Sven Goran Eriksson surely won't judge James Beattie on just 45 minutes of near isolation at Upton Park on Wednesday night.

So few chances did the Southampton striker get to shine, and so few are the attacking options that the England coach currently has at his disposal, that Beattie's time will surely come again.

The odd deft touch, the odd threat and most of all a breathless pursuit of the ball during the ill-fated friendly with Australia, suggested a great desire on the part of Beattie to please the England establishment.

What could go against him, though, was the more positive contribution of the Arsenal striker Francis Jeffers when the second half version of the England squad gave a much better account of themselves.

Despite their tender youth, England Mark II moved the ball around a lot better.

There were clear signs of promise from Jeffers and his teenage attacking partner Wayne Rooney, and Jeffers, of course, scored the consolation goal in a crushing 3-1 loss.

The Aussies can now beat us at anything, it seems.

That one last bastion of English sporting prowess, the belief that we at least had a better football team, vanished into a cold winter's night in east London.

As for Beattie, he must have felt totally unfulfilled at half-time when he got dressed.

But he needn't fret.

As long as he keeps banging the goals in for Saints, he'll stay in the England manager's eye.