It would hard to feel anything other than sympathy for Matthew Upson at the moment, even though the West Ham defender did manage to make it on the plane to South Africa.

Although the man himself would admit he hasn’t had the best seasons, much of the criticism piled on him hasn’t been fair, especially when it comes to his efforts for the England side.

Yes, he’s managed to establish himself as a solid squad player for the Three Lions, but he hasn’t really had the level of international experience that his 19 caps would suggest. After all, there was a gap of almost four years between his seventh and eight games for the national team.

On top of this, his appearances have largely been limited to friendly matches and it’s hard to impress when the majority of your team-mates are assured of a place and don’t feel the need to make an effort.

Upson has buckled down, done a job when called on and hasn’t complained about being dragged to away games only to find he’s not likely to get a kick. In fact, it’s possible to argue that Upson has a right to be aggrieved about Jamie Carragher’s return to the international scene, but the West Ham man doesn’t seem to be that kind of character.

As it is, Upson seems to have slipped behind Ledley King in the pecking order, and even with Rio Ferdinand going home injured it seems that the former Birmingham City player will still have to make do with a place on the bench.

That’s fair enough, England’s World Cup football odds make them second favourites for the competition so they’ll need a solid back line and King has probably had a better season than the West Ham man.

However, if Fabio Capello does decide to call on Upson, he’s the kind of defender who will give it his all, whether he’s on the pitch for nine or 90 minutes and whether it’s the first game of the tournament or the World Cup football final.

I don’t think anyone would be unhappy if he were to add to his tally of caps while in South Africa.