Gary Lineker seeks to clarify England criticism

Gary Lineker took to Twitter today to clarify his criticism of England in the wake of their goalless draw against Ukraine last night.

England earned a battling draw in Kiev to remain top of Group H and on course to qualify for the World Cup finals in Brazil next summer.

However Gary Lineker, who previously claimed English football had returned to the "dark ages" after the 1-1 draw with Ireland in May, was highly critical of the performance.

Lineker described England as "awful" in a post he subsequently deleted, before mocking their failure to keep possession of the ball.

He was not the only critic of England's display, with former footballers Michael Owen and Dietmar Hamann questioning the performance.

Mr Lineker, who scored 48 goals for the national side, took to Twitter to clarify his comments, insisting he was "fully supportive" of manager Roy Hodgson:

However, manager Roy Hodgson defended his side, arguing that the goalless draw was a good result:

"I don't think that is a fair comment on our performance. If the expectations upon us are now so great we come to places like Ukraine and are expected to roll teams over, it will be difficult for us ever to get a good result.

"I will stick to my ignorance. I think it is a good result. I am surprised that has not been the reaction back at home. Who are we talking about? There are 60 million people back there."

England can secure their place at next summer's World Cup with victories at Wembley over Montenegro on October 11 and Poland on October 15.

To watch the highlights and reaction to England's goalless draw against Ukraine last night, visit the ITV Football website.