Don't get carried away, England

Owen's 38th goal for his country, sandwiched between efforts from Shaun Wright-Phillips and Micah Richards, was the highlight of an easy win against an awful Israel side,a win that earns boss Steve McClaren some precious breathing space and puts England three points nearer to a place at next summer's European Championship.

It will be a different test altogether when unbeaten Russia arrive in London for a fixture that will go a huge way to deciding England's fate in Group E.

"It's all about Wednesday now," warned beleaguered England boss McClaren. "We can enjoy this but we can't get carried away."

But McClaren couldn't have asked for any more from his team yesterday,with Emile Heskey justifying his reselection with a towering performance,Wright-Phillips back to his best on the right wing and Owen stealing the glory with a stunning strike against a team England failed to break down in March.

"It was a tremendous goal," beamed McClaren. "We expect near-post headers and tap-ins from Michael, but that was a fantastic strike."

Owen, whose participation against Israel had been in doubt for weeks because of questions over his fitness, picked up a pass from Gareth Barry with his back to goal, turned in a flash and thrashed a volley beyond Dudu Aouate.

Owen's goal, on his 84th appearance for England, leaves him just 11 short of Sir Bobby Charlton's record. But he wasn't the only player singled out for praise by McClaren, who was thrilled at the impact Heskey made on his return after three years in the international wilderness.

Heskey, so often jeered by Wembley fans, was given a standing ovation this time and McClaren said: "Emile was a real handful. He said he'd grasp the chance and he hasn't let anyone down."

Chelsea winger Wright- Phillips, only playing because of injury to David Beckham, also revelled in his recall, with McClaren saying: "There was a lot of pressure on Shaun. He had a disappointing season last year but he came to the fore."

The only sour note was when supporters turned on substitute David Bentley, booed every time he touched the ball by fans unwilling to forgive him for declining to represent his country at the European Under-21 Championship.

Now, though, McClaren wants the fans behind him. Beating Israel for a first home win in a year is one thing, cracking Russia quite another. "The fans were superb and we need them again against Russia."

England: Robinson, Richards, Ferdinand, Terry, Ashley Cole, Wright-Phillips, Gerrard, Barry, Joe Cole, Heskey, Owen. Subs: Brown, James, Neville, Bentley, Downing, Johnson, Defoe.

Israel: Aouate, Spungin, Ben-Haim, Gershon, Ziv, Benayoun, Badir, Benado, Tal, Katan, Itzhaki. Subs: Zandberg, Tamuz, Golan, Antebi, Balili, Alberman, Davidovitch.

Referee: Pieter Vink (Holland)