FOOTY fans piled into pubs across Bolton to watch England’s lions in white woefully whimper towards a goalless draw against massive underdogs Algeria.

Around 200 supporters packed into the Elephant and Castle pub to watch the match and drink in the atmosphere of the World Cup.

Even the infamous vuvuzelas were sounded in the town centre boozer in Deansgate as the match got under way.

Hopes were high. Sam Kay, aged 28, from Heaton, said: “I think they’re going to do well. I’m hoping for a couple of goals early on to calm my nerves.”

But there was no such luck. Despite early chances to make an impact on the game, England failed to get any shots on target in the first 15 minutes.

First, Wayne Rooney set up Steven Gerrard — but the Liverpool midfielder chose to cross rather than shoot.

Next, Ashley Cole broke into the penalty area, but lost the ball under pressure from the Algerian defence.

Then Gerrard again had a chance but blazed over from outside the box.

Leah Brabia, aged 25, from Farnworth, who predicted a draw before the game, was not impressed.

“I think my prediction is going to come true,” she said.

High spirits were quickly turning to despair as England’s millionaire footballers failed to create any real chances to beat their lowly opposition.

At half time, David Barlow, aged 29, from Little Lever thought England boss Fabio Capello had got his tactics all wrong.

He said: “He is playing people out of position. Gerrard shouldn’t be playing on the left. We should have Joe Cole there and Crouch up front instead of Heskey.”

But Jane Binks, aged 26, had her own unique take on the game.

She said: “Algeria’s goalkeeper must be rubbish — he’s wearing purple.”

Carla Mason, aged 25, summed up the general feeling in the pub after 45 minutes, adding: "I think all this football malarkey is a bit boring

One thing fans did agree on was England goalkeeper David James, who replaced Rob Green after his horrendous mistake in England’s first game.

After an early punch which did not look too convincing, he produced a solid display in goal.

Michael Barlow, aged 26, from Deane, said: “James doesn’t have butter fingers like Rob Green. He’s been a lot better.”

But at the other end of the pitch, England were still struggling. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch were all introduced, but it made no difference.

Fans in the pub urged England forward. The atmosphere intensified. They got louder and louder.

Their excitement was not matched by Princes William and Harry, who appeared briefly on TV screens, looking distinctly unimpressed with the game.

Back in Bolton, Andrew Thompson, aged 28, from Heaton, thought England looked nervous in possession.

John Palowski, aged 26, from Bank Top, blamed the country’s over-zealous national media.

He said: “Just like in Italia ‘90, the English tabloids are piling on the pressure and it’s too much for the players.

“It is evident in their unwillingness to play the style of football they naturally want to play.”

A final corner, on 93 minutes, came to nothing. The final whistle blew. Almost unbelievably, England had failed to topple Algeria. Now, barring an unlikely set of results, the team must win its final game against Slovenia to qualify for the knockout stages.

Matthew Chase, aged 26, from Heaton, said: “I think we’re going to struggle to qualify now. We played poorly — we never passed the ball to each other.

“I love the players, I love the team, but the way we played was abysmal.”

But Kate Simm, aged 26, from Deane, remained pragmatic. She said: “It has not been a good match, but we have had a good time. We’ve had a laugh and a few drinks and I still think we will qualify.”