HAT LE TISSIER Matt Le Tissier made his own England resurrection with a sensational hat-trick for the B team in their 4-1 win over their Russian counterparts at Loftus Road. Even after the whole of the country blamed the Channel Islander for his part in England's defeat by Italy, Saint Matt remained the idol of The Dell. Glenn Hoddle seemed to have joined those who had fallen out of love with his enigmatic talents and this was billed as Le Tissier's last chance. But the Guernseyman could not have grasped it more gloriously than with the three-timer he will never forget and which surely must earn him the right to press his France 98 claims against Saudi Arabia next month. Hoddle saw his World Cup wannabes make the perfect start when skipper Les Ferdinand marked his return to his old Loftus Road stamping ground by heading England ahead from Trevor Sinclair's cross after two minutes. But after that it was Le Tissier's night as the South Coast hero showed why Southampton fans had travelled to London with a banner pleading "please pick Le God, Hod". Eleven minutes after Ferdinand had put his side ahead, Le Tissier demonstrated his deadly touch with a storming finish. England moved the ball from side to side before Sinclair left defender Andrei Choukov for dead and crossed again. The ball went beyond Ferdinand, who drew his marker and as the ball dropped, Le Tissier crashed it home unstoppably on the half-volley. Le Tissier can be so frustrating but few can argue with his talent, as he showed again just before the break. Nick Barmby, lively from the start, touched a free kick and when he spotted goalkeeper Mikhail Kharine off his line, Le Tissier floated past him but against the bar, only a goalline clearance denying Darren Anderton - who astonishingly lasted 81 minutes - when Sinclair knocked the ball back in. When Ian Walker's near-post fallibility was exposed by Maxim Bouznikine seven minutes from time - the striker, who earlier hit the post, copying Gianfranco Zola's Wembley example - Peter Taylor's side may have been anxious. But enter Le Tissier to prove to any 'cynics' and 'closed minds' that they should think again. Within seconds of Bouznikine firing home, Le Tissier, now wearing substituted Ferdinand's captain's armband, took control. Picking out the ball on the edge of the box, he slalomed past three would-be tacklers before planting the ball into the bottom corner past Kharine, brother of Chelsea's Dmitri. That was just the start, Le Tissier throwing himself at substitute David Johnson's cross to head the ball against the upright. And with virtually the last kick, the Saints ace finished the night in the grand manner to grab all the glory and give Hoddle the sort of healthy nudge he must have been dreaming of when he woke. After the game, Le Tissier quipped: "It could have gone better. The header I had could've gone in - then it would have really been something special. "But in all seriousness I have to be delighted with the way things went and I never believed that my chance had gone of playing for England again. "I've always been optimistic. In the early part of the season I had injury setbacks, and it was some time before I got my game together. "But I've been really pleased with the way things have gone in the last couple of months and I'm probably fitter than I've ever been. "But I'm not getting carried away in terms of the World Cup and any such possibilities. All I have done tonight is to have not done myself any harm. I'm not going to start shouting the odds about my performance. "I will leave that sort of thing to the England manager and all I shall be concentrating on is trying to do the business in the next three games for Southampton." England B coach Taylor praised Le Tissier and said: "If that was a trial for Matt then he could hardly have done any better. "He didn't start that well, but once we got the first goal a lot of people settled down. As the game went on there was more confidence and self-belief to be seen. "I'm sure that Glenn Hoddle sees a bit of Matt in himself with the way he plays. He is an outstanding talent - someone who makes and scores goals. Teams England `B': Walker, Watson (Curtis 78), Serrant, Williams, Quinn, Carragher, Le Tissier, Sinclair (Dyer 45), Ferdinand (Phillips 78), Barmby (Johnson 78), Anderton (Hendrie 82). Subs Not Used: Wright, Rogers. Goals: Ferdinand 2, Le Tissier 13, 84, 90. Russia `B': Kharine, Davydov (Temrioukov 45), Evseev, Choukov (Bourtchenkov 62), Berketrov, Ossinov, Golovskoi (Krivov 28), Vakharev, Totov, Solomatine, Bouznikine. Subs Not Used: Armichev, Chirko, Sennikov. Goals: Bouznikine 83. Att: 5,105 Ref: A Douden-Ibanez (Spain). © PA Sporting Life