FOOTBALL: SLOVAKIA v ENGLAND: ANDY GRAY'S VERDICT

ENGLAND were lucky to come away from Slovakia with all three points.

Sven Goran Eriksson will be pleased to have got the European Championship campaign off to a winning start, but I don't think he will be too happy with the performance.

It is a great result for England from a far-from-great display, but the Slovakians will be kicking themselves for not getting at least a point.

Michael Owen didn't have the best of games, but he was there again when England needed him to grab that priceless winner.

I don't think he got a touch to David Beckham's free-kick, but like all strikers he tried to claim it. I'm convinced he wasn't anywhere near it - and later it was, quite rightly, given to Beckham.

England were more than a shade fortunate, even though their performance improved significantly in the second half.

They never really got to grips with Middlesbrough striker Szilard Nemeth and they were overrun at times in midfield.

I don't know how much of a factor the heavy pitch was in England's poor first-half showing. We have had great pitches in the Premiership for the last seven or eight years and I don't think some of the English lads had ever seen a mudheap like that before.

It was the sort of pitch I used to play on, but I don't think some of them fancied it too much.

I thought Beckham was lucky not to be sent off for a wild, two- footed challenge on one of the Slovak players. I saw Derek McInnes of West Brom red-carded on the opening day of the season at Manchester United for an identical challenge, and I think Beckham rode his luck last night with what was a really bad challenge.

England now need to beat Macedonia in Southampton on Wednesday and rattle in a few goals to boost confidence.

Top place in the group will be contested between Turkey and England, and those two games will effectively decide the group.

The Turks are a good side and are off to a flyer. But they are prone to the odd silly slip-up and Eriksson will be hoping they have one before his side have to play them.

England's mission in Bratislava was to go in, get three points and then get out.

And thanks to Michael Owen it was mission accomplished.

But they certainly made heavy weather of it.

Copyright 2002 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.