Euro 2020: Coach Gareth Southgate remains positive despite England being jeered after drab stalemate against Scotland

Three Lions still on course to qualify for knockout stages

England's Harry Kane had a frustrating night in the 0-0 draw against Scotland on Friday, June 18. Reuters

England striker Harry Kane shakes hands with manager Gareth Southgate after being substituted. Reuters

England's John Stones of England hits the post from a header at Wembley Stadium. Getty

Scotland's Billy Gilmour celebrates after the match. Reuters

England substitute Jack Grealish attempts to find his through the Scottish defence. Reuters

England defender Reece James heads the ball off the line. Reuters

England's Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings after the match. Reuters

England manager Gareth Southgate after the match. Reuters

England's Tyrone Mings in action with Che Adams of Scotland. Reuters

England's Harry Kane and Phil Foden walk off the pitch at half-time. Reuters

England's Harry Kane heads a chance wide. Reuters

England's Phil Foden has his shorts pulled by Andrew Robertson of Scotland. Reuters

Scotland striker Che Adams shoots at goal. Reuters

England manager Gareth Southgate with his Scotland counterpart Steve Clarke in the background. Reuters

Scotland's Che Adams after missing a chance. Reuters

England's Phil Foden shows his frustration. Reuters

Manager Gareth Southgate conceded that England failed to sparkle against Scotland but was not concerned by the jeers of some fans at Wembley as he said the team was still on track to reach the last 16.

England were stifled by a stubborn Scotland side in a 0-0 draw which puts them level on four points with group leaders Czech Republic, who they host on Tuesday.

The front line of Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling failed to click into any sort of rhythm, with a second-half long-range effort by Mason Mount England's only shot on target, although John Stones hit the upright early on with a header.

The final whistle brought boos from a section of the England supporters who were perhaps expecting a more spirited attacking display, more in line with the 2-0 victory over Scotland at the old Wembley during Euro '96. However, Southgate urged patience.

"Of course there’s always fallout from any England performance that isn’t at the level you want or doesn’t get the result you want," he said.

"But we are in the middle of a tournament, we are in the middle of a qualification group. We totally understand the reaction tonight but our first objective is to qualify and we’re still on track to do that."

England captain Kane, in particular, had a poor evening as he was starved of service, though he struggled to do anything on the rare occasions he did have the ball.

The striker had 10 touches in the first half, the fewest of any player in the match, and only one in the Scotland area.

However, despite Southgate hooking Kane off for Marcus Rashford with 15 minutes remaining, the coach praised the Scots for shackling the 2018 World Cup golden boot winner.

"I thought Scotland marked him extremely well. With a back five there’s not a lot of space and anything that was played up there they were aggressive, they defended well," Southgate said.

"Tonight we couldn’t find answers, we’ve got to go away and find those answers for the Czech Republic."

Scotland coach Steve Clarke said midfielder Billy Gilmour has a big future ahead of him after the Chelsea youngster put in a fine display.

Gilmour made his Scotland debut as a substitute against the Netherlands in a friendly earlier this month, but was thrown in  from the start at Wembley.

The 20-year-old did not look out of his depth as he helped earn a chance of reaching the knockout stages of a competitive tournament for the first time in their history, should they beat Croatia in their final group match on Tuesday.

"There was no risk in starting him when you have a player of Billy Gilmour's talent," Clarke said.

"When you put him on the pitch you expect him to do what he did, which is to get hold of the ball and make us play through midfield. The balance of the rest of the team has to be right to support Billy.

"It was nice for Billy to get that start on the big stage. He is a big player. I have said for a long time he is part of the future of Scottish football. We will try to manage him properly and keep a lid on things. Performances like that will do him no harm."

Qualification for the last 16 looked to be a tall order after Scotland's disappointing 2-0 home defeat by the Czech Republic in their opener on Monday, but Clarke was pleased with the way his side have turned things around.

"It was a little bit unfair what (criticism) came away from Monday's result, so I am pleased for the players," he added.

"We played well. We had to be solid defensively, and we had to work hard when England had the ball to stop them creating chances.

"It was also pleasing that we could play through the back, through the midfield and played a lot of good football at times tonight, which was good to see."