Cole ready to fight for England starting spot

Carlton Cole has vowed to show Fabio Capello why he should be a regular in the England attack and is determined to put his World Cup heartache behind him.

Cole was forced to miss the showpiece event in South Africa as he had just recovered from a long-term knee problem.

The West Ham forward missed two months of last season and never regained his best form in the latter stages of the campaign.

But Cole has been working hard through the summer to regain full fitness and has been given another chance by Capello to show he is good enough to play for England.

With Peter Crouch pulling out of the squad with a back injury, Cole knows he has a great chance of playing some part in the European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

Cole said: "I didn't make the World Cup which was disappointing but I did get injured in the second half of the season.

"That is why I was focusing on my injury all through the summer and have come back stronger. I just want to keep fit now.

"The manager wanted to try things in the last game (against Hungary) and has seen me play. I would like to have a chance or get longer in games.

"I was so happy that Bobby Zamora got his chance and he did a great job. It is all about competition for places and that is what you need to spur you on to improve."