I felt a lot of comparisons to the in form Harry Kane on Friday night.
My goal scoring form has never been as prolific I have to be honest but the game against Lithuania was my debut watching England play.
Having been a football fan for many years now, I cannot really tell you why I have not been to see my country play before now. Regardless, I took the opportunity to travel up to Wembley Stadium for the European Championship Qualifier.
This is really not meant to be a negative article in the slightest so I will get my gripes out of the way first.
An early arrival at Wembley was greeted by the news that the game was to be a dry one. By that I mean UEFA regulations are such that alcohol was not on sale inside the stadium. The decision to get to the ground in good time was a poor one in hindsight.
The second was that I really struggled with the lack of atmosphere. I have been to see Palace at Wembley plenty of times and the the NFL International Series and every time the crowds have been far more lively. However, I have to say that the Lithuanians were enjoying every minute with the old school scarf holding, swinging and general jumping up and down and chanting. It would have pretty good fun being in their end.
With those two negatives out of the way, I still maintain that I enjoyed the experience for what it was.
You have to give credit to the FA who tried to help create something of an atmosphere, however false it may have been. Maybe I have been spoilt being a Palace fan. The cross of St George display at the opposite end as well as a large flag of the three lions being dragged across the same end was trying to help.
The fact remained, the opposition was Lithuania and the result was a foregone conclusion. More a matter of how many England would score than which way the actual result would go.
I firmly believe that a home game against one of the big footballing nations such as Germany or Italy would encourage a much better atmosphere as would travelling to an away game with England.
There is still a view that these kinds of games would be better travelling around the country which they were forced to do when Wembley was being renovated. It is clear that the funds have to be found from somewhere to pay for the upgrade but Wembley is the home of the national team at the end of the day.
One of the highlights of the night for me personally along with any other Palace fans that attended the game was seeing academy graduate Nathaniel Clyne play for his country. It was a very proud moment recalling where it all started for him.
The game itself was never going to be a classic. It was intriguing to watch and my gamble predicting the first goal to be in the ninth minute was not far wrong. It was one way traffic from the start and England looked to pass the Lithuanians to death.
Wayne Rooney could have easily scored the goals to surpass top England goal scorer Bobby Charlton in the first half alone but he had to make do with just the one. My man of the match, Danny Welbeck, justified his selection ahead of the in form Harry Kane by putting in an excellent performance.
The back line and Joe Hart in particular had very little to do throughout the ninety minutes but I still have a problem with Phil Jones. Too many times he looked uncomfortable against this opposition with Gary Cahill having to bail him out on more than one occasion.
As for the midfield, Michael Carrick played the holding role well allowing Jordan Henderson to pull the strings in the centre. Fabian Delph played a wider role that he is used to but I do not know if the stadium announcer was a West Brom fan or something but his exciting player announcements disappeared every time he had to say the Villa mans name.
Raheem Sterling was exciting out wide, even if he was guilty of being a little greedy as the game went on. Watching him play made me chuckle on more than one occasion and if anyone has seem the Wilma from Scooby Doo Vine doing the rounds on social media, you will know why.
Cometh the hour, cometh the most talked about England debutant for an while. Harry Kane replaced Wayne Rooney and within minutes he had his debut goal to write the happy ever after to this chapter of his career.
There is likely to be many more to come from this Kane character. He comes across sensible and level headed in interviews and is a natural predator even if his stature does not go with the usual physique of what a modern day footballer is supposed to be.
All in all, it was an enjoyable debut. For both Harry and myself. Two more goals from Welbeck (arguably and own goal) and Sterling sealed the win and sent the England fans home happy and with no fear of a hangover in the morning – thanks UEFA.
The media however, will continue to drive the Harry Kane bandwagon with their feet firmly planted on the accelerator. And rightly so in a season that he has made a name for himself.
As for England, more than just a down payment has been made for the first class Eurostar journey to France next summer. The future is certainly bright.
Remind me to revisit that comment after the tournament.
