To judge from their long faces as they silently stretched any aching muscles before training yesterday, England's under-fire players could do with cheering up, which may go some way to explaining the presence of Jimmy Bullard.

The Fulham midfield player is widely regarded as the Barclays Premier League's court jester, a likeable individual whose infectious sense of fun is best demonstrated by the occasion when he treated the Real Madrid squad to an impromptu performance of Old MacDonald Had a Farm during a chance encounter in the bar of an Austrian hotel during a pre-season tour.

David Beckham is said to have been impressed with Bullard's nimble fingers on the mandolin and could have done worse than recount the anecdote to his team-mates yesterday to lighten the sepulchral mood in the camp. Andorra are sure to be having more fun at their base in a ski resort before Saturday's opening World Cup qualifier in Barcelona.

Given Fabio Capello's austere attitude towards team-building that has had such an effect on his players, Bullard is unlikely to indulge in any such capers this week, but he will not change the enthusiastic way in which he approaches the game. The 29-year-old has had much to smile about lately, with this week's surprise call-up representing the highlight of a professional career that began with a £60-a-week contract with Gravesend & Northfleet ten years ago.

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“I always play with a smile on my face, which is how I play my best football,” Bullard said yesterday. “Players treat matches differently, but I can't get too uptight. I try to go out there to enjoy my football and enjoy my life. It's not just me who's had some hard times and there are a few council estate boys in the squad. I'm not sure they don't enjoy playing for England, but they may show it in a different way. You get some upsetting times, but I'll always play with a smile on my face.”

Bullard's tale is enough to bring joy to the hardest of hearts, even that of Capello. It is little more than a year since the Fulham midfield player was wondering whether he would play professionally again after suffering cruciate knee ligament damage in a match between Fulham and Newcastle United two years ago, an horrendous injury that left him out of action for 16 months. Even two weeks ago, he faced being sold by Fulham and hopes that his remarkable journey will serve as an inspiration to other late starters.

“I hope what I have achieved will act as a spur to other players, other non-League players,” he said. “I'm 29 now, so my message is never give in, hang in there and play to the best of your ability. I was playing for Gravesend earning £60 a week, which is a long way away from being picked for England. I was a painter and decorator with my dad and he looked after me. He always gave me a day off if I was playing football, to rest my legs and mind. Playing football as well as having a 9 to 5, or 7 to 7, job was quite difficult as it's hard getting up those walls and ceilings, but I enjoyed it immensely. I never looked on England as a closed shop. If you play well enough, you get picked.”

Given Capello's injury list, Bullard could even earn a first cap against Andorra on Saturday, with Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Wes Brown sitting out training yesterday, but he is happy to be along for the ride.

Coincidentally, before his call-up, Bullard was planning a round of golf at the team's base at The Grove hotel in Hertfordshire this weekend, although, given a previous mishap when he drove a ball through the window of a five-star hotel on a trip with Fulham, it is just as well that he left his clubs at home.