DAVID Beckham may have taken all the plaudits for leading England to the World Cup Finals, but a thought should be spared for the heroic efforts of Stockport's Finnish contingent.

For without their efforts - and those of the rest of the Finnish squad - England's disappointing 2-2 draw with Greece would have been only good enough for a play-off tie against the Ukraine.

And Hatters star Shefki Kuqi held out special praise for goalkeeper Anti Niemi, who produced a string of world class saves to deny Oliver Bierhoff.

Said Kuqi: "Niemi was just unbelievable.

"He was determined that nothing was going to get past him and he made some fantastic saves. He deserves a medal because his performance was one of the main reasons why England qualified."

And speaking on Stockport's official site, Kuqi, who came off the bench along with Petri Helin, added: "When I was sat on the bench it was obvious the Germans knew the score from Old Trafford.

"We wanted to help England and although we didn't have many chances we thought we could get a result. At the end of the game Germany thought they were through but within a couple of minutes they all had their heads in their hands.

"They must have been gutted."

Should Kuqi and Helin be granted the freedom of Stockport for helping Finland hold the Germans to a 0-0 draw? Let us know your views.