England v Malta: Luke Gambin is reminded of Wembley every day on his way to training… but will miss Three Lions showdown through suspension
Barnet man will not get his fifth cap as he's suspended after picking up red card against Scotland
LUKE GAMBIN is reminded of Wembley every day on his way to training with Barnet.
The iconic arch comes into view out of the tube window as Gambin commutes from Green Park to Canons Park on the Jubilee Line of the London Underground.
But that's as close as the Malta winger, who could walk the ten miles from Barnet to Wembley, will get to the home of English football this weekend.
Gambin is serving a two-match suspension, starting with Malta's World Cup qualifier with Gareth Southgate's England following a 91st minute red card against Scotland last month.
Instead, Gambin will be making the trip 150 miles north with his Bees team-mates for the League Two clash with Doncaster.
Gambin, 23, said: "I live in Surrey so I use London transport to get to training with Barnet and go past Wembley every day. I get so close to it!
"I wish I was playing there as it would have been a great experience for me. I'm gutted.
"After the game I didn't want to dwell on it. I knew I had made a mistake and I have to live and learn now.
"But I have to stay positive and hope I get another chance in my career."
Gambin was dismissed for the first time in his professional career by Ukraine ref Yevgen Aranovsky following a clash with Robert Snodgrass as nine-men Malta got smashed 5-1.
The Arsenal fan, who previously watched the 2011 League Cup final defeat to Birmingham at Wembley, recalled: "It all happened quickly. I went into a 50/50 with Snodgrass, the ball bounced up and I tried to swipe for the ball but I made contact with his body instead. It was pure frustration and I got punished for it.
"We had been level at 1-1 and playing so well but the first red card for Jonathan Caruana was controversial and a crucial point in the game.
"We started to leak goals and I was playing in front of the home fans so it all added to the frustration.
"The referee was right behind me but even the Scotland players were shocked I had been shown a straight red.
"As I walked off it hadn't sunk in and it was only when I got back to the changing room I realised I would miss the England game. It wasn't nice.
"I don't have any regrets. It was a lack of concentration and frustration and the new stage I was playing on was overwhelming. It was a good learning experience for me.
"Hopefully I will still get the chance to play England in Malta next September."
Sutton-born Gambin grew up supporting England and admires the likes of Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard with Joe Cole his favourite player.
But he switched his allegiances to Malta, qualifying through his grandparents, in May 2015 after a stand-out performance for Barnet in the Conference earlier that season.
Wideman Gambin said: "Our game was live on television against Dover and I scored two. It was our championship winning campaign and the Maltese FA picked me up from that.
"I qualify through my grandparents - Rita and Joseph - on my dad Daniel's side.
"My grandad was really happy when I decided to switch but he passed away last summer so he never got to see me play for his country. It was emotional when I made my debut against the Czech Republic. I'm proud to play for Malta, it's a big honour to represent them and I hope his legacy lives on.
"The standard of the Malta team is pretty similar to League Two but they play a continental style of play by building up attacks from the back. I remember the first time I played I stood high and wide on the touchline and I didn't touch the ball. They like to play through the middle with lots of passes and touches of the ball like Spain.
"For us, we are the underdogs and it will be more about the performance than the result. England have great quality and a top group of young players. It will be tough for us."
Gambin aims to watch the game on the Barnet coach with his team-mates travelling back from Yorkshire and he admits he will be expecting some banter to fly his way.
Gambin added: "The kick off is at 5pm so I'll be on the coach as quickly as possible. Hopefully we will have the tv on but if not I'll be checking my phone for score updates.
"If I was involved the other lads would support me but now they’ll all be supporting England. I'm ready to get a lot of stick off them."
But that mickey-taking will be nothing compared to the painful realisation of missing out on the biggest game of his career when he travels home from Barnet as the journey shuttles past Wembley on the Jubilee line.
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1. Michael Mifsud - The former Coventry striker has scored 40 goals in 118 international appearances.
2. Andre Schembri - Plays for Boavista in Portugal's top league. The number ten is Malta's playmaker.
3. Alfred Effiong - Fred equalised against Scotland and he can be a real handful for opposition defences.
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