Page designs on making history

ROB PAGE admits he won’t have to deliver an impassioned team-talk for Wales’ first World Cup game in 64 years. Boss Page (inset) has previously given inspiring speeches in the dressing room, including for their play-off final win over Ukraine. But as they prepare to take on

USA tonight, he said: “I have spent the last week with them and they are absolutely ready. “We won’t need to fire them up. “We have a game plan, we have done a lot of analysis on the first game and we are ready for the game.

They have waited a long time for it. It has been a difficult process to get here.”

England, who are fifth in the FIFA rankings, and USA, who are 16th, are favourites to progress from Group B ahead of Wales in 19th and Iran in 20th.

Page added: “We are not here to make the numbers up.

“I want to go show the world how good we are.

“We are going to enjoy it but we are going to compete.”

He revealed veteran midfielder Joe Allen is likely to miss Wales’ first game as he is not 100 per cent fit after injuring a hamstring in September.