FRANK LAMPARD has witnessed Joe Cole's natural ability develop at first hand. Not only are they part of Chelsea's attacking verve in the Londoners' push for Premiership supremacy but the pair also worked together at boyhood club West Ham United.

Now the midfield duo are also proving their worth on the international stage after outstanding form under Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, both domestically and in the Champions League this season.

Only three years separate Lampard and Cole, and it has taken a little longer for the latter to become an important fixture in the Chelsea title assault.

But, after a slow start to life away from West Ham, Cole is beginning to fulfil the hype which has surrounded him since bursting onto the scene as a raw teenager under the tutelage of Harry Redknapp at Upton Park.

Lampard was also part of that Hammers squad when the eccentric midfielder's tricks first made an impression on the English game.

And the more experienced of the two is beginning to realise that Cole is, as initially thought, more than capable of becoming a permanent part of Sven-Goran Eriksson's plans for a push for World Cup glory in 2006.

Cole's star showing on his fourth start in Saturday's comprehensive 4-0 win over Northern Ireland at Old Trafford, when he grabbed the opening goal and performed as though he had 50 caps behind him, has given Eriksson food for thought in his search to mix the perfect blend across the midfield.

With the 23-year-old looking comfortable on the left, Lampard and Gerrard taking turns to push from the middle and Beckham - providing he stops straying inside as much - offering pinpoint crosses from the right, the chances of success in Germany look favourable.

And Lampard has no doubts about what Cole can bring to the international table. "Joe did very well. It was his first qualifying game, it was a big game for him and he was very good," said Lampard, after earning his 31st cap on Saturday.

"He's definitely stronger. He's worked very hard and you've got to give him credit for that.

"His head goes down when he's not in the team but he keeps working hard, keeps believing in himself. He does have that confidence and self-belief in abundance - and that's shown in the way he's been playing lately.

"Shooting hasn't been his strongest point in the past, but that's been another thing that Joe has worked on. He's got the same mentality as me. If you keep practising, you'll improve your technique and get that bit of luck you deserve. That's what's happened for him."

After Cole's opener was followed by two goals in eight minutes - courtesy of Michael Owen and a Chris Baird own goal - Lampard rounded off the Group Six win with England's fourth ahead of Wednesday's clash with Azerbaijan at St James' Park - a game destined to be a sell-out.

The midfielder's strike, which deflected off the head of defender Colin Murdock just after the hour, was his eighth for his country since making his debut against Belgium in 1999.

Lampard, 26, is just three goals shy of Sir Stanley Matthews' 11-goal tally and said: "He played for a long time, didn't he? I'm very proud of that and very pleased with that - 31 caps and that amount of goals is something to be really happy about.

"I just want to keep that going. Saturday, obviously, I got a stroke of luck, but if you don't shoot, you don't score and I should have had two really.

"For me, a big part of my game is scoring goals. When I'm at my best I score goals.

"I felt a bit tired for the last five minutes and in the warm-down afterwards. But, touch wood, it isn't really a problem. I think if you're an experienced player you can save your legs a little bit for a period of time during a game."

During Eriksson's 50-year reign he is yet to taste defeat in a qualifying encounter but Lampard - battling with club and country team-mate John Terry for this year's Player of the Year awards - believes there is even more reason for optimism of trophy success than there has been before.

Lampard said: "I think things are looking good. If you go through the whole team, back to front, we're a very strong outfit. We just need to build up to tournaments by playing like we did against Northern Ireland.

"Keep winning games and make sure we get there on a high. I believe we can do something there.