Toshack determined to ‘push on’ after mauling

JOHN Toshack took it on the chin after Wales slumped to their worst home defeat in 98 years.

This was the disaster that the Wales chief feared one day might happened, but prayed he could avoid.

When you throw in kids, sooner or later your luck runs out, but Toshack insists he is not for turning, with calls for 30 somethings like Gary Speed or even Robbie Savage to be recalled from self imposed retirement.

Toshack said: “We cannot go backwards, there is no point now in looking back to people and then in 12 months’ time having to change them and start again. No, we have to push on with our thinking now, I’m afraid.”

Toshack, two years into a five year water-tight contract, has pinned his faith to youth and knows the old brigade will not be around for the 2010 World Cup campaign, so what is the point now in using them as stop-gaps.

Seasoned watchers of Tosh’s campaign to rebuild the Wales squad with youth, could also see coming what new skipper Craig Bellamy described as a “disaster.”

Toshack has given 16 youngsters their first caps in his two-year reign, seen 10 retire and was missing five of his first choice side on Saturday.

An alarmingly naive Welsh defence was taken apart with three first-half goals through Dusan Svento and Marek Mintal, twice. One was a dreadful howler by Jones who sliced a clearance and was then beaten by Mintal from 30 yards.

Gareth Bale, 17, Wales’ youngest ever international became their youngest scorer with a fine curling 20 yard freekick and the Southampton youngster was a lot better than many around him.

But Mintal’s second from 25 yards against a non-challenging defence a minute later killed off Wales.

In the second period Miroslav Karhan and Robert Vittek added further clinical strikes, and Wales were facing their worst home defeat since England beat them 7-1 at Wrexham in 1908.

WALES: Paul Jones, Duffy, Bale, Gabbidon, Nyatanga, Robinson, Edwards (Ledley 58), Koumas, Simon Davies (Cotterill 88), Bellamy, Earnshaw (Parry 45).

SLOVAKIA: Contofalsky, Kozak, Kratochvil, Martin Petras, Varga, Karhan (Krajcik 67), Mintal (Hodur 71), Vittek (Holosko 77), Peter Petras, Svento, Durica. Subs Not Used: Hajduch, Valachovic, Had, Sapara.

Attendance: 28,493.

Referee: Dick Van Egmond (Holland).