IN the first half of Newcastle’s game with Tottenham last night, Harry Kane broke into the penalty area in chase of a long pass. Watching the ball arc over his shoulder, he angled himself into the perfect position to hammer a first-time finish past Martin Dubravka. Then, he swung his foot and pretty much missed the ball.

Now, anyone can make a mistake, and making a clean contact with a volley like that is one of the hardest skills in the game. At the start of the second half, Kane produced a much better finish, sweeping Heung-Min Son’s square ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Yet watching the Spurs striker lumber around Wembley, putting passes into touch and spurning a succession of decent openings with a series of heavy touches, it was impossible not to be reminded of his performances in an England shirt during Euro 2016. Then, as now, Kane finished the domestic season scratching around for form. And what we all know what happened when he eventually got to France.

Kane’s current rustiness can be attributed to the ankle injury he sustained in the middle of March, and with England’s opening World Cup group game against Tunisia still more than five weeks away, there is every chance he could rediscover his best form in time for Russia.

It is still a huge worry to see him so badly out of sorts though, particularly as he has become such a pivotal player to Gareth Southgate’s side. England’s entire attacking approach effectively relies on Kane.

That much was evident when the Spurs striker missed England’s friendlies in November, both of which resulted in a goalless draw. Between June and November last year, Kane scored seven goals in the space of six England matches. The rest of his team-mates managed a grand total of five goals combined.

When Kane fails to fire, England lack a cutting edge, as proved by their anaemic performances in France two summers ago. With only Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford to provide meaningful competition, it is easy to see why Southgate has allowed his side to become so reliant on one striker. The harsh reality, though, is that the striker in question flopped on his only previous appearance in a major tournament and is currently playing as poorly as he has all season.

Perhaps that wouldn’t be as much of a concern if the rest of the England team were finishing the season on a high. Sadly, in the vast majority of cases, they are either struggling as badly as Kane or not even making the starting XI of their respective club side.

Take Dele Alli for example. Last night, the Spurs midfielder was probably the only player on the pitch who looked even more out of sorts than Kane. This has not been a good season for the 22-year-old, and he was barely a factor against Newcastle as he was outshone by both Mo Diame and Jonjo Shelvey.

Southgate’s persistent refusal to even countenance the idea of playing Shelvey becomes increasingly hard to fathom, but whether you think the Magpies midfielder should be heading to Russia or not, it is alarming to see him running rings around the play-maker who is supposed to be the creative fulcrum of the England midfield.

Alli finds his place in Southgate’s starting line-up under threat from Jesse Lingard, but even he has seen his form levels plummet since his purple patch at the start of the year. And what about the rest of England’s midfield options? Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain? Injured and out of contention. Eric Dier? Injured and poor for the majority of the campaign. Rashford, who has played on the left-hand side for Southgate recently? Not deemed anywhere near good enough to be playing for Manchester United.

The only two midfielders who are excelling at the moment are Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling. Oh, and James Milner, who has refused to come out of international retirement.

Turn to the defence, and things are every bit as bad. John Stones can’t get a game for Manchester City, but is likely to be at the heart of Southgate’s defence. Kieran Trippier hobbled out of last night’s game nursing a knee injury that could prove to be extremely serious, while in the other full-back berth, Danny Rose trotted on for the kind of two-minute substitute appearance that has pretty much been the extent of his involvement all season. Joe Gomez? Injured and out of the tournament. Alfie Mawson? He’s just been relegated with Swansea.

The level of expectation around the England team has been lowered considerably since the days when a quarter-final appearance was deemed a failure, but come the opening games in Russia next month, Southgate will still be expected to come up with a side that cruises through its group. With Panama and Tunisia to face, as well as Belgium, that should still be a given. Having watched Kane and Alli on Wednesday, though, I’m not so sure.

THE shocking scenes at Goodwood last weekend, when around 50 racegoers were involved in a brawl that left four people needing hospital treatment, highlighted a growing problem faced by racecourses, particularly those hosting Flat meetings on summer weekends.

When the sun is out, and drinks are flowing, courses see an opportunity to make serious money. Some even send out press releases trumpeting just how much champagne they expect to be sold.

That’s fine, but if you are going to profit from the sale of alcohol, you have to take responsibility for what might follow. It is impossible to condone the wanton violence that erupted at the weekend, but similar incidents occurred on racecourses last summer and the sport cannot simply turn a blind eye.

The security presence at racecourses tends to be light – stewards at Goodwood were not even wearing uniforms to signify their presence – and there is a reluctance to take pre-emptive action before trouble erupts.

Other sports have learned that alcohol and large groups of testosterone-fuelled men do not mix without adequate supervision - racing cannot pretend it is above such concerns.

WHY does the ECB feel the need for gimmicks such as a 100-ball innings when the County Championship has proved once again that it is capable of producing superb sporting drama?

Not only did you have Durham creating history as they won despite following-on, you also had Yorkshire triumphing against Essex even though they were skittled out for 50 in their first innings.

Two remarkable comebacks, two superb games of cricket. And one salutary reminder that the four-day game still has the capability to captivate if it is promoted effectively.