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Lampard feared axe ahead of Wales clash

Frank Lampard's penalty put England into the lead against Wales on Saturday © PA Photos

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• Profile: Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard has accepted that he will no longer be an automatic choice for England following the emergence of Jack Wilshere and the performance of Scott Parker against Wales.

Lampard started against Wales in Cardiff, scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot, but there had been speculation that he would be left on the bench in favour of Manchester City's James Milner.

The Chelsea star, who skippered the side in Denmark last month, is well aware that he may not be a fixture in the side in the future, especially when Steven Gerrard is available again.

Lampard, who turns 33 in June, said of the speculation about his role at the Millennium Stadium: "With England, that happens. I've been around a long time and been lucky enough to be very regular, and I tried not to let it concern me.

"We don't get the papers in there but I was aware of the talk. It's a good squad, a strong squad, and never for any minute should any player be resting on their laurels about getting picked. That's it.

"I'm 32 now and have been around a long time. So it wasn't a sleepless night. I obviously want to play and contribute, so I tried to work hard in training and try and give my best all the time."

Lampard praised the performance of his midfield partners in Wales.

"Scott [Parker] carried on doing what he does for West Ham," Lampard said. "He's been fantastic at that all season and the benefit of having an extra man in midfield showed itself.

"The three of us in there, particularly in the first half, allowed us to really get a grip of the game. I think it's nice. It allows you to get a bit more forward. It allows you to get tighter in midfield and, you know, sometimes it's not that easy.

"We played Denmark in a friendly and, sometimes, when there are people behind you, you can't always commit to getting tight to their deep-lying midfield players. There was the bonus today of having the extra man in there to allow us to push in tight.

"We won that game early with our performance. We had a plan to press up high, win the ball back quickly and not let them play, and that worked completely. They couldn't get out of their own half much, especially in the first half an hour, and that's where the game was won: being 2-0 up from there.

"The atmosphere was brilliant. They wanted to use that atmosphere to inspire their players and, when you've got that behind you, it does inspire. But, as the team coming here, you have to let it inspire you too.

"We had to win this and it was a game that, on paper, we should have won even if it was not going to be easy. We did it. With Switzerland coming up, if we can win that game as well, we'll put ourselves in a strong position."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.