Clinical Eastwood hopes McCarthy gets the message
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Your support makes all the difference.The Wales captain, Simon Davies, claims his match-winner Freddy Eastwood can make goals "out of nothing". The Wolves forward may be unfavoured at Molineux by his manager, Mick McCarthy, but he was on hot form for Wales in Wednesday night's 2-0 win.
Eastwood scored in each half to engineer the victory over a competitive but limited Luxembourg side. Davies, winning his 50th cap as Wales made it five games on the trot unbeaten, said: "Freddy has the ability to get goals out of nothing.
"We found it hard to get going against that sort of defence, but he was capable of winning the game for us. He made one goal all on his own with a smashing run past defenders in the box, and you cannot have too much of that from your strikers. Then I was able to find him with a cross in the second half and he finished it expertly."
Eastwood, with four goals in his seven internationals, may have to leave Wolves if he does not get more opportunities to play. He hopes McCarthy "noted who scored the goals for Wales". Davies was delighted with the result and the performances of fringe players, out to impress the Wales manager, John Toshack. "We have lost just one in seven now, and that's very pleasing," Davies said. "I have been involved before in longer runs without a win and all the pressure that comes with that.
"So the longer we stay unbeaten the better. There are 'positives' from the youngsters who came in.
"It wasn't a classic. They sat back and were not really looking to win the match at all, and it wasn't a particularly enjoyable game to play in. But we got the win, and that was the most important thing.
"The way some of the newer lads performed gives the manager a few more options. Now we are looking forward to another couple of friendlies at the end of the season before we really get stuck into the World Cup qualifiers in September."
John Toshack took the tally of new caps under his management to 29 in 32 games by giving debuts to the goalkeeper Boaz Myhill, midfielder Owain Tudur Jones and centre-back Ashley Williams, who said, "I enjoyed every minute. It is a lot different to the type of football I play each week for Stockport – you get far more time on the ball at this level. It's much shorter passes, and the movement is far quicker and sharper."
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