First England call for Bothroyd

13 November 2010 21:30
Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd has earned his first England call-up for Wednesday's friendly with France at Wembley, along with Andy Carroll, Chris Smalling and Jordan Henderson. Fabio Capello has handed the quartet their opportunity as part of a much-changed squad to tackle the 2006 World Cup runners-up. Although Carroll and Henderson had been heavily tipped for inclusion, it is more of a shock that Bothroyd and Smalling have been picked. In total, there are nine new faces from the squad Capello initially announced for last month's Euro 2012 qualifier, including Manchester City full-back Micah Richards, who has never played a game for the Italian. Arsenal duo Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have been selected, while some big names miss out, including Joe Cole, although Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson has only just recovered from a groin injury. Bolton striker Kevin Davies, who made his debut against Montenegro last month and excelled in front of Capello against Tottenham last week, has also been omitted.

Source: PA