Gareth Southgate led England to a World Cup qualifying win over Lithuania at Wembley today but a former team-mate remembers when he trained under the lights of a Sussex car park.

Southgate took charge of his second England game as the national team’s permanent manager with goals from Jermain Defoe and Jamie Vardy earning the Three Lions a 2-0 win.

There are sure to be more difficult tests along the road to the finals in Russia next summer but one of Southgate’s former schoolmates is backing the 46-year-old to handle everything that is thrown at him after overcoming plenty of hurdles en route to the job – including dodging concrete pillars.

Former Albion apprentice goalkeeper Sean McFadden went to Hazelwick School in Crawley with Southgate, represented Sussex Schools alongside him and played for the youth team run by Southgate’s father Clive.

McFadden told The Argus: “We played in the same team at Hazelwick, used to play against each other in junior school and his dad also used to run our Sunday team called Crawley Traders.”

McFadden, who was let go by the Seagulls but went on to have a successful career in Sussex non-league football with a number of clubs including Langney Sports, Burgess Hill, Three Bridges, Newhaven and Peacehaven, remembers some quirky facts about Southgate’s formative years.

He said: “I still drive through Crawley now and it brings back memories.

“Because nobody had a lot of money, we used to train at a multi-storey car park near the civic centre.

“His dad used to take us there because it was the only place that had lights that we didn’t have to pay for.

“We’d turn up and, hopefully, all the cars had gone or otherwise we would have to dribble around them and concrete pillars.

“It would be in a midweek and we would get a couple of buses over, run through the town centre then train in the car park – which I am sure honed his skills as you didn’t want to run into a concrete pillar!”

McFadden, who became a fireman after spurning a chance to join Hartlepool when let go by Albion during the days Perry Digweed and John Keeley were battling to be No.1, used to cross paths with Southgate often in the sporting arena but remembers the future England captain had to overcome adversity to make it as a professional.

He said: “He was quite sporty and did a lot of athletics but he got Osgood Schlatter’s disease [inflammation of the lower leg bone near the knee joint] and was out of the game for quite a long time.

“They have to immobilise your knees when you’re a youngster and it nearly scuppered him completely.

“He was quite a decent runner whereas, being a goalkeeper, I’d throw the javelin and things like that.

“We used to go to Crawley Leisure Centre to do the district sports so we were in the same sort of circles all the time whether it was for athletics, football or rugby. He was Sport Billy and I used to do all the sports as well but when he went off to Selsdon at about 13 or 14 that was probably it and I did not see him so much after that.”

McFadden, 46, admits he was pretty unhappy when Southgate’s father disbanded their successful youth side and took his son to Selsdon Juniors, near Croydon, which helped pave the way for the defender’s move into Crystal Palace’s youth set up.

But McFadden remembers seeing Southgate much closer to home when he was still with the Seagulls.

He said: “I am not sure where he was in London but something went wrong for him and he ended up coming down to Albion for a few weeks on a trial period when I was close to the end of my apprenticeship.

“Then all of a sudden he wasn’t there any more. He floated around for a couple of weeks but then he was at Palace and the rest is history.”

Southgate’s playing career has been well charted but his success does not surprise McFadden.

He said: “I wouldn’t say he was exceptional but he was always steady and he could be relied on.

“He was a very thoughtful player and the route he has taken does not surprise me at all. He was always very intelligent at school and, believe it or not, we were in a lot of top sets together at Hazelwick.

“He would be regarded at school as a bit of a boffin but he came from a very nice, intelligent family.

“I could never fault the bloke, he was always a very nice lad and never got himself into any trouble.”

He added: “When he became manager I said I used to play football with him, and they’d never believe you.

“Being a football man myself, it’s the culmination of a dream to be England manager.

“I know he captained England as a footballer but to then manage them is amazing and I do feel he deserves it.”

McFadden feels Southgate will stick by his own principles.

He said: “Because of his character I feel he will try to bring youngsters through and he will be a very approachable manager.

“It’s a poisoned chalice as you’ll never please everybody but I do feel he will handle himself very well. The Press will be a problem but because he’s intelligent, he will handle himself well and that’s half the battle.

“These days the England job is almost a stepping stone and I don’t think he will have a problem getting a job afterwards.” McFadden has fond memories of his youth football and wishes Southgate well.

He said: “We used to have a lot fun. When his dad disbanded the team we weren’t very happy as we were winning things.

“When you’re ten, 11 or 12 years old and a winning team, you don’t want it to end but off he went to bigger and better things so it all worked out well for him and you can’t argue with that.”