Tottenham 1-0 Newcastle

Darren Bent fears his England career will be damaged by the intense competition for striking places at Tottenham.

Bent's 24th-minute goal was enough to earn Spurs a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Newcastle yesterday and took his tally to 11 goals from 20 Premier League starts this season.

Had it not been for a knee injury, Bent would probably have played for England in the 2-1 win over Ukraine earlier this month, and national coach Fabio Capello was at White Hart Lane to see his winner against Newcastle.

Yet with Jermain Defoe now available - the striker came on for the final 12 minutes after 11 weeks out with a foot injury - along with Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko, Bent knows his starting spot is under threat.

The 25-year-old said: "If you don't play for your club regularly, you won't play for England. As long as I can keep working hard and scoring goals, hopefully I'll be in there.

"No-one likes to sit on the bench. I'll have to see what happens and take it from there. My season has been up and down. I would have liked to have played more games and scored more goals.

"The manager has got decisions to make. He's got fantastic strikers and you have to bide your time. The end of the season is coming and we'll have to see what happens after that."

Bent is clearly in Capello's thoughts for the lone striker's role, for which Emile Heskey, Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch are also in contention.

Capello is keen to build his attacking strategy around Wayne Rooney, and Bent admitted: "Rooney is obviously the No1, and there is always a fight for the other spot. As long as I can keep scoring goals and playing well when he's watching me, it's all I can ask for.

"Fabio is the best England manager we've had for a long time. He's told me on a personal level what he wants from me. He tells you face to face what he wants, which is what you need as a player."

The sub-plot involving the forwards was the most intriguing aspect of a patchy game. For an hour, Spurs strolled it against a Newcastle side who were revitalised only when Obafemi Martins came on as a substitute.

Indeed, the battle between the respective dug-outs was far more absorbing than the action on the pitch. The coaches appeared to be engaged in a private battle to be the greatest source of annoyance to referee Mark Halsey and his linesmen, with Newcastle assistant boss Iain Dowie just edging Spurs first-team coach Joe Jordan in a desperately close contest.

Former Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers boss Dowie was brought in to add experience to manager Alan Shearer's backroom team, but the 44-year-old seems to believe his role is simply to question every decision that goes against the Magpies.

Shearer has only three games behind him as a boss, and has five more to rescue his club from relegation.

The former England striker would benefit far more if Dowie offered him calm words during matches, instead of barking orders at the referee for 90 minutes.

As well as the return of Defoe, boss Harry Redknapp would have been hugely encouraged by the performance of Tom Huddlestone. The midfielder is one of the most frustrating players in the League, but he was excellent yesterday, delivering several perceptive long passes and worrying Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper with three blistering drives from distance.

Meanwhile, defender Michael Dawson was due to have a scan today on an ankle injury after falling awkwardly during the first half against Newcastle.

Dawson left the ground on crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left foot, and Redknapp said: "We're not sure if it's ligament damage or a fracture, but it looks quite nasty."