Quartet get first England calls

Fabio Capello has handed the quartet their opportunity as part of a much-changed squad to tackle the 2006 World Cup runners-up at Wembley. Although Carroll and Henderson had been heavily tipped for inclusion, it is more of a shock that Bothroyd and Smalling have been picked. In total, there are nine new faces from the squad Capello initially announced for last month's Euro 2012 qualifier, including Manchester City full-back Micah Richards, who has never played a game for the Italian. Arsenal duo Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have been selected, while some big names miss out, including Joe Cole, although Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson has only just recovered from a groin injury. Kevin Davies has also been omitted, which seems a bit harsh on the Bolton skipper, who made his debut against Montenegro last month and excelled in front of Capello against Tottenham last week. However, Capello has decided to go with youth for the first of two friendlies before England's next competitive game, against Wales at the Millennium Stadium on March 26. And that would mean a return home for Bothroyd if he were to be involved as the striker presently plays his club football for Cardiff in the Championship. Not since David Nugent - then of Preston - scored in a 3-0 win over Andorra in Barcelona in March 2007 has a Championship player been capped by England. However, the first hints that Bothroyd was under consideration came a couple of weeks ago, since when the 28-year-old, who has previously played for Coventry, Charlton and Wolves, and also had a short spell in Italy with Perugia, has maintained his impressive form. The Islington-born player has now scored in Cardiff's last seven games and took his overall tally for the season to 15 with a double at Scunthorpe this afternoon. Yet the mere fact Capello is having to dip into English football's second tier - even to a club that seems bound for the Premier League - is an indication of how weak his depth of strikers is once injuries take hold, as they have done this time around with the absences of Wayne Rooney, Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora. Full squad: Foster (Birmingham), Hart (Man City), Green (West Ham); Gibbs (Arsenal), Cole (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Jagielka (Everton), Lescott (Man City), Richards (Man City), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Smalling (Man Utd); Walcott (Arsenal), Wilshere (Arsenal), Young (Aston Villa), Gerrard (Liverpool), Barry (Man City), Johnson (Man City), Milner (Man City), Henderson (Sunderland); Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Bothroyd (Cardiff), Carroll (Newcastle), Crouch (Tottenham).