Something of a music historian, Joe Cole’s favourite records are by the ska bands that his father was playing when England’s match-winner on Saturday was born in 1981, but a more appropriate theme to his career would be Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping. The lyrics: “I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never gonna keep me down.”

Cole has been overlooked and undervalued by a succession of club and international managers, from Claudio Ranieri to Fabio Capello, since signing for Chelsea five years ago, but he refuses to take repeated rejection to heart. After sparing England’s blushes with an injury-time equaliser against the Czech Republic last month, the midfield player was left on the substitutes’ bench until half-time against Andorra, leaving it in spectacular fashion to score his ninth and tenth goals for his country.

Coming on the back of Chelsea’s failure to sign Robinho, this has been a good week for Cole, who has surely done enough to regain his place from Stewart Downing for the match against Croatia on Wednesday. The 26-year-old is not one to assert his own credentials, however, and he left it to Frank Lampard to talk him up.

“Joe is staking his claim,” Lampard, Cole’s Chelsea and England teammate, said. “No player likes not to be in the starting lineup and Joe isn’t any different. No one trains harder or gives his all as much as Joe. He wants to be in the team. He’s come on and scored two goals, so that’s as much as he can do.

“The decision is always down to the manager, but he has to have given him [Capello] something to think about by coming on and doing that. When you aren’t in the team, all you can do is do your stuff when you are called on and Joe has done that again. He’s got a fantastic attitude.”

Cole’s recent glut of three goals in two matches contrasts with Wayne Rooney’s barren spell, which has brought him just three in his past 17 international appearances. Lampard conceded that Rooney is in desperate need of a goal, though the Manchester United striker disagreed vehemently.

“Wayne needs a goal and it would be nice to see him score,” Lampard said. “It would do him good obviously, but there’s a lot more to his game than just scoring goals. He wants goals for his confidence and just when you need one in an important situation, he’ll get it.”

“I’ve no problem with not scoring,” Rooney countered. “It’s not on my mind at all as I’m doing my job for the team. It’s a new campaign, a new start, and hopefully we can do well in this campaign.”