ENGLAND have started with a win. It will mean nothing unless they finish with one.

Nobody within the Three Lions setup knows that better than Gareth Southgate. He has - as both a player and a manager - ridden on the wave of national optimism and pride only to see his side sink rather than swim.

Time will tell if this summer is going to be any different for England. Victory over Croatia on Sunday was an encouraging start, for sure, but it wasn't a statement of intent performance and result.

Overcoming Scotland on Friday evening won't be viewed in that way, either. Indeed, it is something of a can't win fixture for England as they face Steve Clarke's side with points at stake and pressure on their shoulders.

Southgate won't seek to dampen the spirits of any supporter or player but he knows one win does not make a tournament. He now has a second in his sights as Scotland lie in wait.

"I think we should always enjoy the win and the players should enjoy what they’ve done," Southgate said. "And the country can enjoy it for as long as they want, but we can’t, we’ve got to move on to the next one.

"We’ve got to find that state that is really difficult sometimes in sport, where you’ve got back to where you were before the start of the game.

"It’s nice to have confidence from the performance but we’ve got to have the same hunger, the same desire, find that same state going into that game on Friday.

"Totally different challenge. Big opposition and we haven’t achieved our objective of qualifying yet. A lot for us to do."

The win over Croatia - earned courtesy of Raheem Sterling's strike just before the hour mark - was comfortable and deserved for England at a Wembley that looked and sounded the part despite its reduced capacity.

It was also the first time that England have emerged victorious in their opening match at a European Championships and top spot in Group D is now within touching distance.

"I think that we wanted to get to the start line before the game [on Sunday] in a healthy place with no dramas," Southgate said. "We knew our preparation was complicated but I think we’ve had a calm and good preparation.

"And then ideally after your first game you always want the win, if not the win then not to be beaten but of course the win means there’s less drama for the next week and we can focus calmly on our training and preparing and get back to St George’s and get on with it.

"That can be very different if the performance isn’t good and if the result goes the other way.

"We’ve had a good day [on Sunday] and a good performance, but we know what football is and we know how sport works. We haven’t achieved our first objective yet.

"So it’s really pleasing that everybody outside is happy and we can go home, back to St George’s, pleased with the day’s work.

"But we have to move to the next. Of course, expectations are always going to be there. We have to handle that.

"But as long as that’s realistic, you saw the age of the team, the number of caps compared to the opponent today, we’re still growing and learning and to be able to bring boys like Jude (Bellingham) into that environment is also hugely encouraging."

The introduction of Bellingham saw history made at Wembley as the forward became the youngest player to ever appear at the Euros. Given his precocious talent, it will surely be the first of many.

The manner in which Southgate's more experienced operators performed was just as noteworthy, though, as England were able to stifle their visitors and main competitors for top spot in the section.

"Yeah I think there’s experiences that the players have anyway," Southgate said when asked about the game management against Croatia. "There are experiences we’ve had as a team.

"And then there’s the decisions that they made on the day against the opponent. We managed to keep that pressure.

"Marcus (Rashford), Dominic (Calvert-Lewin) when they came on, kept that pressure on [Luka] Modric, allowed the centre-backs a bit of that ball than him towards the end of the game.

"We knew we had to keep that pressure high up the pitch, not drop low and invite more pressure and defending our box.

"Throughout the game I thought that was an important factor for us and the players did it really well."

On a day where there were a series of fine individual performances - Kalvin Phillips the most impressive in the middle of the park - and reasons for England to be cheerful, there were still questions over Southgate's selections. He would ultimately get the big calls right, though.

Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho, heavily touted for a move to Manchester United this summer, were both absent from the squad completely. Given the options within the group, tough calls had to be made and understood.

Southgate said: "They haven’t [needed their morale raised] because of how professionally they took those discussions and how much respect they’ve shown for the whole group.

"As have lots of substitutes who are good players who haven’t been able to get one the pitch today. We know that to be a successful team this is one of the areas that’s got to be right.

"We don’t win [Sunday's] game without the way players prepared for the friendlies. Without the way the players who didn’t make the final squad of 26 contributed through that preparation period.

"All of those factors come into a team getting the sort of result it did today. That’s a team - that’s what it’s about. We’ve got to continue that right the way through this tournament."