Quinn: Bent’s blazing a trail for the North East

May 30 2010 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

NIALL QUINN says Darren Bent’s push for an England place will help Sunderland attract more internationals.

Bent’s 25-goal haul earned him a place in England boss Fabio Capello’s preliminary World Cup squad and starts today’s game against Japan.

England’s original 30-man squad will be whittled down to a final party of 23 for the finals in South Africa, and Bent will find out on Tuesday if he has made the cut.

There is a feeling that players at clubs outside the major footballing powerbases of London, Manchester and Liverpool find it tough to break into the England set-up.

As a result, clubs outside the big cities have struggled to sign up-and-coming stars.

Prior to Bent winning his fifth cap in a friendly against Brazil in November, the last Sunderland player to win a senior England cap was Kevin Phillips in 2002.

Neighbours Newcastle have not had a player capped by England since Michael Owen back in March 2008.

But Sunderland chairman Quinn, pictured below, hopes Bent’s emergence – whether at the World Cup or not – will make it easier to recruit players on the fringes of the England squad.

“I know that people have said that playing for a club like Sunderland, a long way out of the capital and north of major football cities like Manchester and Liverpool, can be a hindrance,” said Quinn.

“Certainly, some people said that Kevin Phillips would have got more chances with England if he had scored all those goals for a club playing further south.