penalty box on the right to force a mistake. He picked up the loose ball and turned it back across the face of goal, where Crouch adjusted well to produce a volley with his right foot.

The shot hit the underside of the bar and bounced down, the whole of the ball crossing the line.

Crouch went close again in the 59th minute when his drive from just inside the box was narrowly off-target.

FYR MACEDONIA: Nikolovski, Noveski, Petrov, Sedloski, Igor Mitreski, Lazarevski, Jancevski (Tasevski 52), Sumulikoski, Naumoski (Sakiri 74), Maznov (Stojkov 56), Pandev.

ENGLAND: Robinson, Neville, Terry, Ferdinand, Cole, Gerrard, Hargreaves, Lampard (Carrick 84), Downing, Crouch (Johnson 87), Defoe (Lennon 76).

Referee: Bertrand Layec (France).