Group E/ FYR Macedonia 0 England 1: A newish international centre-forward may be having even more impact for England than the recently appointed manager. Peter Crouch's winner for England in the Euro 2008 qualifier was his fifth goal for his country this season alone.

He must love to pore over statistics that show him scoring in every start he has made for England and Liverpool in this campaign.

Macedonia's late surge merited a point. In the closing 11 minutes, the substitute Artim Sakiri shot narrowly wide, a good appeal for a penalty was turned down when John Terry handled a Goran Pandev effort and Ashley Cole had to make a goalline clearance from a drive by substitute Darko Tasevski.

With Ilco Naumoski booked after only 28 seconds for impeding Paul Robinson it was obvious Macedonia would waste no time in trying to obstruct the progress of Steve McClaren's England. The longest the new manager had needed to wait for a goal before last night was the 14 minutes it took for Terry to break the deadlock against Greece.

This match had the look of the proper test that would mark the real start of McClaren's role as the traditional concerned figure on the touchline. England had a tolerable opening, with Steven Gerrard shaping a good low cross in the third minute.

Even so, Srecko Katanec's men had the air of a group heartened by the win in Estonia with which they had opened Group E. At the outset, they had been brisk, with Goran Pandev, of Lazio, eager to distribute flicks to forward pair as Owen Hargreaves had to concentrate on being a genuine holding midfielder.

Prior to the interval, England posed a threat only once and it was a modest one. Crouch was unchallenged as he headed a Phil Neville thrown-in after 25 minutes that Jane Nikoloski tipped over comfortably. It would have helped if the referee Bertrand Layec or his assistant had reacted when Crouch was wrestled to the ground by Nikolce Noveski eight minutes before the interval, but the official was indifferent.

Despite occupying Macedonian territory for periods, England were not at their sharpest. The menace was muted, even if Frank Lampard's low drive had Nikoloski extending himself to concede a corner as half-time approached. With Stewart Downing's deliveries unimpressive, there was too little variety in the service to the forwards.

Jermain Defoe did put an overhead attempt behind, but it was unsettling that England's best tactic was the long throw of Neville. It was profitable once more as Crouch glanced on and Defoe fired over in the 39th minute.

There was a feeling England were building momentum if not demonstrating finesse, but no one could assume the pressure was inexorable. There were too few ideas from England. Concrete evidence cropped up of the harm Macedonia might do. There was a flurry in which a cross by Naumoski ran to Velice Sumulikoski after 42 minutes and his drive had to be blocked by Terry.

England left the field at the interval in reasonable order, yet they had still to shed a nagging concern that there could be trouble for them in this fixture.

They made a start in shedding that unease with an opener in the 46th minute. The impact came so swiftly McClaren had not taken up his position to see it. He heard later about how Gerrard and Crouch challenged for a ball from Neville. When Lampard hooked the ball back into the goalmouth Crouch's finish was turned on to the underside of the bar by Nikoloski. There was a bemused pause before the assistant confirmed the ball had crossed the line.

It was Crouch's 11th goal for his country, all of them in 2006. That will not quieten the debate about him, since there will always be those troubled by a certain awkwardness of style. The referee, who booked him for one challenge, had reservations of his own, but the forward himself has an elated air about him.

When a Gerrard tackle on the substitute Tasevski delivered the ball to him in the 59th minute, Crouch had an exuberant first-time drive that went wide. England's satisfaction was checked slightly by a difficulty in ensuring victory. A weak attempt by Gerrard looked like finding the net, but was turned wide of the post.

McClaren's England had to suffer the stress of a proper, demanding qualifier.

Guardian Service

FYR MACEDONIA: Nikolovski, Noveski, Petrov, Sedloski, Igor Mitreski, Lazarevski, Jancevski (Tasevski 52), Sumulikoski, Naumoski (Sakiri 74), Maznov (Stojkov 56), Pandev. Subs Not Used: Pacovski, Aleksander Mitreski, Vasovski, Grozdanovski. Booked: Naumoski, Lazarevski, Pandev.

ENGLAND: Robinson, Neville, Terry, Ferdinand, Cole, Gerrard, Hargreaves, Lampard (Carrick 84), Downing, Crouch (Johnson 87), Defoe (Lennon 76). Subs Not Used: Foster, Bridge, Brown, Bent. Booked: Crouch, Gerrard, Cole. Goals: Crouch 46.

Referee: Bertrand Layec (France).