Ashley Williams has re-assured gloomy Wales fans: “Don’t worry – we’re not ready to go home yet.”
The Wales skipper has been inspired by the 25,000-strong red army who are following their team around France and insists the players share the fans’ determination to remain in Euro 2016.
Wales will make the knockout stages if they beat or draw with Russia on Monday night in Toulouse and Williams says: “We’re just like the fans. We’re not ready to leave France yet.
“The players now have to give them something to sing about again, by beating Russia and making the last 16.”
The Midlands-born Swansea City defender insists the pain from the agonising 2-1 defeat to England will fuel Welsh desire, just as it did before the opening 2-1 victory against Slovakia which followed a 3-0 pre-tournament humbling by Sweden.
“We have to use the hurt as a positive, just as we did after the Sweden defeat. The good thing is that progress is still all in our own hands. We know what’s required.
“The feeling after losing in injury-time to England was not nice. But we’ve moved on. The Russia game was always going to be bigger than the England game, whatever anyone claimed.
“Listening to some people, you would have thought the England match was worth six points. But the last game was always going to be the massive one.”
Neither is Williams worried that Wales spent most of the game in Lens on the back foot, with England dominating possession.
“We knew England would have a lot of the ball, but we’re a team that’s comfortable out of possession. That’s how we qualified.
“Russia are a good side, but we’re confident we can do what we did to Slovakia and get a result. We didn’t get too high with ourselves after we had beaten the Slovakians and we’re not too down now just because we lost to England.
“The show goes on in Toulouse and so do we. We feel there’s a lot more to come in this tournament.”
