CARDIFF, Wales, March 27, 2011 (AFP) - John Terry revealed England were fired up for their 2-0 win over Wales after enduring a hostile reception from the home fans before the Euro 2012 qualifier in Cardiff.
Welsh supporters booed throughout the English national anthem when 'God save the Queen' was played before kick-off and then jeered every touch by Terry and his team-mates in the opening stages at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
But rather than be cowed by the taunts raining down from the stands, England responded with a ferocious onslaught as goals from Frank Lampard and Darren Bent in the opening 15 minutes silenced 70,000 partisan fans.
Chelsea defender Terry, captaining England for the first time after being reinstated as skipper, had signalled his team's defiance by belting out the national anthem and he revealed the torrent of abuse that served as the perfect motivation.
"Even on the national anthem they were booing us. When you go away from home you get that. It certainly makes you pump your chest out even more and sing even louder," Terry said.
"The players were very pumped up and singing very loud and proud. When you are hearing that you are pumped up even more.
"I think we started that way. We were very positive from the outset and got our two early goals. It makes me very proud of the performance."
After all the controversy surrounding his return as captain following Fabio Capello's decision to replace Rio Ferdinand, Terry was relieved to end a stressful week with a victory.
"I'm delighted to get the win. I spoke about my personal feelings in the week and I'm obviously honoured to have the armband again," he said.
"I spoke to the guys and the manager on Monday and I wanted to do the press conference on Tuesday to draw a line under it.
"We had a good week of training and the good performance topped it off.
"I thought the performance, especially in the first half, was very good."
Rather than take the credit for inspiring England to convincing victory, Terry was happy to spread the credit around his team.
He was especially impressed with his defensive partner Michael Dawson and also praised Aston Villa forward Ashley Young's dynamic display and Scott Parker and Jack Wilshere's industrious efforts in midfield.
"It's obviously been a great feeling for me on a personal note but the importance of today is not about myself and the armband, it's about the team," Terry said.
"There were some real positives. Ashley Young was superb again I thought. Scotty Parker the same and young Jack (Wilshere).
"Dawson has made the position his own. There is a lot of competition for places in that position but he has done really well in the Champions League.
"Maybe that is the key for him, playing in the big competitions against the big teams."
Terry also emphasised the importance of Capello's decision to employ an attacking 4-3-3 formation which allowed his players to stop Wales establishing any rhythm.
"The formation from the manager was very positive and that vibe certainly got around the dressing room. We were very up for the game," Terry said.
"We played 4-3-3 and pressed them high up the field, which we worked on in the week. We made it difficult for them to play out."
