Southgate and Southgate hold back the floodgate

Given the historical omens, it was perhaps understandable that Sven Goran Eriksson went for a Boro boy instead of two Boro buys in an effort to prevent the rear end of his team from being exposed in Bratislava last night. In preferring the Middlesbrough­ born Jonathan Woodgate to the Middlesbrough­bought Ugo Ehiogu as a central defensive partner for Gareth Southgate, Eriksson denied Middlesbrough Football Club the distinction of having two players in an England starting line­up for the first time in 43 years.

Back in 1959 it was not a happy occasion for the national side or the Teesside club. Brian Clough, up front, and Eddie Holliday, on the left­wing, hardly touched the ball as England's defensive short­comings were laid bare by a Swedish team who emerged worthy 3­2 winners at Wembley. Clough told Walter Winterbottom he would have to drop Jimmy Greaves or Bobby Charlton "because you can't have all three of us going for the same ball." The England manager agreed ­ up to a point. Clough was never picked for England again. Woodgate must have feared a similar fate when he was barred from interntional duty in the wake of the court case that found him guilty of affray. Thankfully for him, the present England manager happens to be a more forgiving soul than the first. "If you have done stupid things all your life, it does not mean you will do stupid things all your life," Eriksson said, not in reference to his own recent travails but in welcoming Woodgate back to the England fold for the friendly against Portugal.

Woodgate made the most of his reprieve at Villa Park but last night his third international appearance was always liable to be a tricky one on a churned up surface reminiscent of the Baseball Ground circa 1970. His first few touches were assured enough but in the seventh minute the Leeds man was given the slip by the Boro buy in the Slovakian camp. Szilard Nemeth turned inside him on the left side of the England penalty area and slid a pass through to Robert Vittek, who was beaten by a combination of the sticky pitch and the recovering Southgate.

It was a let off for the England defence but the sign of things to come. Steve McClaren had warned that Nemeth would be a thorn in England's side and the Middlesbrough manager, Eriksson's right hand man, was proved correct. Four minutes later Nemeth wrong­footed Woodgate for a second time before firing a warning shot into the side­netting. The conditions were proving no handicap to the Slovakian, who sliced past Southgate on the left of the England defence before making his decisive cut.

Woodgate was stranded in the goalmouth and Southgate standing on the six­yard line when Nemeth, unmarked ten yards from goal, pounced to open the scoring. At that point, Eriksson had reason to regret his decision to split up Southgate and Ehiogu, the most effective central defensive partnership in the Premiership this season, with six clean sheets and just five goals conceded in nine games.

Southgate, 51 caps and 32 years, looked little more at ease than the 22­year­old Woodgate, letting in Nemeth for what could have been a decisive Slovakian second before England's freak­kick equaliser. The veteran defender might have scored himself with a header shortly before the break. Ultimately, it was a point­blank Owen header that let England fully off the hook. Their manager, however, must still have been pining for those twin towers ­ Ferdinand and Campbell, that is, the twin towers who are missing from the centre of the England defence.