McCarthy: This result down to our team spirit

James McCarthy hailed the effort of his Republic of Ireland team-mates after Giovanni Trapattoni’s men played out a 1-1 draw with England last night.

Shane Long’s early goal at Wembley was cancelled out by a Frank Lampard equaliser and McCarthy, while conceding England deserved a draw, was proud of the Irish display.

“Obviously it’s a tough place to come and it just shows you the great squad we’ve got, we fight for everything, we certainly did that today,” he said on Setanta Ireland.

“It was tough. We came under pressure at times but you’d expect that. We really worked for everything.

“England probably deserved a draw, they could have gone on and sneaked it. The great character we’ve got in the dressing room, we got a draw.

“We fought for every ball and that’s what it’s all about. We wanted to do well and I think we’ve done that.”

Trapattoni felt his side showed quality.

“The team showed personality. I am happy for this. In the first half, we played well and we deserve this good result. The result is right,” he said.

“Our young players, their mentality improved. We can take confidence that we can play against great teams like England and Spain. It allows young players to grow their performance.”

The Italian hailed the performance of McCarthy and Seamus Coleman.

Ashley Cole captained England last night and just failed to cap the night with a goal.

Chelsea left-back Cole was handed the armband to celebrate his century of caps as he collected number 102 and a special golden cap to mark the milestone.

Asked where it ranked in his list of career moments, the 32-year-old said: “It’s probably number one. I never expected to get 100 caps and to have the reception I did.

“I’d like to thank the fans, I didn’t expect it, and it was a very proud moment for me, one I’ll never forget.”

He almost made his mark on the scoresheet when picked out by Theo Walcott following a fine ball from Wayne Rooney, but a first England goal eluded him when Coleman blocked his path.

“It’s a great ball from Wayne and I tried my luck, I thought I could get on the end of it but it’s great defending,” he said. “My eyes lit up but it wasn’t to be.”

Cole, never one to put himself in the public spotlight, also denied he was a reluctant captain on the night.

“In my mind I wanted to be captain,” he said. “I don’t really like speaking to the media and the press but this is a dream come true to be captain. A little boy’s dream come true.”