VIDEO: Dawson's international aim
Friday, 03 September, 2010
Michael Dawson is eager to add to his international caps.
Click here to watch FATV's full interview with Michael Dawson.
It was a long wait for Michael Dawson to finally make his England Senior debut but having claimed his first cap against Hungary last month he now can’t wait to see even more international action.
Having been part of several England squads and Fabio Capello’s provisional 30-man World Cup group, the Spurs centre-back was then dramatically called into the final 23 after captain Rio Ferdinand was ruled out through injury. Despite not getting any game time in South Africa, the experience was a memorable one for Dawson and one he now wants to build on.
“[The World Cup] was a great experience for me. I trained with the lads for two weeks over in Austria and it was my dream to go to the World Cup, obviously not in the circumstances that it came about.
“It was devastating for Rio and of course the nation in losing the England captain. But for me it was an opportunity and a fantastic experience,” the 26-year-old told FATV.
“Being in and around the lads was fantastic, and it makes me hungry to want to get into the team and then be part of a big tournament and play in it.
"It was great to be there with the lads, you become a lot more comfortable with them when you see them on such a regular basis. It was great to be training with them all the time.”
With the World Cup behind him, all eyes and minds are now firmly fixed on qualification for the 2012 European Championship and Dawson is well aware of the importance of getting off to a positive start against Bulgaria and Switzerland this week.
“They're massive [games]. We want to get off to a winning start and it always makes it easier towards the end if you get off to a good start. We've got two important games and hopefully we can get six points.”
And with the benefit of starting their campaign at Wembley, Dawson is confident England fans will provide a welcome boost.
“Without a shadow of a doubt [the crowd] can play a huge part. The England fans are fantastic, they travel everywhere we go. You saw them at the World Cup, and then back here against Hungary you see them turning out 72,000 is incredible.
“I'm sure they'll turn out on Friday night and will be in full voice, and we certainly need them to back us.”
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