CARDIFF, Sept 3: It was hardly the comfortable victory that many predicted, but thanks to Joe Coles second-half strike, England beat Wales 1-0 here on Saturday to keep their World Cup qualifying campaign on track.

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad now know they will qualify for the World Cup if they take seven points from their remaining three games in group six.

Until Cole struck nine minutes after half-time, side-footing a Shaun Wright-Phillips centre past the excellent Danny Coyne, this had had the makings of a difficult afternoon for the England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson; not as embarrassing as the 4-1 defeat to Denmark last month, perhaps, but uncomfortable nonetheless.

At least until the closing minutes, the ball spent most of the game in Englands possession, and England spent most of their time in the Welsh half.

But Wales never looked like succumbing so readily as they had at Old Trafford last October.

Their attacking initiative may have been limited to a single plan, but that plan, high balls aimed at John Hartson, proved a formidable threat.

Only a last-ditch Ashley Cole header had prevented Hartson getting on the end of a Ryan Giggs cross after 37 minutes, and when the Celtic striker rose above the full-back three minutes later, it took a superb save from Paul Robinson, diving low to his left, to prevent the home side taking the lead.

In a first-half of general tentativeness, Joe Cole had looked out-of-sorts, his touch heavy, his movement inane and his crossing poor.

When he ran onto David Beckhams superbly curled cross in first-half injury-time, he headed disappointingly wide.

Despite his goal, it would come as no great surprise were he to be the man omitted when Michael Owen returns from suspension for the qualifier against Northern Ireland in Belfast on Wednesday - unless, that is, Eriksson reverts to his more accustomed 4-4-2 formation.

That said, when Jermain Defoe was introduced midway through the second-half, it was Wright-Phillips who was withdrawn, Defoe taking up a position in the centre, with Wayne Rooney moving to the right.

Englands system, the subject of much pre-match debate, turned out to be more 4-3-3 than 4-5-1, with both wide players, Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips staying forward.

Rooneys role thus was less that of a lone forward than as the focal point of an attacking trident; nonetheless, he seemed restricted, unable to drop deep and run at teams as is his wont.

It remains equally open to question whether Beckham is at his best playing at the base of the midfield - and whether the defensive shortcomings he himself acknowledges would be exploited by a better side than Wales.

But the Real Madrid midfielder performed creditably enough there, and, eventually, the new system did, as it was supposed to, allow Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to push forward.

The combination of Rooney and Gerrard proved particularly fruitful. Gerrard might have won a penalty when he seemed to be baulked by Danny Gabbidon in chasing a Rooney through-pass.

Then, after a neat one-two with the Liverpool captain, Rooneys attempted chipped finish was blocked by Coyne. The Burnley keeper had a fine game, and frustrated Rooney again three minutes after the goal, backpedalling desperately to push his deft chip over the bar.

England, though, having finally gained the advantage, immediately surrendered it, the arrival of Owen Hargreaves for Joe Cole drawing them back into their own half.

A deep defensive line has cost England before, and it could have done so again. On this occasion the penalty-box pin-balls fell their way, and their opponents lacked the quality to take full advantage, but this was hardly the performance of potential world champions.

RESULTS