Bridge on his England debut

Wayne Bridge has now come before the attention of the nation. There can be little doubt that he's the best left back in the country and would have had several caps already if he played for a larger club. In the weeks to come expect nothing but praise for the fullback. Of course it will be justified but much of it will be from people trying to justify his selection just because he plays for Southampton. Expect the words "despite" and phrases such as "even though" appearing. Either way it can only be good news for player and club. Wayne was also aware of the step up to international football and he seems to be relishing the opportunity to experience more. Wayne said of his debut: "It was very enjoyable. It was good to get out there and to go forward quite a bit. It was one of the best feelings ever, like a dream come
true.

"International football is a lot different compared to the Premiership. You play against quality players and it's good to play against players like that. Holland had only one chance and that was a deflection that sneaked in. We created a lot of chances and could have won.

"For me, it still hasn't sunk in yet. Obviously I've just got to get my head down and play well and get in for one of the next friendlies that are coming up.

"It was just disappointing that I had to go off. I took a knock on my foot. I'm not sure if it's serious but there was a bit of bruising."

Bridge also told Football 365: "I was certainly nervous. You find yourself around all these big stars and wonder what you're doing there. But they were very nice, very encouraging, which was good for my confidence," Bridge told Football365. "And the manager and his coaching team instilled further confidence in me.

"I don't want to get too carried away by it all but the experience has certainly left me with an appetite for more. I didn't want to join up with England and think 'well, I've done that now so I might as well go back to Southampton and forget about it'.

"It was so important for me to make an impact. I know, realistically, it might be too late for me to make the World Cup squad, but if there is a chance I can make it, I'm going to grab it with both hands. I can't do myself any harm by being noticed and I think I did reasonably well in Holland."

"I think there is a tendency for players to be in greater contention at other clubs because they are under so much focus. That's not to say you can't prove people wrong by playing for a club like Southampton and being part of the England set-up.

"The point is, you are judged on your ability at this level and how well you're playing in a particular position. In a way, it's been great to say 'Look! You don't have to play for a big club to play for England', that you can achieve international success at any club if you are good enough.

"Of course, I'm overwhelmed by it all because it's been hard to take in. There is this tendency to wake up and pinch yourself and wonder whether it is really happening."

"Getting noticed is the hard part, getting selected is great but at the end of the day I would be very upset if it was just a flash in the pan. My obvious goal is to stay involved, so I would love to be selected for the squad to face Italy."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered by people saying nice things about me, but the only person that really matters is the manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson. If I'm not selected for the next squad then I can obviously forget about any outside hope of making the World Cup squad. Of course it's still a very outside bet but I can only judge any progress I've made on whether I'm selected for the next squad."