The next Bothroyd?

After Jay Bothroyd's debut, Peter Beagrie picks more Football League stars for England to consider.

Peter looks at the best of the Football League

You don't see many players from the Championship making it into the England team, so congratulations must go to Cardiff City's Jay Bothroyd. He made his international debut at Wembley on Wednesday night and has been rewarded for his goalscoring form with Cardiff. He was the Championship Player of the Month for October and there's no doubt he has become more responsible on and off the pitch. He is reliable off the ball and when he gets it he looks after it for his team-mates. He's been part of a fluent and creative Cardiff team and I feel it was fantastic for him to be recognised by Fabio Capello. Players from the Championship have played for England in the past, but it is reasonably rare. I remember being called into the England Under-21's back in 1987 and I was the only representative from the second tier. There is a tendency to overlook you if you're not in the top division. When you look at the England squad there are plenty of quality young players who have been plucked from the Premier League. There's Joe Hart, Kieran Gibbs, Adam Johnson, James Milner, Aaron Lennon, Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney - who is still only 25 years old. I also suspect Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jack Rodwell, Jack Wilshere, Michael Johnson and Chris Smalling will break into the side at some stage, just as Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson did on Wednesday. But following Bothroyd's elevation to the national side, are there any other young players from the Football League that Mr Capello should be keeping his eye on? The name of Ipswich striker Connor Wickham springs immediately to mind and after making his debut for the Under-21's he has already taken his first steps on the international ladder. He's a big, strong, physical centre-forward and is catching the eye of the bigger teams. And I would also mention the Derby County right-back John Brayford. International full-backs need to get forward, need to be good on the ball and need excellent distribution. Brayford has those qualities and has been outstanding this year. The Derby coaching staff all speak very highly of him and he covered himself in glory when we watched him live on Sky Sports earlier this month. Glen Johnson has not been convincing defensively and Gary Neville is too long in the tooth now, so Brayford might come into the reckoning before long. Moving down the Football League pyramid, I feel Adam Lallana is the outstanding English player in League One. The Southampton star can play behind the front two or operate from a wide position on the left. He has wonderful dribbling ability, strong close control, an eye for a pass and an eye for a goal. Don't be put off by the fact he's playing in League One. He's chosen to play for Southampton because he realises another season at St Mary's will be vital for his football education. Many scouts from higher divisions are keeping an eye on him and I'm sure he will be playing at a higher level in the future. I would also mention Dale Jennings of Tranmere Rovers, whose goal against Plymouth reminded me of a young Michael Owen. His pace will frighten any defender, even at international level, and he's so difficult to stop. You can take a look at his goal further down this page, but don't think that was a one-off. He also scored the winner against Bristol Rovers in only his third game and he was outstanding against MK Dons, scoring two and assisting two in a 4-2 home win. He will be 18 in December and he is one to keep an eye on. If he can keep his feet on the ground, he has all the attributes for a big future in the game. There is talent outside the Premier League, but I have mentioned a number of young English top-flight players in this article as well. They can't all be given a chance, but I hope the youngsters are increasingly given opportunities to test themselves against the best players in the world. Not all of them will be able to replicate their club form at international level - look at John Barnes or Matt Le Tissier, who was not allowed to play with the same freedom for his country as he did with his club - but I hope they are given a chance. Finally, let's all do some scouting for Fabio. Let us know if there is a young star at YOUR club that England should be keeping tabs on. Write your suggestions in the comments box at the bottom of this page.

Top against bottom

Saturday's live game sees two of the Championship's most inconsistent teams, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, going head to head. The Blades tried to play a different type of football at the start of the season, but the three-pronged attack was too predictable and teams were able to work them out. They have struggled for goals and all of their league wins this season have been by a slender 1-0 margin. I'm sure they'd take that against a Palace side who have welcomed back their talisman, Darren Ambrose, after injury. He scored twice against Coventry last week and I am expecting a good duel between him and Sheffield United's outstanding loan talent, Andy Reid. There is a lot of history between these two teams and several players and managers have been at both. It will be strange that Neil Warnock won't be in either dugout because he's had such an influence on this fixture in years gone by. Shaun Derry, who excelled at both clubs, is our studio guest for the game. He is of course now with Warnock at QPR and I'm looking forward to hearing his views. I also look forward to the Bramall Lane atmosphere, which was always great in my days there - and I'm also pleased that Crystal Palace are still in existence after all their troubles in recent times. There are many reasons to look forward to this one.

Peter's Picks of the Week

CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Luciano Becchio (Leeds Utd)
He's been a regular scorer this year and his hat-trick against Bristol City means he is chasing down Jay Bothroyd in the Championship scoring charts. He has eight goals in the league and nine in total and he has been one of the main reasons why Leeds have started so well. They've leaked a few goals, but while he is in the side they will keep improving.
See Leeds highlights here CHAMPIONSHIP GOAL OF THE WEEK - Andy Reid (Sheffield United)
Whenever Sheffield United win it's invariably by a narrow margin and Reid's goal was crucial in a 1-0 success at Millwall. He timed his run well, received the pass, committed the defender and then hit a rising drive into the roof of the net off the underside of the bar. A fantastic finish by someone who might prove to be one of the signings of the season.
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LEAGUE ONE PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Josh McQuoid (Bournemouth)
Another hat-trick hero, but there's much more to this lad than just goals. Everyone wondered who was going to replace Brett Pitman as Bournemouth's goal threat and McQuoid has stepped up to the plate. He scored a hat-trick in his last two games, he is quality in the air and he has impressive movement. He is helping third-placed Bournemouth to continue their strong start to the season.
See Bournemouth highlights here LEAGUE ONE GOAL OF THE WEEK - Dale Jennings (Tranmere Rovers)
In any other week, Grant McCann's 25-yard curler would win this prize, but it was beaten by a special goal scored by Dale Jennings. As I explained earlier, I have big expectations for this lad. His goal against Plymouth was a wonderful, jinking run at pace and his legs were almost going too fast for the rest of his body. It reminded me of Michael Owen in his early days.
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LEAGUE TWO PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Dean Beckwith (Northampton Town)
Northampton's Dean Beckwith helped to keep the twin threat of Port Vale's "Richards brothers" quiet. They wreaked havoc in the midweek FA Cup win over Dartford, but they couldn't find a way past Beckwith and his partner Ben Tozer as Northampton held Vale to a 0-0 draw.
See Northampton highlights here LEAGUE TWO GOAL OF THE WEEK - Jimmy Ryan (Accrington Stanley)
You can't keep him off the scoresheet at the moment. This was a tremendous free-kick from 25 yards which curled beyond the goalkeeper. Unfortunately his side couldn't hold out and they were later pegged back to a draw by Southend.
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Matt Finish

Finally, a quick word on two wingers called Matt who have been in great form for their clubs: Matt Jarvis and Matthew Etherington. Both made their names in the Football League and surely an England call-up isn't far away.