England boss thanks superstitious coin for win against Slovakia

England struggled to improve upon their turgid performances at Euro 2016 until Lallana rescued them at the last to leave Allardyce rubbing the penny given to him by a wheelchair-bound fan on the morning of the game in his post-match press conference.

“A father of a son in a wheelchair came to the hotel this morning and asked if it was okay to have a picture with his son,” Allardyce said. “When we finished he said: 'Let me give you a lucky coin.'

“Here it is. I had it with me in my pocket, we won, so it'll stay with me.

"I'm not really superstitious but I'm going to keep it. It's got us a last-minute winner. I wonder how far it will take us."

Wayne Rooney’s 116th appearance made him England’s most capped outfield player and Allardyce admitted he had allowed his captain to play in a deeper midfield role than he had intended because of his experience.

“He holds a lot more experience in international football than me as an international manager,” he said. “Using his experience with a team, and playing as a team member, it’s not for me to say where he’s going to play.