Terry hails England 'unity'

England captain John Terry believes criticism and injuries have brought the players closer together ahead of their Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel at Wembley.

Steve McClaren and his men have come in for criticism as they have dropped seven points to date in the race to book their place in next summer's European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland.

They find themselves fourth in Group E, three points adrift of Israel and leaders Croatia, but Terry says he and his team-mates are in high spirits.

The England skipper said: "With what has been said and the injuries, it has brought us together as a group - the unity has been fantastic."

England, who were held to a 0-0 draw in Israel six months ago, know they must win the game ahead of their clash with Russia at Wembley four days later.

But Terry has insisted they will not just throw players forward from the start at the risk of compromising their defence.

The Chelsea central defender said: "That's where you start - not conceding a goal. We have to concentrate defensively. We have to defend as a team at international level.

"We must not get frustrated if we don't score in the first ten, 15, 30 minutes. It's vital we don't lose our concentration because we could be caught on the counter."

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