England: Dawson savours England bow

Michael Dawson was delighted to make his first appearance for England just six days after believing his World Cup dream had been shattered.

The Tottenham defender appeared for the second 45 minutes of the 3-0 win over Platinum Stars in a warm-up match, although no caps were awarded.

Dawson was left out of Fabio Capello's final 23 after being named in the initial 30-man squad.

But the 26-year-old was drafted in as a late replacement for injured captain Rio Ferdinand who has been ruled out of the tournament with knee ligament damage.

Dawson only rejoined England on Saturday in South Africa but insists he is "ready and waiting" if given the call by Capello for the World Cup opener against the United States in Rustenburg.

Dawson said: "It was great to play. Obviously I only met up a couple of days ago and it's fantastic to get out there and get 45 minutes under my belt.

"The first 24 hours (after my call-up) were a bit mental but since I've been here everyone has made me feel welcome.

"I'm devastated for Rio, I know anything I can say won't make a difference to him at this moment in time.

"I've just got to come out here and do the best I can."

Dawson, who helped Tottenham finish in a Champions League qualification place with a series of outstanding performances, added: "I'm ready and waiting, we'll just have to wait and see what the manager does.

"We've had a good few weeks' training and the big day starts on Saturday."