Defoe gets new era off to a flyer

England 4 Bulgaria 0:ENGLAND RELISHED a new beginning that distracted the public from the debate over the miseries of the World Cup. Wayne Rooney was in uncontainable form and showed his flair by setting up three of the goals. It was from his service that Jermain Defoe completed a hat-trick in the 86th minute. Shortly before, the substitute Adam Johnson had notched his first international goal. There was, all the same, one troubling moment when Michael Dawson was taken off on a stretcher.

Rooney displayed imagination and technique when he released Ashley Cole in the third minute. The goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov blocked his shot at the near post, but the ball ran back to the defender, who set up Defoe to volley home comfortably.

Bulgaria were not the most rigorous of opponents in that incident, even if the appraisals had spoken of a solid line-up whose hopes lie with younger players edging towards maturity.

There was an obvious freshness, with Fabio Capello preferring to give Dawson his competitive debut and first start, following his outing from the bench against Hungary. There were overtones of malaise when Glen Johnson miscued a low cross from Ivan Ivanov in the 20rd minute and would have turned the ball into his own net had Joe Hart not been alert enough to grab it. Shortly after, Phil Jagielka had to make an important tackle on the former Manchester City attacker Valeri Bojinov.

The defender had not been at the World Cup and, as expected, another absentee in South Africa, Theo Walcott, made the starting XI. Last season, injuries mean that he lacked match fitness and Capello, on the verge of the tournament, lacked faith.

The Arsenal winger was restored here.

The manager, all the same, has neither the intention or the means to conduct a radical overhaul. In spells the game was slightly dull. A one-two between Rooney and Cole had a hint of promise, but the return ball from the full back was just beyond the forward’s reach. England seemed full of good intention and while they cannot be rebuked for that, it did seem that they could not relax sufficiently to be precise.

As has commonly been the case over the decades, England can look better at tormenting themselves than most of their opponents. Capello’s line-up did at least have the boon of freshness, with an early autumn assignment also ensuring that they have had a little while to get back into the rhythm with club fixtures.

The Wembley crowd were not overjoyed after 45 minutes but they had been given no cause either for disapproval. This was an arena full of people, whether on the pitch or in the stands, exhorting one another to be patient. England understood that they were attempting to start all over again.

The efforts of Capello’s team to reach tranquillity were thwarted. Bulgaria had purpose and optimism in the 52nd minute, with Ivelin Popov calling on Hart to turn a chip over the bar. A far more unsettling event was to follow. With 54 minutes Dawson landed badly on his left knee as he attempted to tackle Popov and had to be carried off, with Gary Cahill coming off the bench to collect his first cap.

The sense of adversity could have been deepened, but a save by Hart from Stanislav Angelov instead triggered the counterattack that extended England’s lead. Gareth Barry initiated the move and Rooney was to release Defoe for a second goal after 61 minutes.

The visitors may have been more adventurous thereafter, but it was the enterprise of men on the edge of defeat. Hart could not take time off from excellence and denied the substitute Dimitar Rangelov when he ran clear. Shortly after, Cahill deflected a Stiliyan Petrov drive off-target.

ENGLAND: Hart, Glen Johnson, Jagielka, Dawson (Cahill 56), Ashley Cole, Walcott (Adam Johnson 74), Gerrard, Barry, Milner, Defoe (Young 87), Rooney. Subs not used: Foster, Gibbs, Carrick, Bent.

BULGARIA: Mihailov, Ivanov, Milanov, Manolev (Minev 66), Iliyan Stoyanov, Yankov, Angelov, Stiliyan Petrov, Martin Petrov, Bojinov (Rangelov 63), Popov (Peev 79). Subs not used: Vladislav Stoyanov, Kamburov, Domovchiyski, Genchev. Booked: Popov.

Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary).