Football: England excel as Coultard joins club

Scotland 0 England 4

SUSAN SWEET

Scotland 0 England 4

Bobby Charlton, Billy Wright, Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton - and now Gillian Coultard. The England midfielder joined an exclusive club when she won her 100th cap in the 4-0 victory over Scotland at Almondvale Stadium, Livingston, on Saturday.

The Doncaster Belle turned in a typically influential performance as England made it a double over Scotland, having beaten them 6-0 at Bramall Lane in March. It was their 12th victory in 13 games over the Scots.

England were rarely troubled by a hard-working but ineffective Scottish side and soon made their dominance in attack count, with goals in the first half from Croydon's Kerry Davis and the former Arsenal player, Sam Britton, who was back after a two-year absence.

Davis scored a second in the 57th minute despite the Scots' appeal for offside, and 16 minutes later, Arsenal's Rachel Yankey, a talented and skilful finisher, coolly rounded the Scottish keeper, Joanne McWilliam, to put the ball into the empty net and score on her debut.

Coultard, who has scored 25 goals for her country, made her England debut as an 18-year-old in 1981, when she helped beat the Republic of Ireland 3-1.

It was a successful comeback for Britton, who has redeemed herself after a head-butting and sending-off incident with Millwall's Keeley Salvage at Highbury a few years ago.

Britton, who plays for Cove Rangers in Scotland, has found a job back in England and is expected to move to a leading Premier League side before the start of the season on 7 September.