San Marino boss just wants a little respect

The Ashes success has been the highlight of the season for many England players, but judging by their reactions it was a close-run thing alongside the appearance of Roy Hodgson, the England football manager, at their training session at The Oval.

A pre-match kickabout - which is taken very seriously among the squad - was reintroduced by Paul Farbrace earlier this season having previously been banned amid concerns over the injury risks.

However, while the cricketers enjoyed impressing - well, sometimes impressing - Hodgson, his suggestion that there could be "one or two places available" for the Euro qualifier match against San Marino has ruffled a few feathers with their manager.

"I know very well Roy Hodgson, and he's a very good person and well educated. But when we are front of this media, with this exposure, you have to be careful what you say," Pierangelo Manzaroli said.

"We are much smaller than England, but we deserve respect like any country. I think it was a bit too much, too heavy, with what he said. It was very strong. Bad things, that he said."

But he won't be taking it to heart for too long. "I haven't spoken to him, but we will have a joke about those things. I still respect him, even if he says those kind of things."

One of the most infamous moments in English football history remains when San Marino scored after just eight seconds in 1993. It was a goal which ultimately - even though England won 7-1 - denied them qualification for USA '94 on goal difference.