Kane has chance to kick-start his season

MY abiding memory of playing for England in Malta is the searing heat. It felt like there was no air and it was impossible to stand still.

The game — our last warm-up match for Euro 2000 — was played on a sweltering June afternoon and proved far more difficult than it needed to be.

Malta were trying doubly hard to beat us while a number of our players were more concerned with getting through the game unscathed.

Our goalkeeper, Richard Wright, gave away two penalties, one of which he saved to ensure a narrow, 2-1 victory.

It seemed that all you could do was play yourself out of contention for England’s opening match of the tournament against Portugal.

That’s what happened to me, despite scoring one goal from an excellent David Beckham cross and having another disallowed!

Gareth Southgate, now England’s manager, played in that game and that experience will help tonight in the Ta’ Qali National Stadium.

He will know how tricky Malta will try to make it and will be looking for a good, professional performance.

Southgate will also have set his team individual and collective goals — and this is a great opportunity for Tottenham striker Harry Kane to open his account for the season.

England can take a big step towards World Cup qualification with wins tonight and against Slovakia at Wembley on Monday. They should look to get the job done with minimal fuss.