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LONDON -- At least this time England and Ireland managed to complete their match. A scrappy, but peaceful, 1-1 draw on Wednesday left both teams at Wembley Stadium breathing a huge sigh of relief. This was the first time the rivals had faced each other on a football pitch since hooliganism forced the abandonment of a game between them after 28 minutes, 18 years ago. England fans, who rioted during the 1995 game in Dublin, heeded the warning of England coach Roy Hodgson by mostly refraining from anti-Irish chanting at Wembley Stadium. "Theres so much negativity around," Hodgson said. "But both sets of fans were vocal and ... behaved well. The only thing which stops this evening being a really good evening for me is that we didnt win the game." The potential for provocation was avoided during the national anthems as the music was turned up to full volume, leaving some speakers crackling and the few "No surrender" chants by England fans inaudible to most of the ground. As England and Ireland held each other to a 1-1 draw for the third consecutive match, the only troublesome moment came when flares were set off, shrouding part of the pitch in green smoke. The game was largely uneventful. Shane Long headed Ireland in front after 13 minutes and Frank Lampard levelled 10 minutes later with his 29th England goal. In the second half, Ireland goalkeeper David Forde denied Theo Walcott twice and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. "We had sufficient dominance and sufficient goal chances to win the game," Hodgson said before stressing: "I thought that we played well enough." While England heads to Brazil for a friendly against the 2014 World Cup hosts on Sunday, Ireland -- fourth in its qualifying group -- prepares for a qualifier against the Faroe Islands on June 7. Englands sloppy play reflected its struggle to qualify for the World Cup. England is second in its group, two points behind Montenegro with five games remaining. "We do have a lot of firepower not available for us," Hodgson said. "Ill just have to hope that firepower is available in September and October." More significant on Wednesday was the chance to show that tensions between the countries have thawed. "Everyone was a bit worried, but the two sets of fans were great," Ireland captain Robbie Keane said. After all the pre-match fears, the only scattered boos were heard when defender Ashley Cole -- who is not universally popular among England fans -- received a commemorative cap for having reached the 100 mark for his country. On his 102nd appearance, Cole captained England for the first time, and came close to his first international goal early in the second half. "He has been one of the best left-backs in the world for many, many years now," said Chelsea and England teammate Gary Cahill. It didnt start well as Coles fellow defenders were beaten too easily for the opener as Seamus Coleman floated a cross into the penalty area. Long darted through and rose above Glen Johnson before sending the header past goalkeeper Joe Hart. Irelands defending was slacker to allow England to equalize. Daniel Sturridge worked his way down the left flank and, as he whipped in a cross, Lampard started to ghost into the penalty area. As the ball came off Sean St. Leger and Glenn Whelan, Lampard exploited the confusion to stab the ball home from close range. There was a blow for England when Sturridge was carried off during the first half, adding to Hodgsons injury problems. "Its ligament damage, we think," Hodgson said. "It will definitely keep him out for the Rio game and we think it will keep him out for a few weeks." With Jermain Defoe on in Sturridges place, the attack lacked spark. Wayne Rooney, who has missed recent games for Manchester United, never came close to score in his first match in nearly a month. "Id be hard-pushed ... to say too much negative about the players in our team," Hodgson said. David Blough Jersey . 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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Ryan Fitzpatrick had a lot of time during the offseason to think about what could have been for the New York Jets.Sure, the final numbers were pretty impressive: a 10-6 record, the offense ranking 10th overall, the veteran quarterback setting a franchise record with 31 touchdown passes. But the Jets finished a win shy of the playoffs, and that stuck with Fitzpatrick for a while.With his long, drawn-out contract stalemate behind him, and a new one-year, $12 million deal in his pocket, Fitzpatrick is ready to build off of last season.Just from reviewing last year, theres so many things we can get better at, Fitzpatrick said. We did some things well. I thought by the end of the year, we were playing decent. But you sit and you look at all the missed opportunities from last year and theres a lot of ways we can get better.Fitzpatrick threw interceptions on each of the Jets last three possessions in the season finale against Buffalo, a game that would have put New York in the playoffs with a win.Theres some unfinished business for the 33-year-old Fitzpatrick. And he feels good about what Todd Bowles team has going on.Im excited to see whats to come for us on offense, Fitzpatrick said.A lot of the Jets success will fall on his shoulders. With a defense again expected to be among the NFLs best, New York needs Fitzpatrick to at least approach last seasons career-type year.I actually think hes better this year, wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. Hes throwing the ball much better, with more velocity, hes throwing it deeper. He seems comfortable back there. Hes looking really good. Hes impressive.Here are some things to know as the Jets prepare to host Cincinnati on Sept. 11:TOUGH START: New York will have a good feel for how its season will go by Week 7.Five of the Jets first six opponents were playoff teams a year ago, and six of their first nine games are on the road. After opening against the Bengals, New York is at Buffalo against former coach Rex Ryan, at Kansas City, home against Seattle, at Pittsburgh and at Arizona.It doesnt matter who we play, Bowles said. If you win 10 games or double figures, your schedule is going to be tougher. Thats just part of the league.DOMINANT D-LINE: While Darrelle Revis remains one of the best cover guys in the league, Bowles aggressive defense starts up front with the big men.Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams are baack to anchor the defense, and Steve McLendon slides into the nose tackle spot vacated when Damon Harrison signed with the Giants.ddddddddddddWilkerson is fully healthy after breaking a leg in the regular-season finale and coming off an offseason in which he got a five-year, $86,000 deal. Richardson is suspended for the first game of the season for violating the leagues personal conduct policy last summer, but hes motivated to be the playmaker he was his first two years. Williams appears primed for a breakout season in his second year, looking to improve on his three sacks after being the No. 6 overall pick.FORTE FITS: The Jets signed running back Matt Forte in the offseason, envisioning him to be a pass-catching presence out of the backfield in Chan Gaileys offense.Hes two years removed from setting an NFL record for running backs with 102 receptions for Chicago, and he should be a nice complement to wide receivers Marshall and Eric Decker, who combined for 26 TD catches last season. Forte dealt with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of training camp, but he played in the third preseason game and felt healthy, so theres no lingering concerns.BLIND SIDE: Ryan Clady was acquired from Denver a day after fellow left tackle DBrickashaw Ferguson surprisingly announced his retirement after 10 seasons in which he never missed a game or practice.Clady is a four-time Pro Bowl selection who has been terrific when healthy, but thats been an issue lately. He has missed 30 games over the last three seasons, making him a risky proposition for an offensive line that lacks depth. But Clady appeared healthy in camp and fully recovered from a torn knee ligament.QUICK IMPRESSIONS: Both Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan stressed the need to get faster overall, and they addressed that on defense in the draft.First-rounder Darron Lee is a versatile inside linebacker who goes sideline to sideline and can be used in a variety of situations by Bowles. Third-rounder Jordan Jenkins is an outside linebacker who can help set the edge while also providing a pass-rushing presence, along with Lorenzo Mauldin, wh