Was it really that bad?

So there we have it. Another England performance, and another total overreaction from the National press. Standard really.

Same old England, they say. No progress, no hope.

Well, if last night wasn't progress (albiet slow and steady progress) - then what is?

Cast your minds back to *that* Croatia game in April. Remember how bad we were then? The game where we couldnt string two passes together, and we struggled to cope with any kind of movement and technical play? We had no clue then, and things were looking rather bleak under the reign of McClown.

However, in my opinion, last night was a step in the right direction.

We passed the ball pretty well, and there was some movement off the ball. Players werent going missing, they werent scared - they actually wanted the ball. We had some good efforts on goal as well, more than the Czechs - as the stats show.

But more importantly, the team had balance, and although we were undone a few times by a very good counter-attacking side, for the most part I felt we defended well.

And what about the spirit? The last minute equalizer undoubtedly shown the character in the camp at the moment, even if it did only salvage a draw.

Concerns? I have a few. Lampard offered nothing for me - just sideways passes in the centre-circle. When did he ever get forward like he does for Chelsea? And while Beckham's range of passing and crossing cannot be questioned, he just cant get beyond his full-back - Bentley managed it so much more in his brief cameo, and provided some decent crosses in the box as well. Joe Cole and Bentley to come in for Becks and Lampard, please.

And then there's the John Terry issue. When Terry got the captaincy, I didnt know whether to laugh or cry. The fact that Terry and his Chelsea mates basically forced the new 'Respect - Get On With The Game' campaign shows that he shouldn't be leading our country.

What next? Joey Barton supports World Peace?

But back onto the game.

What exactly gives us the god-given right to be beating the Czech Republic anyway? Because we're England? Nonsense. They're a good side in their own right, and probably a better side than us at the moment.

The sooner we start being more realistic with our chances and expectations, the better. We're not world beaters by any means, but we're going in the right direction.

Gulls just not good enough..

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.

Well, there was no revenge on the agenda for Torquay United last night, as they went down 2-0 at home to FA Trophy conquerours Ebbsfleet United on a cold, wet night at Plainmoor.

And it could have been worse.

Make no mistake, this was an inept a performance as Gulls fans have seen at Plainmoor in a long time. The Gulls were second best in every department.

Defensively a total shambles. Lightweight in midfield. And all too predictable in attack.

But the biggest concern of all was the lack of passion from the Gulls players.

United lined up with one enforced change from last week, with the injured Lee Hodges making way for Kevin Nicholson on the left side of defence. Elliot Benyon kept his place in attack after an impressive showing against Woking, and after a slight injury scare, Michael Poke started in goal.

It was a fairly quiet opening period, with both teams adjusting to the strong winds. The ball was certainly moving more quickly than it should, with Michael Poke's early goal kicks causing slight concern in the Ebbsfleet goal.

The first chance came to Ebbsfleet however. United failed to deal with a corner properly, but Luke Moore's early effort was deflected into the side netting.

Much like last week, the visitors were taking control of the match. Ebbsfleet were looking dangerous on the break, and more assured in possession.

And it wasnt long before they turned their dominance into goals, with a great individual effort from the impressive Moore on 26 minutes.

After dealing with a Gulls corner comfortably, Moore picked the ball up on the left-hand side and ran at the United defenders, who continued to back off the front-man. Moore then cut inside the United area, and drove a shot past Poke's near post to put Ebbsfleet 1-0 up.

Once again United needed to do it the hard way, and come from behind to salvage something from the game.

And minutes later they went some way towards doing so, with their first effort of the match.

Lee Mansell's free kick was only half-cleared by the Ebbsfleet defence, and Chris Todd seized upon a half chance, hitting a low shot on the turn that was tipped around the post by Ebbsfleet keeper Lance Cronin for a corner.

Unfortunately, that's as good as it got for the Gulls as the rain began to pour.

Fleet centre-back Jon McCarthy was booked for holding back Benyon as the half drew to a close, but otherwise, Ebbsfleet saw the half out comfortably.

Once again, a minority of Gulls fans had shown their disapproval at the half time whistle. Improvement was needed.

Record appearance holder Kevin Hill was introduced to the crowd at half-time, recieving an award for his 474 appearances for Torquay. How the Gulls could have done with Hill's passion and urgency now.

The second half kicked off with the wind now behind Ebbsfleet, as they looked to put the result beyond doubt.

First blood in the second half went to Torquay, as Benyon found space in a rare moment of panic in the otherwise strong Ebbsfleet defence, but his shot was saved comfortably by Cronin.

The ball was starting to bypass the midfield, as the Gulls looked towards a more direct approach - an approach the big Ebbsfleet defenders had little trouble in dealing with.

And wingers Danny Stevens and Wayne Carlisle were shown increasingly little of the ball.

After an hour or so, manager Paul Buckle made three changes at once. Stevens and Benyon made way for Mustafa Carayol and Matt Green, and in an enforced change, Chris Todd went off for Chris Robertson.

It seemed like an act of desperation, a last throw of the dice if you will.

Ebbsfleet responded in kind moments later, replacing Ricky Shakes with John Akinde, the chief tormentor of the Gulls at Wembley a matter of months ago.

And this change proved to be inspired, as Akinde made it 2-0 after some shambolic defending from the Gulls.

A long ball sent Chris Hargreaves, who had a torrid evening, running back towards goal, and Michael Poke running towards the ball. After much indecision, neither player dealt with the danger, and Akinde swooped in to slot the ball past the onrushing Poke to make it 2-0 on 78 minutes.

The goal just about summed up Torquay's evening.

And Ebbsfleet nearly produced a third goal, only for Stacy Long to shoot straight at Poke from close-range, after more good work from Akinde who was proving to be a handful.

Torquay were looking devoid of any confidence now, and never looked likely to make amends as the game drew to a close.

Ebbsfleet saw the match out comfortably, and were worthy winners. It was a great away performance, all credit to them.

For the Gulls, its back to the drawing board.

Kelly's best just isn't enough..

With the absense of World and Olympic heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft in this year's Olympics, many expected big things from our very own Kelly Sotherton in the Heptathlon.

And rightly so. After Bronze in Athens, Commonwealth gold already in her grasp and some much needed improvement in the Javelin event, Sotherton was feeling good about her chances. This could be her year, said the always outspoken Sotherton. She wasnt going for the experience, not to make up the numbers. She was going to Beijing to win.

Kluft herself had even said so, tipping Sotherton to win.

Unfortunately, those predictions proved to be wide of the mark, as despite beating her score from the World Championships last year, and coming only 30 points short of her best score ever, Sotherton eventually finished in a disappointing fifth.

Always a strong runner, Sotherton has always struggled on the more technical events of the Heptathlon. And that proved to be the case once again.

Despite obvious improvements in the Javelin, it proved to be her downfall once again, with a personal best throw of 37.66m only doing enough to keep her in fifth place.

And things continued in the same vein in the Shotput, with a 14th place finish setting the rot Kelly now found herself in.

And more suprisingly, Sotherton's long jump let her down as well, with a jump of 6.33m well below her personal best. A score that was especially disappointing in an event where Kelly is usually strong.

Things improved in the running events, with five personal bests to speak of in the 200m, 800m, and Hurdles. There were five personal bests overall. But it wasnt enough. The damage had already been done. And Sotherton knew it, cutting a forlorn figure on the track. Her chances of Olympic gold had evaporated - and she knew it.

With all this being said, for Sotherton to even be at the Olympics was an achievement in itself. Only 3 months previously Sotherton was suffering from kidney failure, and this was her first Heptathlon event since the World Championships last summer. These factors may have contributed to her downfall.

So what next for Sotherton? The World Championships begin next year, with Sotherton vowing to continue until then at the very least.

Consistency is needed across the board if Sotherton is to prosper there, however.

Tinpot-tastic!

After the most uninspiring pre-season ever, its Dagenham and Redbridge who find themselves sitting pretty at the top of League Two, leaving heavyweights like Darlington and Bradford trailing in their wake.

Now, I say uninspiring, because that's exactly what it was. The signings were limited to Mark Nwokeji from Staines Town, and defender Mark Arber from Stevenage.

Hardly ground-breaking signings to wet the fans appetite for the new season.

Yet here they are, top of the pile.

Now, dont get me wrong. I dont *mind* Dagenham, far from it in fact. They're a decent club, fairly well run, good manager, etc etc.

They're just a bit..well, tinpot. I struggle to take them seriously.

It's like seeing a Republican in an abortion clinic, or a Manchester United fan in Manchester.

Completely out of place. It just isnt right, somehow.

And that's the sheer beauty of seeing them at the top of League Two.

But surely some kind of dope test is in order at Victoria Road? Even at this early stage?

Sure, the 6-0 defeat of Chester isnt much to shout about, when you consider the turmoil Chester find themselves in even at this early stage (who according to reports, may have the Quinn Reaper himself to contend with soon - god help them!)

But comprehensively defeating promotion contenders Lincoln City 3-1 in their own backyard? That's impressive.

As are the early season stats. Nine goals, only one conceded. 6 points out of 6. A 100% record.

Ok, it's only 2 games in, and it probably wont last long...but so what? Dagenham's early form has certainly put a smile on my face. It's what the Lower Leagues are all about.

The promotion push starts NOW!

Bolt produces yet another magic moment..

Well that was a bit special, wasnt it?

Thumping his chest as he crossed the 100m line, Usain Bolt produced yet another truly special moment to light up this 2008 Olympic games.

In only his 9th 100m race, Bolt's start was pretty unspectacular. But this is to be expected, due to his gangly height, at 6'5 to be exact. But as soon as Bolt got motoring after the first 20m, he was uncatchable. No-one could even get near him. And he could have went even faster, had he not decided to showboat in the final stretch. A scary thought.

But take nothing away from Bolt. This was his moment.

It truly was remarkable stuff, in a race where winning margins are usually very slender, by the hundreths of seconds. But this young Jamaican has ripped up the form book, and marked a new era in sprinting.

Even Michael Johnson seems in awe of him, calling it the "greatest 100m performance of all time"

And who could argue with that?

United ride their luck..

They say the sign of a good, successful team is one who can play badly, yet still win.

More performances like tonight however, and Torquay United can kiss their promotion dreams goodbye.

Make no mistake, this was a hard-fought win - and a game United could so easily have lost.

Torquay rode their luck on numerous occassions, and Woking can count themselves desperately unlucky to not get anything from the game. Relegation candidates? Far from it.

United lined up unchanged from Saturday at Histon - a game which they dominated from start to finish only to throw it away in the dying minutes. And they started brightly, with a Tim Sills header floating just over the bar after good work from Lee Hodges on the left hand side. It proved to be his only contribution of the evening however, as he was taken off injured.

From then on however, it was all Woking.

The Cards began to dominate proceedings, with some swift passing and movement. Torquay just couldnt get near them. And they almost got their just rewards on the twenty minute mark, after a swift counter attack, only for Marum to hit the post after shooting across the goalmouth with Michael Poke stranded.

The scare seemed to wake the Gulls up somewhat, with the lively Elliot Benyon having a long range drive saved comfortably by Worner in the Woking goal. The Gulls were looking rushed in possession however. Simple mistakes were being made. The crowd was getting restless.

On the contrary, Woking were growing in confidence. And eventually, they got the goal their first-half performance deserved. And what a goal it was.

A needless foul by Chris Hargreaves gave Woking a free-kick in a dangerous area, and Guiseppe Sole took full advantage with a fantastic curling effort that left Poke grasping thin air.

It was a strike worthy of any game, at any level. You could only stand and admire it.

With the half-time whistle fast approaching, United searched in vain for an equalizer. Some good interplay from Lee Mansell and the busy Tyrone Thompson almost paid dividends, only for Mansell's cross to flash across goal and evade both Benyon and Sills.

Nicky Wroe also saw himself booked on the stroke of half time, in an act of frustration more than anything. And he wasnt the only one as the half time whistle blew. A smattering of boos could be heard around Plainmoor. They expected better.

The second half began in the same vain as the first, with Woking in the ascendancy and almost taking a two goal advantage. A cross left Marum unmarked, as his shot brushed against the side netting when it seemed easier to score. Another major let off for the Gulls.

And they were to be let off again, as a free header from Miles was acrobatically tipped over from Poke. Torquay were running out of lives - and fast.

On the ropes and looking vulnerable, changes had to be made to salvage something from the game. And sure enough, the ineffective Danny Stevens made way for Mustafa Carayol, making his home debut.

It proved to be an inspired change.

Minutes later United equalized on 60 minutes, through Elliot Benyon. Some good work from Thompson gave Benyon the chance to turn his man, before unleashing an unstoppable drive past Worner in the Woking goal from 20 yards out.

It was the least Benyon deserved, after some tireless running all evening. His hard work in pre-season is starting to pay dividends, and who would deny him a run in the side now?

With the goal, United began to look more dangerous. No longer nervy in possession, they now had options in possession, with Carayol and Wayne Carlisle providing decent outlets for the Gulls attack.

And it was Carayol's cross which nearly provided the lead, only for Sills to head just over once again.

Now the dominant force, United began to break forward in numbers, searching for that winning goal. And they should have had a penalty on the 80 minute mark, with Benyon clearly shoved to the ground after a great pass from Wroe, only for the referee to wave play on.

The United players were incredulous, and rightly so. But they didnt let their heads drop, and eventually, got their just reward.

It came from more good work from Benyon, who well deserved his man of the match award, as he released Wayne Carlisle on the right, who cut inside and finished emphatically into the roof of the net on 82 minutes.

It was joy for the Gulls, but they still had work to do. Only goal-line clearances from Hargreaves and Kevin Nicholson saved their blushes, as they clung on to their lead desperately.

There was still time for Sills to make the points safe, after being put clear by Carlisle, only for the striker to take too much time with the goal at his mercy, and eventually see the ball cleared for a corner.

United did hang on however, to the relief of the fans and players alike.

This was a tougher test than many anticipated, and United can certainly count themselves lucky to win the game.

After playing so well and only drawing against Histon, United rode their luck tonight, yet picked up the three points.

Football has a funny way of working like that.

Swimming takes centre stage..

The joy of the Olympic games is that certain sports can catch your eye - but not necessarily the ones you expect, however.

Take the swimming for example. It's been gripping stuff, with this morning in particular giving way to some sensational drama.

Firstly, Rebecca Adlington and Jo Jackson's remarkable performance for Great Britain in the 400m freestyle final, which gave them gold and bronze medals respectively. Both women raced superbly and got their tactics spot on, with both women timing their late surges on the final turn to perfection, in what was a thrilling final 50 metres.

The significance of this victory is huge for British swimming, with Adlington becoming the first British woman to claim gold in the pool since Anita Lonsbrough won the 200m breaststroke in 1960.

And what's more, she's only 19.

And Jackson's bronze has ensured that Britain have beaten their medal haul from Athens 2004, in just one race. Exciting times could lie ahead for British swimming.

Terrific stuff indeed from the pairing, but there was more to come, in what can only be described as a true classic race.

It was Michael Phelps' second stop on his quest for 8 gold medals, and for once, he wasnt totally in charge of his own destiny. It was the Men's 4x100m freestyle relay, and it was up to his American team-mates to keep his dream alive.

They didnt disappoint.

In a phenomenal race, there were many twists and turns, but coming into the last stretch - the French team were leading, with the fastest swimmer in the world this year, Alain Bernard, a couple of metres in front.

Had Phelps's dream died, before it had really begun?

Enter 32 year old Jason Lezak, the oldest swimmer at the games, who somehow managed to pull it back in the final few metres, and grab the gold in the tightest of finishes. It was fingertip stuff. But the Americans had done it.

An amazing final, where the world record was smashed, and Phelps' amazing dream stayed alive. Just.

Who would bet against this extrodinary sportsman grabbing all 8 golds?