Cole saves unconvincing England

Published: Saturday, 6 September 2008, 9:17PM

Joe Cole came to Fabio Capello's rescue by scoring both goals in an unconvincing victory over Andorra.

England were booed off at half-time in their World Cup qualifier after the team ranked 186th in the world denied them a goal for 45 minutes.

The sluggish first half recalled the clash 18 months ago when former boss Steve McClaren suffered abuse from his own fans.

Steven Gerrard turned the game around at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona that evening, and Chelsea midfielder Cole did so this time around.

After being brought on at the interval, he scored twice within ten minutes, adding to the goal he scored against the Czech Republic in his previous game.

Capello has now left Cole out of the starting line-up for four consecutive games.

Speaking after the match, Cole insisted: "We got the job done."

He added: "They got ten men behind the ball and they made it difficult.

"Confidence was a bit low but it's another small step towards where we need to go."

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.