ENGLAND PROFILE: EMILE HESKEY
What a bittersweet year 2007 proved to be for burly, bustling forward Emile Heskey. The Wigan star, who turned 30 on January 11, was called up to face Israel in September after 37 months in the international wilderness.
And, having been in Steve McClaren's eleven, he played so impressively alongside his old Liverpool strike-partner Michael Owen that he also started against Russia four days later.
Both matches were at Wembley; both ended 3-0; and Heskey's unselfish play enabled his former England U-18 team-mate Owen to score thrice.
Against Israel Heskey headed down to Owen before the diminutive forward cracked the ball in the net to ensure the result for one of the most memorable goals of the qualifing campaign. Rarely has a player proved such a good foil for Owen - the player who is set to overtake Bobby Charlton's all-time record of 49 goals for England.
Such was the Leicester trainee's imprint on those two crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers that, despite the return from injury of wunderkind Wayne Rooney, there was a clamour for Heskey to retain his place in the team and pundits were running out of superlatives.
As cruel fate would have it, McClaren was never forced to decide between the two players as Heskey suffered a freak injury upon his return to Wigan in the Premier League game against Fulham.
Having received a hero's welcome by the Latics' faithful, Heskey lasted only nine minutes before breaking a metatarsal - the forward was merely running for the ball when he sustained the injury.
As a result Heskey was sidelined for two months and missed out on the remainder of England's Euro 2008 qualifiers, but one can only imagine what difference he would have made.
What a bittersweet year 2007 proved to be for burly, bustling forward Emile Heskey. The Wigan star, who turned 30 on January 11, was called up to face Israel in September after 37 months in the international wilderness.
And, having been in Steve McClaren's eleven, he played so impressively alongside his old Liverpool strike-partner Michael Owen that he also started against Russia four days later.
Both matches were at Wembley; both ended 3-0; and Heskey's unselfish play enabled his former England U-18 team-mate Owen to score thrice.
Against Israel Heskey headed down to Owen before the diminutive forward cracked the ball in the net to ensure the result for one of the most memorable goals of the qualifing campaign. Rarely has a player proved such a good foil for Owen - the player who is set to overtake Bobby Charlton's all-time record of 49 goals for England.
Such was the Leicester trainee's imprint on those two crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers that, despite the return from injury of wunderkind Wayne Rooney, there was a clamour for Heskey to retain his place in the team and pundits were running out of superlatives.
As cruel fate would have it, McClaren was never forced to decide between the two players as Heskey suffered a freak injury upon his return to Wigan in the Premier League game against Fulham.
Having received a hero's welcome by the Latics' faithful, Heskey lasted only nine minutes before breaking a metatarsal - the forward was merely running for the ball when he sustained the injury.
As a result Heskey was sidelined for two months and missed out on the remainder of England's Euro 2008 qualifiers, but one can only imagine what difference he would have made.
