'My shot was so clearly over the line – like Lampard against Germany. I was more gutted for my mates, as they’d backed me as the first goalscorer!’: England star reflects on agony of not being awarded maiden Three Lions goal

27 March 1999, Wembley - European Championship Qualifying Competition - England v Poland - Ray Parlour comes on as substitute for Steve McMananan. (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images).

England stars have endured their fair share of heartache over the years as officials fail to spot shots crossing the line.

Frank Lampard's strike against Germany at the 2010 World Cup is arguably the most notable of any goal in world football not being awarded, with his half-volley bouncing at least a full yard over the goal-line.

A decade prior to that incident, however, Ray Parlour experienced the exact same agony while playing for England. Though admittedly not in quite the same circumstances, Parlour, while playing for the Three Lions against Finland during qualifying for World Cup 2002, missed out on his first goal for the national team.

England star Ray Parlour denied first, and only, international goal

Parlour comes up against Finland in 2000 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Having hit a 30-yard strike, Parlour's shot bounced down off the crossbar and crossed the goal-line, but the linesman failed to spot it and the game remained 0-0.

"Yeah, that was over the line! It was like Lampard against Germany," Parlour exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "That was under Howard Wilkinson.

Parlour never managed to score for England, but made 10 appearances in total (Image credit: Getty Images)

"It was a cold night in Helsinki, I got my chance, and I remember that when I hit it, I thought, ‘That’s got a chance’. It hit the bar, then it was so clearly over the line. I was celebrating. But they said it wasn’t over the line. I thought, ‘What?!’

"It was a 0-0 draw, and you never know: that can make a big difference in a career. I was more gutted for my mates, because they’d backed me as first goalscorer and it was big money for them!"

Parlour failed to play in a major tournament for the Three Lions, with injury ruling him out of Euro 2000 following a clash with Brazil just weeks before the tournament was due to start.

"Before Euro 2000, Roberto Carlos did my ligaments," Parlour says. "It was Brazil at Wembley, I was playing really well, then I went for a tackle and stretched my ligaments. I was gutted. That would have been my big chance.

Parlour compared the incident to Frank Lampard's in 2010 (Image credit: Getty Images)

"In tournament football, if you get a chance and you come on and score, suddenly your England career can kick off. But it wasn’t to be."

Parlour made just 10 appearances for England during his career, with players such as David Beckham selected ahead of him, while his falling-out with Glenn Hoddle also limited his chances.