Gareth Southgate hopes Sunday night’s narrow win against Lithuania will begin to repair the fractious relationship between the England team and their supporters.
Harry Kane’s penalty ensured England finished their World Cup qualifying campaign with a victory, though yet again the performance left much to be desired.
But Southgate said: ‘The support was fantastic. We’ve made a point of going over to the fans at the end of games, and it was nice with the acknowledgement.
Gareth Southgate paid thanks to England’s hardened away support after an uninspiring win
England supporters were given ponchos to keep the wet weather off their backs in Lithuania
‘The players have given everything they’ve got, and they’ve qualified the country for a World Cup. There was a bit of bonding (with the fans) at the end as appreciation for that. I think the supporters recognised it was a very young side, with an average age of 24.’
Southgate reserved special praise for two of the three Harrys who started the victory.
Kane, who captained the team, maintained his red-hot England form with his seventh goal in six internationals.
But it was the Tottenham striker’s club team-mate Harry Winks who really caught the eye on his senior England debut, producing an excellent display in central midfield.
The Tottenham talisman powers home his first-half penalty at a rain-soaked LFF Stadium
England collected another three points from a familiar source as Kane scored from 12 yards
Southgate said: ‘Harry (Kane) has a fantastic record. His finishing quality is top, as good as anyone I’ve played with or worked with.
‘I’m never in doubt that, if he has a good opportunity, it’ll be on target and there’s a fair chance he scores. We’re fortunate to have him.
‘I couldn’t be happier with the way he’s led, both in terms of by example on the pitch with his performances, but also with the group.’
On Winks, the England boss added: ‘I was very pleased with him. For me one of the big things playing for England isn’t necessarily the opposition, but whether you can carry the England shirt. He showed he could, tried to carry the ball forward where he could and did well.’
Despite another stuttering display, Southgate, who will hold a debrief here in Vilnius today before flying home, insists he will leave Lithuania with a number of positives.
The conditions certainly didn’t help on a rain-sodden plastic pitch. The lack of atmosphere at the 5,000-capacity LFF Stadium was hardly inspiring, either.
‘You have to accept when you’re in a World Cup qualifying campaign, part of the challenge is having to perform in many different environments.
Harry Winks was given the chance to show his capabilities and he did not disappoint his side
Southgate hugs Winks after he produced an encouraging display on his first England start
‘An artificial pitch changes the game a bit. You have to play more to feet, and balls played from behind skid on. It changes the style of the game.
‘My biggest thing today was we’d already qualified, but we wanted to improve performance. I couldn’t fault the players for application and commitment.
‘But it’s the kind of surface that, when you take the ball at run at people, it can get under your feet a bit. It’s better to do the give-and-goes.
‘We’ve not been able to break down a packed defence, but the change in system (from a back four to a back three) is a starting point. We’ll get better at that. But there was very little space to play.
‘I don’t think confidence was an issue today. We didn’t create enough clear-cut chances to score. (Marcus) Rashford, (Dele) Alli and Kane aren’t short of confidence. We need to ensure what’s around those players is solid and we create a few more chances than today.’
Next up for England are friendlies against Germany and Brazil next month.
‘We’ve got to test ourselves against the best,’ said Southgate. ‘Our defenders need a different sort of challenge. They need to play out under more pressure, and to defend against top strikers.
‘That’s part of their learning journey. If we’re going to go with young players, how are they going to improve if they don’t play against the best?’
A supporter lights a flare after Kane’s goal but it was hardly cause for major celebration