England turn to Cahill and Hart

Goalkeeper Joe Hart and centreback Gary Cahill have won late call-ups to England’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Belarus.

The duo replace Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who has a hip injury, and Everton defender Joleon Lescott (calf), respectively.

For Hart, currently on loan at Birmingham from Manchester City, the call-up represents a chance to force his way into contention for a trip to the World Cup finals in South Africa next year.

He joins fellow keepers Portsmouth’s David James and West Ham’s Robert Green in a squad from which Ben Foster was conspicuously absent.

Foster’s omission has been put down to a chest injury but the Manchester United man was not asked to report for an examination by the England medical staff, suggesting head coach Fabio Capello had decided to drop him anyway following a string of high-profile errors in recent matches for his club.

Bolton’s Cahill travelled to Kazakhstan with Capello’s squad in June but has yet to make his England debut.

England have already booked their place in South Africa after winning their fist eight matches in group six.

Saturday’s match in the Ukraine will have a profound impact on their hosts’ chances of finishing as runners-up in the group, in which Croatia are also battling for a play-off spot.