Hart plans to play for keeps with England

Joe Hart believes he has the ability to finally end England’s long search for a goalkeeper capable of earning headlines for heroics rather than howlers.

Ever since Arsenal keeper David Seaman retired from international football in 2002, England have struggled to find a top-class replacement as bad luck and bad form left a string of contenders flat on their backs.

Now Manchester City star Hart is being tipped to be his country’s first choice for the next decade as he prepares for his competitive debut against Bulgaria on Friday after rising from third-choice during the World Cup to first-choice for the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Big test

It is a big test for the 23-year-old because he knows so many others have tried and failed over the years.

Paul Robinson briefly looked to have cracked it before a terrible error in Croatia in 2006 saw him air-kick Gary Neville’s back-pass and watch forlornly as the ball trickled into the net during a crucial defeat.

The former Spurs man, who now plays for Blackburn, quickly became a figure of fun and announced his retirement from international football recently after admitting the frustration of being yesterday’s man became too much to bear.

Dropped

David James was unceremoniously dropped after a clanger in Austria in 2004 and never completely regained the nation’s trust, while Scott Carson made an even worse mistake at home to Croatia in 2007, allowing Niko Kranjcar’s weak shot to bounce off his gloves into the net as England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

LONDON, Thursday (AFP)