‘IT HAS FELT LIKE A HOLIDAY’

IT has been seven long weeks of hotel rooms and training-grounds since England’s squad got together to begin preparing for what has become their World Cup odyssey but there are no signs of cabin fever. Before the tournament, the groundwork was put in at England’s St George’s Park training centre and once in Russia, they have been ensconced in the lakeside resort of Repino, 45km outside of St Petersburg. But as Gareth Southgate’s side prepare for today’s semifinal, there are no signs that the quiet life – or the constant company of teammates and coaching staff – has taken any sort of toll. “A lot has been talked about being bored, its not felt like that” defender Ashley Young told reporters on Monday. “It has felt like a good holiday we have been on and we are enjoying every moment of it,” he added. “There’s no boredom at all. Everybody gets on well on and off the pitch. And if you have got that team spirit and togetherness off the pitch, you take that on to the pitch, fans, staff, players, you can see how everyone sticks together,” he said.