England suffer penalty heartbreak

England fans preparing to fly home from Kiev described Roy Hodgson's side as "very hit and miss" during Euro 2012.

Around 6,000 Three Lions supporters were in the Ukrainian capital to watch the heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat against Italy.

Many of those faced a scramble for return flights with fares starting at £800.

Alan Hunter, 20, from Southampton, said: "It's a young team but they didn't do too well. Hopefully they'll play better at the World Cup in Brazil."

Adrian Wheeler, 50, from Bournemouth, Dorset, said: "We were very hit and miss.

"They played well against France but the first half against Ukraine was diabolical. It wasn't what we expect of England."

But other supporters were more appreciative of the team's efforts.

Oli Bignell, 30, from East Dulwich, south London, said: "We got further than I thought we would.

"We didn't lose, so that is something to take away considering Hodgson has only been there for a couple of months."

Michael Edgar, 31, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, was reasonably satisfied with the performances as a whole.

"I think we did okay," he said.

"Roy Hodgson brought in some new players and it sort of worked. There are more positives than negatives."

Nottingham University student Chris Bull, 21, was braced for a return to normality.

"We came with low expectations, we could have sneaked past Italy to the semi-finals but it wasn't to be.

"Now we have to fly home tomorrow, back to English life," he said.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Holt, who represented the British police contingent in Ukraine for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said there were no reports of disorder following the match.