EMILE ENDS 7 YEARS OF WAITING... Villa ace back on the goal trail.

Byline: JOHN CURTIS 

KAZAKHSTAN 0 ENGLAND 4 Barry 40, Heskey 45, Rooney 73, Lampard 78 mins

From JOHN CURTIS in Almaty EMILE Heskey scored his first goal in a competitive match for England since the 2002 World Cup as Fabio Capello's side took another important if unconvincing step towards the 2010 finals.

The Aston Villa striker had not hit the target in an important match for his country since netting against Denmark in Japan seven years ago.

But Heskey was on hand to effectively kill off the contest in first-half stoppagetime with the simplest of tap-ins, after his former Villa team-mate Gareth Barry had settled England's nerves with the opener.

For Barry it was the perfect end to a week in which he had ended his 12-year stay at Villa Park and made the pounds 12million switch to Manchester City.

Then Wayne Rooney - with his eighth goal in his last six England appearances - and a Frank Lampard penalty gave a flattering look to the scoreline.

England were as inept in the opening half-hour as they were in the first half of a Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona, under Steve McClaren.

But under Fabio Capello they have acquired the habit of being able to eke out results when not firing on all cylinders.

The England coach said: "They started very strong and they were pressing a lot.

For us it was not easy to play the ball.

"Always when you play against a team that is not at the same level they start very strong.

Big step "We tried to play and move the ball quickly but on this pitch it was not easy to find our passes. They were always too long." Victory maintained their perfect record in Group Six, and they will have one foot in the finals in South Africa next summer if they dispose of bottom-placed Andorra at Wembley on Wednesday.

"It (a victory) would be another big step forward (to qualification). If we win we will have 21 points and it's a lot," added Capello.

But Capello will not be fooled by the margin of victory, and there are sure to be plenty of harsh words when he sits down with his players to watch a re-run of this game next week.

Lampard added: "We had to get our heads down and work hard this week and focus on this game.

"It took us about 20 minutes or half an hour to get going but then we won comfortably.

"I think it was professional, there were things we could have done better. We are a on a confident run and we need to keep it going. We've taken a big step again.

"Our main objective is to qualify, the sooner we do that the better." West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green was handed his first England start in place of the injured David James, with Matthew

Upson and Theo Walcott back in the side.

Kazakhstan have a reputation for playing well in the first half of their qualifiers and they knocked an inept England out of their stride in the early stages.

In the first minute Glen Johnson was guilty of giving the ball away and allowed Alexandr Kirov to send in a low centre and it needed John Terry to make a vital interception to deny Sergey Ostapenko.

Capello was more animated than usual, pacing menacingly around the dug-out, and at one juncture appeared to be involved in a heated verbal exchange with Ashley Cole.

Barry's 16th-minute booking for a challenge on Zhambyl Kukeyez means he is suspended for the Andorra match.

A minute later the stadium erupted when Ostapenko headed in an inswinging free-kick from Kukeyez, but the joy was cut short as he had strayed offside.

England slowly began to get a foothold and a low shot from Heskey was turned onto the post by goalkeeper Alexandr Mokin.

Barry broke the deadlock after 40 minutes with his first competitive goal for his country.

Steven Gerrard sent over a deep cross after playing a short corner with Ashley Cole, and Barry had the time and space to pick his spot and head past Mokin. Then on the stroke of half-time came that Heskey rarity. Gerrard was again involved in the build-up with his deflected cross taking Mokin by surprise, and Heskey was on hand to tuck away the loose ball.

Capello took off the ineffective Walcott at half-time and brought on Shaun Wright-Phillips, who also failed to make much of an impression.

There was little that was memorable about the second 45 minutes before a piece of quick thinking by Rooney brought him the third goal with 18 minutes remaining.

Johnson's centre was turned goalwards by the Manchester United striker, only for Mokin to keep out his effort at full length.

But Rooney was alert to the rebound and his scissor kick ended up in the roof of the net.

Lampard then took England's goal tally in the group stages to 20 when he drilled home a penalty after Heskey had been brought down by Renat Abdulin.

KAZAKHSTAN: Mokin, Kirov, Abdulin, Kislitcin, Karpovich, Nusrbayev, Skorykh, Ostapenko (Ibrayev 27), Kukeyev, Averchenko, Logvinenko. Not Used: Mukashev, Fomichev, Irismetov, Nurgaliev, Travin, Erbes.

ENGLAND: Green, Johnson (Beckham 75), Terry, Upson, Ashley Cole, Walcott (Wright- Phillips 45), Barry, Lampard, Rooney, Heskey (Defoe 81), Gerrard. Not Used: Robinson, Lescott, Bridge, Crouch.

STARMAN: John Terry

CAPTION(S):

FRANKS A LOT: Frank Lampard wraps things up from the penalty spot STAN AND DELIVER: Emile Heskey celebrates after putting England 2-0 up against Kazakhstan with Theo Walcott