Young Strike Seals England Win

Where England had looked ruthless on Friday they looked every bit as insipid on Friday.

Thanks to Ashley Young's solitary first half goal at Wembley the Premier League stars could return to their clubs with a further three points . They deserved just the one.

Fabio Capello's men played out the ninety minutes with an air of complacency, knowing that they were good enough to get the goal to put them one up, all the while failing to contemplate that Wales may produce an attack of any note. It was a superiority complex that seemed not of their own making but that of their manager, though at no point did the eleven men on the field decide amongst themselves to turn the dial up a notch in an attempt justify the 113 world ranking places that separate the Lions from the Dragons.

From the first whistle, then, England came out and looked to monopolise possession, pinging the ball comfortably around their own half. It could have been an attempt to set the tempo of the game, stamp an authority upon the Welsh and get into their heads. What looked like tactics for the first five minutes swiftly became wishful thoughts after ten, the home side not stroking the ball around of their own choice but because of the pressure zone that was the middle of the park, Wales packing five men into their midfield and denying England any space in the central third.

Any joy that was to come England's way was as a result of the front three of Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. The two widemen in particular were the biggest threats that the home side could conjure up as they twisted and turned, passed and crossed to the beat of a drum, their compatriots more musically on par with the England band on the Wembley terraces. They were blowing.

It was quite apt that the two ex-Villains would combine to open the scoring and notable, too, was the fact that the first time England managed to sew two attacks together they produced a goal. After James Milner's cross was cleared away Gareth Barry immediately sprayed the ball back out to the right flank, Downing able to steal a yard of space off Joe Ledley, his low, driven cross beaten between Wayne Hennessey's left hand and the near post by Young.

With that came hope that the lead could be doubled sooner rather than later as England were suddenly invigorated by the breakthrough, their opponents looking bewildered, there was to be no further test for Hennessey, though, and with the half time whistle came a much needed moment of respite for Wales, a moment that Gary Speed used impeccably.

Three England shots came and went in the first minute of the second half and a wasteful Frank Lampard effort aside there was to be no more football of note from the home side. Wales had spent the majority of the match coping comfortably with all that a half-hearted England had to throw at them and now felt that there was never a better time to fight back. Gareth Bale grew increasingly into the game and, one wayward effort aside, was the key figure for the final thirty minutes, though that mantle could, should, have been taken from the roving Tottenham winger.

With a quarter of an hour left on the clock a free kick from the left was floated onto the far edge of Hart's six yard box. Cardiff Full back Darcy Blake got the better of his marker to cushion the ball back across goal for Robert Earnshaw who connected not with the sweet spot of his left boot but the edge, his shot ballooning over the England goal along with any hope the Welsh had of claiming a point.

The result was greeted with less ecstasy than relief amongst those in the stands, the Welsh left to feel slightly aggrieved at not returning across the Severn Bridge with something to show.

A Podgorica point is all that England require from their final qualifier against Montenegro to secure a spot at the Polish/Ukrainian finals next year, not that a display of such meekness will strike fear into Europe's elite come June.

England are fourth in the world, Wales 117th, it is difficult to see whether this result makes a more of a mockery of Capello's team or the FIFA world rankings, though the answer is most likely both.

Young Strike Saves Unspectacular England

A meagre second half performance from England saw the Lions limp towards qualification for the 2012 European Championships as they took the points against a battling Wales at Wembley.

One goal was enough for the win, Ashley Young the man to sweep home a Stewart Downing cross late in the opening period, it was the second, though, that will have England fans worried as Wales began to even the game out and they would have had a point to take back acrpss the Severn Bridge had Robert Earnshaw not spooned Darcy Blake's cut back over the bar just five yards from an open goal.

There were two changes from Fabio Capello's Bulgarian teamsheet. Friday's notable admission, Frank Lampard, was restored to the the starting XI in place of Scott Parker, the Tottenham man dropping to the bench for fear of receiving the yellow card that would rule him out of England's final group game. Theo Walcott was the other man to lose his place, a hamstring injury putting paid to his night out, James Milner was his replacement in what would become a three man midfield.

The enforced abscense of star hitman Craig Bellamy weakened the Welsh frontline, Steve Morison the lonely figure at the top of Gary Speed's 4-5-1 formation, while fellow suspendee David Vaughan also missed out, though the returns of Jack Collison and Andrew Crofts to Wales' midfield helped to reinforce the Dragons' quest to frustrate the England attack.

England started patiently, monopolising the first five minutes' possession yet unable to break through the steadfast Wales. It wasn't until the seventh minute that fans had an effort to gasp at, John Terry out-muscling Ashley Williams, only to steer his header wide of Wayne Hennessey's goal.

The Welsh 'keeper's hands were rarely involved in the opening exchanges, though his feet were busy with a spree of backpasses, a punch off the head of John Terry was the first notable piece of glovework the Wolves custodian had to execute.

Whichever wing England attacked down their widemen, Stewart Downing and Ashley Young, looked continually threatening against the opposing full backs and it was the quick feet of the latter who carved out a cross from the left, narrowly evading the head of Wayne Rooney, floating through instead for Downing to acrobatically blaze over the crossbar.

As England produced two consecutive waves of attack came the opening goal of the evening. James Milner twisted himself away from his marker on the right flank, his original cross hacked away as far as Gareth Barry who fed the ball forward immediately, again out to the right, this time for Downing, the Liverpool man working a yard of space on the outside of his defender before scything in a cross that was met with a drilled near-post finish from Young.

England were invigorated and Rooney came inches from doubling the England advantage, Young the instigator once again, this time working a short corner and flashing a cross across the face of goal.

Within the first minute of the second half England had managed a further three attempts on Hennessey's woodwork, intricate passing allowing Young to test the Welsh number one before Downing saw his shot blocked. Gareth Barry swiped wildly at the third attempt to give the Welsh a moment of respite.

Having produced nothing of note for the best part of 55 minutes Wales suddenly had England scampering. Aaron Ramsey was played into the England box only to find his progress halted by a nerveless challenge from Gareth Barry.

The visitors continued to attack and with a quarter of an hour to go missed their golden opportunity. A free kick was whipped onto the far edge of Joe Hart's six yard box, Darcy Blake knocking the ball back across goal to leave Robert Earnshaw, scorer of over 200 career goals, with what should have been the simplest of tasks. The substitute's connection, however, was anything but sweet as he sent his shot off target with the goal at his mercy.

Suddenly the Welsh had some wind in their sails, Joe Ledley pinging a ball across the box which Chris Gunter collected, slamming his effort against the strong right hand of Joe Hart, not that it would have counted anyway, the full back punished for shoving Ashley Cole to the floor as he controlled the ball on his chest.

That move summed up Wales performance, coming so close and fighting so hard, yet fatally flawed when push came to shove in the final third.

Hope Is Not Enough

27 Years, that's how long it has been since the national football team of Wales claimed victory over their senior counterparts from England and, in all honesty, they should not be changing that fact when the the two sides meet for the second Anglo-Welsh clash this year.

It took just fourteen minutes in March for England to wrap up victory at the Millennium Stadium, Frank Lampard converting a penalty and Darren Bent slotting home from close range.

The past twelve months have been a torrid time for Welsh football, John Toshack stepped down as manager of the side following a qualifying defeat to Montenegro a year ago, leaving the FAW board with the task of finding and appointing a successor capable of turning the tide of a sinking ship.

Since ending 2007 in a vaguely respectable 57th place on the FIFA rankings there has been an irreversible slide that has seen the Welsh drop, almost stonelike in fashion, down to 117th, below the likes of the Central African Republic, Antigua and the Faroe Islands. In the latest table they remain just two points ahead of Grenada.

Following Toshack's departure Brian Flynn, coach of the under-21 side, was handed the reins in a temporary spell as a test of his calibre, he didn't get the job, the task eventually falling into the lap of Gary Speed, inexperienced at club management, let alone international.

The barren spell was not arrested by fresh blood, the Welsh lost to Ireland in the Carling Nations Cup before one of the biggest games the country had seen for nigh on five years, England were coming to town. We all know how that one finished and Speed would have to wait another two games before claiming his first win, beating a woefully understrength Northern Irish line-up in a scarcely populated Aviva Stadium, Dublin, just 529 people turning up for the game, less than 200 of those were actually supporters of either country.

And then, salvation. Cardiff City Stadium, now one of the national team venues that are used in rotation, played host, not least because of the paltry crowds that turned the Millennium Stadium from a cauldron into a cave. Montenegro, daring to challenge England atop qualifying group G, were the visitors and Wales gave them one hell of a ride. Where the spirit and vigour for such a performance came from we can't be quite sure but wherever it was it couldn't have come soon enough for supporters. Steve Morison opened his international account before captain Aaron Ramsey doubled the advantage, not even a Stevan Jovetic consolation could take the shine off Speed's first competitive win.

A modicum of pride has been restored to Wales, though it should prove to be no more than a cruel build up of hope once the trip to Wembley is done and dusted.

The history doesn't stack up well for Tuesday's Wembley visitors either, just once in five trips to England have Wales come up trumps, that was in 1977, while the last time any venue saw a victory for the Dragons was 1984. History, form and the squads, on paper at least, do not seem to favour Wales, neither do the bookies. England are 1/7 to win, their opponents are way out at 20, does any more really need to be said?

The star of the show, Craig Bellamy, picked up a yellow in Friday's win, thus ruling him out of this one. No rest for the wicked.

"Hopefully we'll nick a result over there." Was the resoundingly uneasy comment to come from Gareth Bale pre-match. Hope springs eternal, it does for Welsh football at least, but to dispose of England, regardless of their form at Wembley, a little more than hope is required. Wales will have to play at their best, England, not so much so.

Will it be the formality that Britain, nay, the entire footballing world expects? I wouldn't want to be seen as writing them off completely, but...

Brave England Downed On Penalties

England's Women's World Cup campaign ended in typically English heartache as Fayre White's shoot-out penalty smashed the crossbar and away from goal to hand France the place in the semi-final.

It looked as though Jill Scott's 59th minute strike would send England through to face either Brazil or the USA in Wednesday's semi but Elise Bussaglia had other ideas, hitting a superlative equaliser with just two minutes left on the clock. It finished 1-1 and went to penalties and after Karen Bardsley saved Camille Abily's first penalty England had the upper hand but misses from Clare Rafferty and White ultimately sent them home.

England made three changes to the starting line up that beat Japan, Jess Clark, Sophie Bradley and Anita Asante dropping out with the experienced Faye White, Fara Williams and Rachel Yankey coming into the starting line-up while France were without their suspended goalkeeper Berange Sapowicz, she was replaced by Celine Deville.

With little more than fifteen seconds on the clock England had the first opening, Karen Carney playing a ball over for Kelly Smith to round Deville on the edge of the area, only to see her eventual effort blocked by Laura Georges.

France's first effort on goal, a long range strike from Camille Abily, failed to trouble Bardsley as it flew well over the crossbar.

Those proved to be the only real chances of the first twenty minutes as the French looked the more confident, stroking the ball around neatly and showing pace in the wide areas compared to England's scrappy short passing and wastefulness when in possession. That is not, however, to discredit France's work in defence as they continually pressed England whenever they had the ball, forcing the mistakes from the team in white.

It was France who forced the first save of the afternoon, Gaetane Thiney striking a half volley that forced Karen Bardsley to fling herself away to her left, keeping the ball out at full stretch.

Karen Bardsley had a moment to forget in the first game against Mexico, allowing a floating long range strike to sail through her hands and into the top corner for an equaliser and with then minutes to go in the first half there was nearly another mistake from the American-born goalkeeper as she struck a clearance against Marie-Laure Delie that thankfully sailed high and wide.

The England players would have been glad to hear the half time whistle ringing through their ears, even though it was no doubt followed by strong words from manager Hope Powell. Aside from the Kelly Smith chance within the opening minute France were looking dominant, too often England found their touch lacking in midfield thus allowing the French to counter, leaving lone striker Ellen White to fend for herself as she looked to make an attacking impact on the game.

Delie was again threatening as the first half kicked off, seeing one shot blocked from inside the box before failing to hit the target with a quick shot on the turn while Thiney saw a soft shot comfortably held by Bardsley.

Jill Scott, already scorer of one header in the tournament, nearly found the opener as Rachel Unitt whipped a ball in from the left, only for the ball to loop wide of the goal, not that she had to wait too long to get the opener.

Rachel Yankey received the ball from Kelly Smith and dinked it towards the corner of the box for Jill Scott who took it inside after two France defenders misjudged the bounce and, even though she had Ellen White for company, the Everton midfielder clipped the ball over Deville and into the back of the net.

Kelly Smith was forced to turn a ball behind from inside her own box and Necib saw a free kick deflected over but the best chance of an equaliser fell to substitute Thomis, Bardsley turning a shot away before seeing the rebound cleared off the line.

With Chelsea full back Clare Rafferty high upfield Thomis found herself played in after finding the space left behind and she bombarded forward only to see her effort stopped by Bardsley's shoulder. That wasn't the end of the danger though as a French corner was swung onto the head of Leppailleur, only for Ellen White to get her head to the ball on the line, but the French weren't to be denied.

A hopeful ball into the box was only half cleared and Bussaglia, waiting on the edge of the box, delightfully bent the ball onto one post, along the line and in to send the tie into extra time.

As the first half of extra time grew on England began to play much more negatively but one opportunity did arise and it fell to Ellen White, scorer of 13 goals for Arsenal to this point in the season, but she failed to hit the target, driving wide of the near post.

Into the second period it was all France and good passing across the box lead to substitute Elodie Thomis clipping a ball over for Le Sommer whose header flashed over the top. France continued to take the game to their cross-channel rivals but despite a spate of late corners there was to be no winner and so it went to penalties.

Abily stepped up first for France and saw her effort held by Karen Bardsley, England were rocking, but up next was Kelly Smith, a player who had been limping the entire way through extra time. She held her nerve and fought the pain to smash her spot kick away and give her side the advantage.

Bussaglia and Karen Carney shared two successful penalties before Thiney clipped one in. The rock of England's defence, namely Casey Stoney, scored next meaning Sonia Bompastor had to score. She duly converted.

Chelsea ladies Clare Rafferty dragged a horrible penalty wide leaving the shoot-out in a sudden death situation and once Le Sommer scored England captain Faye White was left with a do or die penalty that she wasn't to convert as she crashed her spot kick onto the crossbar to send her team home and France into the semi-finals.

Never Ghana Give Up

A goal in second half stoppage time earned Ghana and their unwavering support a draw against a makeshift England side who nonetheless put in a solid all round performance.

After Ashley Young inexplicably hit the bar from the edge of the six yard box and Joe Hart made two fine saves from Dominic Adiyiah, Andy Carroll grabbed his first international goal at the end of a pulsating first half.

It came late but Asamoah Gyan equalised after a fine individual effort, no less than the Sunderland striker deserved for his display.

Fabio Capello stayed true to his word and fielded a much weakened team to that which played against Wales on Saturday, making seven changes in total, sticking with the 4-3-3 formation that worked so well at the weekend. The men to retain their places in the side were goalkeeper Joe Hart, full back Glen Johnson, midfield dynamo Jack Wilshere and winger Ashley Young.

Gareth Barry was named as captain, taking the armband from John Terry who returned to Chelsea on Sunday, and started in the holding midfield role, James Milner coming in to play in the centre with him and Wilshere. Phil Jagielka followed up his late substitute appearance against the Welsh by partnering two-cap Gary Cahill in the centre of defence, Everton's Leighton Baines playing on the left side of the defence.

On Monday it was announced that Andy Carroll would start his second England game up front, Stewart Downing coming in on the wing with Ashley Young on the opposite flank.

Ghana were without Kevin-Prince Boateng of Milan and Chelsea's Michael Essien, neither being named in the squad due to injury. All five of Ghana's English based squad members started, Sulley Muntari playing behind Sunderland team mate Asamoah Gyan. Dominic Adiyiah who was such a success at the last U20 World Cup started out on the wing.

Wembley saw its largest ever away attendance for an England international, 21,000 Ghanaian fans filling a corner of the national stadium, and those fans were so nearly able to cheer the opening goal.

Neat passing from Ghana on the half way line lead to a ball being slipped through for Adiyiah. The youngster, currently away on loan from parent club Milan, ran through but when faced with only Hart to beat contrived to shoot straight at the England stopper.

Minutes later it was Englands chance to bear down on goal, Stewart Downing the man with the chance to beat Kingson in goal, only to see his right footed effort blaze high and wide.

Kingson was, however, called into action not long after, Downing plucking a high ball out of the air, taking it inside and laying it off for Ashley Young whose curling effort forced Kingson to tip the ball around the post at full stretch.

During the first twenty minutes England showed glimpses of what they can do, Johnson and Baines making numerous overlapping runs with their teammates duly supplying them with the required through balls. Despite that Ghana had managed to fashion a couple of chances. Aside from Adiyiah's glaring failure Sulley Muntari curled a free kick over the bar and Asamoah Gyan fired a shot from forty yards that was simple for Hart to collect.

But England continued to come forward and James Milner found himself at the byline, sweeping the ball across for his former Aston Villa teammate Ashley Young who slid in and somehow managed to hit the crossbar from just seven yards out.

Ghana were unperturbed by this, though, and came forward, winning a free kick. Muntari whipped it across and Adiyiah gave James Milner the slip only to see Hart nudge his effort wide of the England goal.

The away side also showed that they were comfortable in possession, stringing a number of passes together to great cheers from their support as they looked to break the England defence down, but their opponents were having none of it and after regaining control of the ball they pushed forward and snatched the opening goal.

Ashley Young clipped a ball in behind the Ghanaian defence where he found Stewart Downing who took the ball out of the air, sending it straight into the path of the on rushing Andy Carroll who drove the ball across Kingson for his first goal for the senior England team.

That was to be the final action of a frantic first half which saw both sides create chances, although England just about deserved the lead on the balance of play.

Moments into the second half Jack Wilshere burst forward to the edge of the Ghana area before knocking the ball across to Ashley Young who curled the ball inches over the crossbar.

It took a while but Ghana grew into the second half, England having to take two digs to clear a free kick before a shot came in from the edge of the area which was deflected behind for a corner, that set piece was headed over the bar.

James Milner very nearly took a boot to the face from Derek Boateng but picked himself up to test Richard Kingson with a stinging effort from just outside the area.

Gyan was the next player to find himself through on goal, though the angle was against him and he eventually smashed it into the side netting.

With 22 minutes left there was to be a first England cap for Wolves Matt Jarvis, coming on for Jack Wilshere.

The final ten minutes saw another Sunderland based Ghanaian take to the field, it was however, Danny Welbeck making his England debut, despite being qualified to represent Ghana.

There was nearly a late scare for England, Stewart Downing meekly hitting a backpass for Joe Hart, the Man City stopper's first time clearance crashing into Asamoah Gyan's outstretched boot but, thankfully, flying metres over his bar.

Just as the PA at Wembley was informing the fans of the three additional minutes there was to be a sting in the tail as Asamoah Gyan collected the ball just outside the England area. He twisted, he turned and he finished coolly across Joe Hart to send the Ghana fans in one of the corners at that end into raptures.

The second half wasn't the free-flowing spectacle that the first was but the last gasp Gyan equaliser gave the fabulous Ghana support what they deserved and what Gyan himself had earned for the shift that he put in for his nation.

England V Ghana Preview

After a comfortable if unspectacular win over Wales on Saturday England now travel back to London for an international friendly against the Black Stars of Ghana, a nation whose 2010 World Cup campaign couldn't have been more different to that of the English.

An Asamoah Gyan penalty got Ghana off to a winning start against Serbia and it was to be the same again to earn a draw with Australia. Their final group match against Germany at the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg was watched by over 83,000 people who saw the Germans come out with a 1-0 victory thanks to one of the tournaments stars in Mesut Ozil. But Ghana went through and with the entirety of the African continent and large parts of the rest of the world behind them the west African side faced up against group C winners the USA.

A bright start for Ghana was rewarded with a Kevin-Prince Boateng strike after just five minutes but in the second half they were pegged back thanks to a Landon Donovan penalty. Ghana started the first half of extra time as they started the first of normal time, Asamoah Gyan thrashing the ball into Tim Howard's net to send Ghana into the last eight, only the third African team to reach that stage but, much like England, their campaign ended in controversy in defeat to Uruguay.

Sulley Muntari's strike in first half stoppage time opened the scoring only for Diego Forlan to equalise. As the game drew to a close a ball into the Uruguay area bounced up for Dominic Adiyiah to head towards goal only for Luis Suarez to punch the ball off of the line, denying a goal that would have made Ghana the first African team to reach the semi finals, but as it was a penalty was given. Gyan, who had already scored two penalties in the tournament, blazed his spot kick against the bar, sending the game to a shoot-out which the Black Stars eventually lost.

It was a heart breaking end to a fairytale run that made the world stand up and take note of the new breed of talent coming out of Ghana, many of the squad members being part of the side that won the 2009 U20 World Cup in Egypt.

The last match for Ghana ttok place on Friday and saw the side come out of Brazzaville with a 3-0 victory over Congo in an African Nations Cup qualifier, Adiyiah, Muntari and Prince Tagoe getting on the scoresheet. Meanwhile England saw off Wales in a game they never looked like losing, a Frank Lampard penalty and a Darren Bent tap in within the first fifteen minutes securing the win.

Since then England have released five players back to their clubs, namely Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and newly re-appointed captain John Terry, meaning Fabio Capello had another decision to make as to who will get the armband for Tuesday's game.

The England manager has hinted at changing 'seven or eight' members of his starting line up for this game meaning that Gareth Barry, who briefly held the captaincy during the friendly win over Denmark, will get the chance to lead his nation out at Wembley.

If Capello were to drastically change his eleven it would be more than a tad harsh on Jack Wilshere and Scott Parker who both put in superb performances against Wales on Saturday, although their club managers would gladly see them rested so they are fit for title and relegation battles respectively.

Tuesday's game will, however, give a chance to Andy Carroll and the other strikers in Capello's squad to make a name for themselves and boost their hopes of taking Wayne Rooney's place in England's next tie, a qualifier with Switzerland in June, Rooney being suspended for collecting the second yellow of his qualifying campaign against Wales. In form Gary Cahill will start with Matt Jarvis of Wolves also likely to feature at some stage during the night.

Ghana have five English based players in their squad, John Mensah, Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan all plying their trade at Sunderland as well as Fulhams John Paintsil and Blackpool stopper Richard Kingson. Gyan was suspended for Ghana's Nations Cup qualifier against Congo on Friday but will be available for the Wembley clash and it seems likely he will start the game. Other names to look out for include Andre Ayew, son of Ghana's record goalscorer Abedi 'Pele' Ayew, Anthony Annan of Schalke and Milan's Dominic Adiyiah, currently on loan at Partizan Belgrade, who scored eight goals in the Ghanaian U20 side's World Cup victory.

The two nations have never met in a full international before but numerous squad members were part of the U20 side that beat England 4-0 at the 2009 World Cup, Dominic Adiyiah netting twice with Andre Ayew also getting on the scoresheet.

Ghana are a highly motivated side who have a great team ethic and ranked at 16 in the world they will be no pushover for an England side that look likely to be inexperienced on the international stage.

You can keep up with key updates from the game on HJBSports Twitter feed and don't forget to check back here for our postgame match report.

Glorious Sunshine And A Footballing Carnival

For the first time since the World Cup I've had a veritable feast of football, three games in three days, could this long weekend have gotten any better?

Well, as it happens, it probably could have done had either Will Hoskins or Jo Kuffour put away the chances they had to beat Peterborough on Friday night but I'd have taken a point prior to the match so lets not be too downhearted, eh. Following that was England's comfortable win over Wales on Saturday and Scotland's friendly clash with Brazil at the Emirates, but back to the Rovers game.

Pre-match it looked tough against the Football Leagues top scorers who, despite losing 1-0 to MK Dons on Tuesday, had won five of their last six games, scoring 19 goals in the process, and so it was with a hint of trepidation that I headed to the Mem. My worries could have been far worse had Stuart Campbell not renewed the spirit in the Rovers dressing room and claimed two wins out of the three games he has been in charge for, and that spirit was on display almost immediately.

Jo Kuffour swivelled inside the opposition area and drove the ball across Joe Lewis for his ninth goal of the season. In the end Rovers managed to maintain their record of not losing when Kuffour has scored this term, although Gasheads should also remember the fact that the striker has previously been relegated from League 1 three times, firstly with Torquay and then with Brentford and Bournemouth in consecutive seasons.

Peterborough looked a decent side and the fact that they got an equaliser wasn't much of a surprise, neither was the scorer of the own goal, Byron Anthony, but the red card they received at the end of the first half galvanised the fans and gave the players a chance against a clearly superior eleven.

If Rovers had still been under the stewardship of Dave Penney then Boro's second would have been a killer blow and probably have seen the Gas concede another two on top but there is a passion in the eyes of the squad since Campbell's appointment and they began to take the game to the visitors. The equaliser was followed by two chances for Rovers to win it but it wasn't to be and the Rovers fans could go away retaining belief that they can beat the drop.

Next up for me was Englands triumph over Wales in Cardiff, not that I was in Cardiff and neither was I in my own house as I don't have sky TV available to me, so it was to the next door neighbours I went.

In truth it wasn't a great game. The two early goals could easily have lead to a rout for England as it killed off any hope the home side had of an upset but as it was England took their foot off of the gas and let the game stroll by. The goals themselves were all too simple for England, the second especially showed a weakness in Wales defence that dogged them in the first half, the fact that Danny Collins was often found too far away from his closest centre back Ashley Williams, giving Johnson the chance to beat a ball through to Ashley Young who rolled the ball across for Bent to tap in.


There were impressive performances from England, though. Jack Wilshere looked mercurial in the centre of midfield getting through countless amounts of work box-to-box while Scott Parker proved that he can do it on the international stage, biting at the Welsh as soon as they came anywhere near him but despite that he seems unlikely to keep his place for Tuesdays game against Ghana as Fabio Capello looks as though he may change his entire starting eleven for the Wembley game. Indeed five of Saturday's starting line up have already been released back to their clubs including Wayne Rooney and controversial captain John Terry.

For all the failings in his private life that saw Terry stripped of the captaincy the central defender, in my eyes at least, has all the qualities required to captain his country. He is a natural leader, big, bold and always gives 100% to the cause and as long as his fellow international squad members back him the public should too.

That being said the way it was handled by Capello was nothing short of slapstick, as leaks came out in the media, often undermining him and the fact that he had failed to speak to Ferdinand on the matter made things worse for the Italian, the United defender feeling rightfully miffed about the whole subject.

The final game of my weekend came thanks to ITV who provided live coverage of the friendly game between Scotland and Brazil. Before the game started ITV showed an interview with Ronaldo, one of the first international superstars I came across.

My first footballing memory was of the 2002 world cup in Japan and South Korea where Ronaldo showed why he was one of the worlds best, scoring eight goals to claim the Golden Shoe as he lead Brazil to the biggest prize in world football, including netting two goals in the final against Germany. Aside from his 62 goals for the Brazilian national team he also finished with 352 goals in 517 appearances in a distinguished club career that saw him take in both Milan clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

During his interview with Gabriel Clarke Ronaldo mentioned how he believed Neymar would become key to Brazil's 2014 World Cup campaign in their own backyard while Adrian Chiles and the ITV pundits raved about the 19 year old starlet. Aside from reading about Chelsea's interest I didn't know much about Neymar and so this game gave me the chance to see what he was all about and form an opinion on whether he is as good as everybody says. I found out everybody was right.


I've never seen such a talented player at just 19, he has the great ability on the ball that comes so naturally to Brazilians and also showed good pace and movement as he tore the Scots apart, claiming the first goal with a neat finish after Gary Caldwell backed off in fear and also scored the second having won his own penalty after a trip from Charlie Adam.

He has four years on Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in the world, and if a big money move to Europe does come around soon he surely has the chance to become as good as the Argentine.

Having taken in three football matches in as many days I'd feel as though I was ready to go back to work, but alas, I have the week off which I will undoubtedly fill with the England game and other things football related before watching Bristol Rovers relegation tussle with Yeovil.

This weekend just seems to keep on going.