McClaren defends Austria clash

England boss Steve McClaren has refuted suggestions Friday’s friendly against Austria is pointless.

Having arranged the match in Vienna as part of the build-up to the potentially crucial European Championship qualifier against Croatia, McClaren now finds himself in the difficult position of not knowing whether he is preparing a team for the biggest match of his managerial career or attempting face-saving exercise to accompany the massive let-down of a failure to reach a major championship for the first time since 1994.