England football team manager Kevin Keegan warned Tuesday that failure to reach Euro 2000 would be "the biggest disaster ever to happen to England".

Keegan's men are in the driving seat with a 2-0 lead going into the second leg of the qualifying play-off against Scotland at Wembley on Wednesday. It seems unthinkable that skipper Alan Shearer and company could surrender the advantage given to them by Paul Scholes' brace at Hampden Park on Saturday.

But England coach Keegan, who is likely to name an unchanged side if defender Martin Keown is passed fit, knows there is still a job to be completed before the celebrations can begin in earnest.

He is determined that England will run out at Wembley with a positive outlook and attempt to turn on the style rather than be content to hold on to the advantage obtained in Glasgow.

Keegan said: "We worked really hard on Saturday to get to where we are now in the tie and it will be a terrible waste of effort if we don't go on to complete the job.

"When I came into this job I didn't know if I would be there when it happened but I always felt we would qualify for Euro 2000. What I didn't know was what a rocky road it would be - and still is.

"On the one side you have got one foot towards Euro 2000. Then at the back of it you are saying 'hold on, if we don't go through now, this is probably the biggest disaster ever to happen to England'.

"We've got to do a professional job, finish off Saturday's work, but it's also the chance to give the fans and the critics some more belief that we can go to Euro 2000 with a winner's chance.

"It will certainly not be our intention to go out there and think that 0-0 will suffice." (Xinhua)