After missing out at the World Cup Gareth relished the chance to show England boss Sven Goran Eriksson what he can do, "Most of us know what Sven's first choice team will be but this was a great opportunity to come in and show what you can do," he said.
"It's only through the friendlies that you get this kind of chance. I am playing well at Middlesbrough. I have a long-term understanding with Ugo Ehiogu and I'm sure we will be pretty tight this season, which will do my international chances no harm."
"There are a lot of good young players around but I am looking up to force my way in rather than over my shoulder seeing what is behind. At the moment I feel quite relaxed about the situation."
England could only manage a 1-1 and will be disappointed after leading 1-0 at half-time. Although it was only a friendly, the substitutions (18 in all), did not help the flow of the game in the second half.
Elsewhere Alan Johnston played the full 90 minutes for Scotland against the Faroe Islands. Scotland were fortunate grab a late equaliser and avoid a major shock in their opening Euro 2004 qualifier. Mark Crossley watched from the bench as Wales beat Finland 2-0 in Helsinki.