Luckless Darren Bent misses another England opportunity
After scoring his first international goal against Switzerland in England’s previous Euro 2012 qualifier, Darren Bent must have felt that his international jinx had finally come to an end.
The 26-year-old was left at home during England’s 2006 World Cup campaign despite his goalscoring exploits for Charlton Athletic, and was then left out of Fabio Capello’s 23-man squad for England’s next World Cup campaign in South Africa this summer.
Understandably, the prolific Sunderland striker was devastated to miss out – yet again. "I feel really disappointed," Bent revealed following his omission from the World Cup squad. "I've always said to myself - if you play well and do your best for Sunderland then there's a chance you can go to the biggest tournament in the world. But obviously on this occasion it hasn't worked out."
The general consensus before the squad flew out to South Africa was that Bent was never given a fair crack of the whip. His chances to impress had been scarce, despite the fact that he rarely failed to score on a consistent basis at club level.
What he needed was some long-overdue fortune - either another striker to suffer a dip in form, an injury, or simply a manager to put some faith in his ability.
And last month his chance arrived. In the 70th minute of England’s second Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland, Jermain Defoe – the striker most comparable to Bent in the England squad – limped off with an ankle injury. Raring to go and eager to prove a point, Bent was given his 20 minutes to impress. Then, in the closing stages of the match, came the moment which confirmed his potential as an international goalscorer.
After latching on to an Ashley Cole through ball, the striker confidently took the ball in his stride with a deft touch on his right foot, before slamming it into the bottom of the Swiss net with his left to seal victory for the Three Lions. The smile on his face said it all, while the smile on Capello’s also suggested that Bent would continue to be a firm fixture in England’s Euro 2012 qualification campaign.
But on the eve of England’s next qualifier against Montenegro, in which he was expected to start upfront with Wayne Rooney and had mentally prepared himself for the match, Bent was again dealt another cruel blow to his international dream after suffering a groin injury in training.
A candid message on his Twitter page after news broke of his injury summed up the striker’s feelings: "Devastated, gutted, upset, angry all words that sum up this situation."
It wasn’t just the unfortunate striker who was experiencing similar emotions. Many England supporters had grown excited at the prospect of finally watching Bent given a proper chance to shine.
With competition so fierce, Bent is more aware than anyone else that winning a place in the England starting line-up can often seem a nigh on impossible task – especially for a Sunderland striker on the fringes.
This latest setback is just another in a long line for the player, who must be beginning to wonder whether he was destined to reach a major tournament with England.
But one thing’s for sure. Bent has experience of picking himself up from disappointment. He appreciates the value of putting in the hard work to reap the rewards, and the striker will still be in Capello’s England plans even after this cruel and untimely blow.
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