Ashley Cole lives boyhood dream as he captains England in 1-1 draw

Ashley Cole has revealed he lived out his boyhood dream last night after he captained England in the 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland.

Cole led his country and received a commemorative golden cap in recognition of his 100th appearance made against Brazil in February.

There had been some controversy over Roy Hodgson’s decision to name Cole as skipper given his sketchy past, but the 32-year-old was grateful for the experience.

“It probably ranks as number one in my career. I never expected to get 100 caps and I’d like to thank the fans for the reception I got, I didn’t expect it but it was a very proud moment and one I’ll never forget,” said Cole.

“I wanted to be captain. I don’t really like speaking to the media but it was a dream come true and I’ve lived a little boy’s dream tonight.”

He almost marked the occasion with his first international goal, but was denied by a combination of Seamus Coleman and Sean St Ledger when his chance came in the second half.

He said: “My eyes lit up, I had my celebration ready, but it wasn’t to be. I thought I could get on the end of it but it was great defending.

“We should’ve won,” he continued.

“It was a great atmosphere. Their fans were very good. It was always going to be a tough game but overall I think we deserved to win.”