Final Score: England 1 Republic of Ireland 1

AS a way to sign off for the season at Wembley, an uninspiring 1-1 draw with Republic of Ireland provided a neat summation of England's current standing under Roy Hodgson.

Like it or lump it, this is about as good as we are. And it should come as no satisfaction that an equally underwhelming Ireland are no better.

Frank Lampard's first-half strike spared some of England's blushes after Shane Long's looped header had given Ireland a surprise early lead, but Roy Hodgson's side rarely strayed above the average on a night that underlined the gulf that separates the pick of the 'home nations' from the best sides in the world.

England still aspire to be part of that elite, but it is hard to discern where they have progressed since Hodgson replaced Fabio Capello a little over 12 months ago.

Defensively shaky, bereft of genuine creativity and lacking a proven goalscoring centre-forward, this was every bit the England side that is struggling to emerge from a World Cup qualifying group that does not contain another side ranked in the world's top 25.

This autumn, Hodgson's players take on Moldova, Ukraine, Montenegro and Poland in their final four qualifiers. Win them all, and they will be guaranteed a place in Brazil. Let's be honest though, on the evidence of their matches this season, can anyone really see that happening?

The harsh truth is that England lack truly world-class players, and the fact that Lampard, at 34, was arguably their most effective player for most of last night's game speaks volumes.

The likes of Michael Carrick, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jermain Defoe might sporadically impress at Premier League level, but they are some way short of the world's elite.

Much of the pre-match attention had been focused on Hodgson's controversial decision to hand Ashley Cole the captain's armband in recognition of the 100th cap he won in February's friendly with Brazil.

On the pitch, the Chelsea full-back has been a consistently reliable servant since making his international debut in 2001, but away from the field of play, he has repeatedly failed to display the standards the Football Association supposedly demand from their skipper.

Should that matter? On a one-off occasion like this, probably not. But the FA tied themselves in knots when attempting to explain Cole's status on Tuesday, and it is surely time for a reasoned debate about what the England captaincy stands for.

All too often recently, the armband has been passed around like a parcel at a kid's birthday party, something that perhaps contributed to the chronic lack of leadership that was apparent as England crumbled in the second half of March's qualifier in Montenegro.

Cole was part of the problem on that occasion, and rather than worrying about captaincy issues, the 32-year-old's prime concern moving forward will be the retention of his place ahead of Everton's Leighton Baines, who was comfortably the best left-back in the Premier League last season and who replaced him midway through the second half last night.

The make-up of the entire England back four is up for debate at the minute, with John Terry and Rio Ferdinand having exited the international stage to leave a dearth of experienced centre-halves.

Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill got the nod last night, and Hodgson must decide whether the pair have more to offer than their leading rivals, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Joleon Lescott. At the moment, the jury remains out.

March's draw in Montenegro exposed a nervousness in England's defending that ultimately proved costly, and for all that Long's header last night was technically superb, the hosts' attempts to prevent Ireland's 13th-minute opener left a lot to be desired.

Long was the only Irish player in the box when Seamus Coleman delivered a teasing cross from the right, but he was able to glide between a hesitant Glen Johnson and a poorly-positioned Cahill to arc a header beyond Joe Hart.

The goal came in a scruffy opening spell that saw England slip back into their old habit of giving the ball away, and Ireland display much greater tenacity and organisation than they had mustered during their ill-fated campaign at last year's European Championships.

However, Giovanni Trapattoni's side always seem to have an error in them, and it duly arrived midway through the first half to hand England a route back into the game.

Middlesbrough supporters saw enough of Sean St Ledger during his ill-fated 15-game spell at the Riverside to know he is hardly the most reliable of centre-halves, and when he made a complete hash of attempting to clear Daniel Sturridge's left-wing cross, Lampard was left with the simple task of slotting home. It was the Chelsea midfielder's 29th international goal, hardly a bad tally for a player regularly decried as a serial under-achiever in an England shirt.

Sadly, the decisive cross was Sturridge's last significant act before he departed down the tunnel on a stretcher following a challenge from Glenn Whelan that damaged his ankle. The Liverpool striker is tussling with Danny Welbeck and Defoe for England's central attacking role, and it is unfortunate that last night's audition was curtailed before it really got going.

Defoe replaced him, but the Tottenham striker barely created a ripple in a second half that saw England struggle to generate any momentum.

St Ledger partially atoned for his first-half error with a magnificent 48th-minute intervention that prevented Cole converting Walcott's volleyed cross, while Millwall's David Forde got down well to turn Walcott's low drive around the post after decent approach work from Defoe.

However, England's midfield lacked creativity all evening and with both Carrick and Oxlade-Chamberlain barely featuring from an attacking perspective, the Irish defence rarely looked like being breached for a second time.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was presented with the best chance of a winner with seven minutes left, but after Wayne Rooney's attempted pass deflected into his path, the Arsenal winger drilled a hurried shot into Forde's legs.