BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX © All written site content is copyright ComeOnBoro.com 2004-2007, unless otherwise stated, and is not to be used without prior permission.	DOWNING: ENGLAND HOLD ALL THE ACES Stewart Downing is convinced England have enough quality to extend their winning run under new coach Steve McClaren in Macedonia on Wednesday. After belting four past European champions Greece in McClaren's first game in charge last month, England struck five without reply against minnows Andorra on Saturday to open their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign in style. While no-one inside the England camp is getting carried away with a victory over one of the weakest teams on the continent, the result did at least help maintain the upward direction of a side who returned from the World Cup with their reputation in tatters. Downing and his team-mates are aware the Macedonians will offer a much sterner test. Although the Middlesbrough winger was still a couple of years away from making his own international debut when England last headed to Skopje in 2003, he already knows Sven-Goran Eriksson's side went one down before eventually emerging victorious. And Downing will also be aware that, in the other meeting between the two sides in Southampton a few months earlier, Macedonia emerged with a point from a 2-2 draw which marked the end of David Seaman's international career. Still, with Steven Gerrard in top form and strike partners Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe both proving their scoring prowess against Andorra, Downing is confident England will emerge from their double-header with a maximum six points. "With the quality we have, we should go there and get the win," said the 22-year-old. "It is an away game and Macedonia will provide a different test but we should also get more chance to attack because Andorra made it very difficult for us to find room." After an outstanding individual display against Greece, Downing was unable to impose himself on Saturday's Old Trafford encounter, his space severely restricted by the blanket Andorran defence. Although the visitors never remotely threatened a shot on the England goal, let alone a shock result, the double-figure rout some predicted also failed to materialise. However, for Downing, five goals, three points and a clean sheet represents enough of a triumph. "We could have had more but we got everything out of the game we wanted," he said. "People will always speculate about the amount of goals we will score but, as a team, we cannot allow that to affect us. "Against a team like that, five is probably par for the course. "The problem is that it is so difficult to find room. It is something we worked on in training, which is why we are pleased we managed to get the ball wide so often. "Most of our goals came from crosses, so the work we did in training paid off." By Bettingzone.co.uk Used with permission. SEND THIS TO A FRIEND ENGLAND v ANDORRA & MACEDONIA MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX
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