Good Things Are Coming

As we reach the business end of Euro 2024 it is with overwhelming relief that we are all able to still be backing Southgate’s boys to bring it home.

Whilst those who took it to Rome 3 years ago are boarding an early flight back empty handed this time, having been conquered by the only team in Scotland’s group not to beat our Celtic neighbours.

It is these Confederate Helvetiques that await England in the Quarter finals and the Swiss will provide a similar challenge to the Slovakian one that had us 90 seconds away from joining the Italians at the airport last weekend.

Bellingham’s brilliance bailed us out in Gelsenkirchen in audacious fashion, as the boy wonder celebrated his 21st birthday with a beautiful bicycle kick in the 95th minute to salvage extra-time for his embattled England team. 51 seconds into extra-time we were all on cloud 9 when Kane’s powerful header bulged the open net after Ivan Toney provided the assist with a looped header back into the box to become the first Brentford player to assist an England goal at a major tournament.

However, neither of these goals would have mattered if our luck had not held early in the second half when a misplaced free-kick gifted Slovakia a golden chance to humiliate Jordan Pickford from halfway, only for England’s number 1 to breathe a sigh of relief that sucked the air out of the stadium when the ball bounced the wrong side of his left post.

We rode our luck there and so soon after Foden had a goal chalked off for offside in what had been England’s most promising attack of the match moments earlier.

Had Slovakia taken a 2-0 lead it would have been the final nail in the coffin of a dreadful campaign for last time’s beaten finalists, but we hung in there well and despite Kane missing two glorious chances late in the half we got over the line.

England’s winning goal was the most pleasing sign from the whole match, as the immediate build up was the work of the 3 substitutes we had brought on to that point in the match. It was the first time that our strength in depth on the bench has really made itself felt and it is an undeniable resource we need to rely on in the final 3 games to claim the trophy.

It is also a resource that none of our potential opponents on route to the final possess, Switzerland and Türkiye have made it this far solely off the strength of their best 11 and the Dutch improvements off the bench have been nowhere near the quality of our own against Slovenia.

Whilst it would be premature to suggest that we are nailed on favourites, on our side of the draw, to progress all the way to Berlin on July 14th the level we showed at to get across the line at the weekend is a sure sign we are finally on the right path once more.

We are also the only team left on our side to reach the knockouts by topping the group and have Anthony Gordon and Adam Wharton as secret weapons yet to be unleashed at the tournament.

As secret weapons go, they’re Weapons of Mass Destruction.

They say all good things come to those who wait, lets just hope that this miraculous comeback signals that our wait is now over and the good things have arrived for England as we reach the games that truly matter.

Southgate has got steered us to Semi-finals and Finals since he took the helm, now is the time to secure that treasured trophy.