Welsh supremo Toshack relieved after narrow escape against minnows

WALES boss John Toshack admitted he was praying for the final whistle as his team hung onto a 2-1 victory over San Marino.

Toshack had seen his heavily-criticised side dominate the first half of last night’s European Championship qualifier with goals from Robert Earnshaw and Joe Ledley.

But the Group D minnows hit back with a second-half strike from Andy Selva, which gave the Welsh contingent a nerve-wracking final few minutes.

Toshack had accused his players of being spoilt and pampered ahead of this match following the debacle of Saturday’s defeat in Cyprus.

But the Wales boss said: “I still feel we have a lot of work and talking to do if we are going to change some players’ attitude.

“I still want to push younger players in. Some of these lads have had a rollicking, but these days you don’t seem to be able to do that to young players. They think that they know it all.”

Toshack looked drained after a week of soul searching and recriminations in which he doubted his own position.

He said: “I hope the next 10 days we are together will be better than this one was. Okay, so this was a win, but that’s all.

“We set about the first half in the right way, scored two and could have had more. We were good value for that lead at the break.

“But in the second period we had to make a change because David Vaughan was struggling with a groin injury and we didn’t really get started after that.

“We were not as good as we were in the first half and we gave away a needless free-kick for them to score. From then on, we were biting our nails and calling for the whistle.

“That was a pity because it should not have been that close. But it was difficult against a defence that did not come out.

“But to concede from a free-kick like that, with us not marking up properly and generally being sloppy disappointed me.

“Games against teams like this frighten the life out of me. San Marino almost beat the Republic of Ireland here and you know things like that can happen.”

San Marino: Aldo Simoncini, Carlo Valentini, Vannucci (Bugli 76), Albani, Della Valle, Bonifazi (Bonini 62), Davide Simoncini, Muccioli, Andreini, De Luigi (Matteo Vitaioli 80), Selva.

Wales: Price, Bale, Eardley, Gabbidon, Nyatanga, Robinson, Vaughan (Ricketts 62), Davies, Ledley, Earnshaw, Bellamy.

Ref: Anthony Zammit (Malta).