Harry Kane urges England fans to stay patient

England striker Harry Kane has urged the country's supporters to stay patient after they were booed off the pitch at half-time of their World Cup qualifier against Malta.

Gareth Southgate's side struggled to find a way past 191st-ranked Malta in the first period, and this did not please a section of the visiting fans at the Ta'Qari National Stadium.

Eventually, Kane broke the deadlock early into the second half, and this was followed by three late goals including a second for Kane in the dying seconds of the game.

Following the clash, the Tottenham Hotspur striker admitted that the national side is still under transition, and the fans will have to stay patient as other teams can not be underestimated.

"I think that's a thoroughly unfair statement. Every player here is very proud to represent their country. There's a lot of hard work and effort to get where we are. Obviously they can be frustrated, we were frustrated in the first half. We want to blow teams away. But they have got to stay patient, just as we did and we scored four very good goals in the end," he told PA Sport.

"But sometimes people underestimate the teams we play. Especially at home they can make it difficult, particularly in the first half when they're energetic. It's a big scalp to try to get a result against England. We're by no means the finished article, there's lots of work to do, and we've just got to stay patient as a country together. It's not going to happen overnight."

Kane has now scored five goals in his last three outings for England, pushing his overall tally to 10 in 20 appearances. The Three Lions host Slovakia at the Wembley on Monday night, and a positive result would put them on the cusp of a World Cup berth.