ENGLAND'S 3-1 defeat by Australia last month may have been memorable only for Everton's Wayne Rooney making history at the age of 17 years and 111 days as the youngest-ever to win a full international cap for the country, but a ripple from that record being broken reaches here.

For it pushes into third place in the list of England's youngest players Darwen's Thurston 'Tot' Rostron who made his debut for the national team on February 26, 1881, against Wales -- when he was a tender 17 years and 312 days.

Before Rooney's emergence, Rostron was second only to James Prinsep, of Clapham Rovers, who was capped in 1879 at the age of 17 years and 253 days.

Yet when the 5ft 5in Darwen-born forward made his England bow, the local newspapers made no mention of how young he was and gave only brief coverage to the game even though it was played here in East Lancashire -- at Alexandra Meadows in Blackburn.

Still the home of East Lancs Cricket Club, the ground was then rented during the winter by Blackburn Rovers and the match with Wales was the first soccer international played in Lancashire.

But Rostron's home-town newspaper, the Darwen News, did not report the game at all despite Darwen FC having two players in the England side; the other being Withnell-born winger Thomas Marshall who gained his second international cap at the Meadows.

But the old Blackburn Times did devote half a column to the match which, it said, took place on a ground in a "very sloppy condition and not fit to play on." More than 3,500 spectators were there "including a moderate number of ladies." England lost by the only goal. But tiny Tot did earn a mention in the Times' report. "A rapid run by Rostron and a splendid kick by Bainbridge momentarily jeopardised the Welsh goal," it said.

Still, Rostron, who had begun his football career with Helmshore FC and the Old Wanderers, must have impressed the England selectors, for he was capped in the match at the Kennington Oval a fortnight later against Scotland who won 6-1.

Leaving Darwen FC for Great Lever during the 1883-84 season, Tot returned to his home-town team the following year before turning out and scoring for Blackburn Rovers in an FA Cup game in January, 1885, and appearing for them in a friendly the following month against Derby.

Originally a weaver, he became a bowling green keeper, but died in 1891 aged only 29.