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• On-loan midfielder: ‘I hope Fabio Capello watches Ligue 1′
• Cole makes immediate impact at French club with first goal

Joe Cole is relishing his first-team opportunity with Lille – and has targeted a return to the England squad under Fabio Capello.

The midfielder, on loan from Liverpool, wants to help the club retain their Ligue 1 title and is hopeful a successful campaign can earn him an England recall.

The 29-year-old has not played for his country since last summer’s World Cup but he said: “I hope Fabio Capello watches Ligue 1. If I can get a recall to the national team, I’ll be the happiest guy around.

“But firstly, I want to play regularly and try to help Lille win a trophy.”

Cole has made an immediate impact in France, scoring a wonderful first goal for the club in Saturday’s draw with Lorient, and says he never had any doubts that the surprise deadline-day move was the right one for him.

“I really wanted to come here,” he told L’Equipe. “You have to make choices in your life, and this wasn’t the easiest for me, but it excited me.

“Firstly, we are playing for the title, and also it’s a young team of good guys who play good football.”

Cole has slotted into the side in a wide role initially but harbours hopes of operating as a central playmaker as the season progresses. “I like playing in the middle, with the freedom to dictate play,” he said. “For now I am on the wing, opposite Eden Hazard and linking up with Dimitri Payet.

“The idea, in time, is to come into the central three and direct our attacks from a bit deeper. That’s where I started, it’s natural to me.”

Joe ColeLilleEnglandFabio CapelloLiverpoolguardian.co.uk

E-petition with more than 125,000 signatures forces government to clarify position over whether documents will be made public

The government has promised to release all cabinet papers relating to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster to the public once they have been shared with families of the deceased, after being forced to clarify its position by an e-petition that has reached more than 125,000 signatures.

The clarification of the government’s position, after it opted to appeal against a ruling by the information commissioner that the papers should be released to the BBC under Freedom of Information legislation, was welcomed by the Hillsborough Independent Panel (HIP), set up to examine the full circumstances surrounding the disaster in which 96 Liverpool supporters died at an FA Cup semi final. It is due to report next spring.

The cabinet papers are seen as potentially significant in revealing the approach taken by the Thatcher administration to the disaster. A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “The government has confirmed its commitment to full transparency about the Hillsborough disaster through full public disclosure. All papers had previously been shared with the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

“The government is happy for all the papers to be released as soon as the panel so decides, in consultation with the families. We expect them to be shared with the Hillsborough families first and then to the wider public.”

A spokesman for the panel, chaired by the bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, and set up by the Labour government in response to longstanding calls to uncover the full causes and consequences of the disaster, said: “The HIP welcomes the government’s commitment to publish all relevant documents to the panel.

“The response to the petition shows the strength of public feeling about the Hillsborough disaster. The panel is accessing and researching hundreds of thousands of documents and other materials relating to the context, circumstances and aftermath of the disaster. It is the intention of the panel to publish all documents simultaneously.”

Margaret Aspinall, chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said: “We want full disclosure of all documents, with no redactions, for the families, for survivors, who we must not forget suffered greatly at Hillsborough, and for supporters. We are humbled that so many people are supporting us, and have signed the e-petition.

“But although we are cautious given our experience over 22 years, we do trust the panel and maintain that the papers be released to the panel first, so they can be put into context, and then shown to the families, before then being released to the wider public.”

Once the e-petition reached more than 100,000 signatures, encouraged by a Twitter campaign by footballers and celebrities, the government was obliged to respond and forward it to the backbench business committee for consideration for parliamentary debate.

Hillsborough disasterLiberal-Conservative coalitionFreedom of informationLiverpoolOwen Gibsonguardian.co.uk

Mick McCarthy denounced Liverpool by deeming them worthy of a full-strength Wolves’ team but he was to be the recipient of the gravest insult at Anfield last night. The Midlanders were comfortably on course to compound Rafael Benítez’s problems ahead of league games with Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur when they were harshly reduced to 10 men by referee Andre Marriner. Unfortunately for McCarthy, he cannot pick and choose his match officials at will, and Liverpool took full advantage of the gift on offer. Benítez will know this was a reprieve.

Until Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun capitalised this was another arduous ordeal for Liverpool and the weary Anfield faithful. Retaining possession in defence with the game goalless while posing precious little threat in attack amounts to controlling a contest in the eyes of Benítez, or at least that was the conclusion from the defence he presented for the abysmal loss at Portsmouth last weekend. On that basis the Liverpool manager must have been satisfied with the opening half against McCarthy’s side for there was no dramatic improvement in tempo, invention or belief from the home side.

A full league debut for the Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, four months on from his £18m arrival from Roma and two months after his first appearance for the club, encouraged thoughts of more urgency and accuracy to Liverpool’s game. Gerrard, whose struggle to recapture his usual heights after injury had prompted one-to-one talks with Benítez before the game, must also have believed his waning influence – arguably a direct result of the passes drying up from the areas Xabi Alonso used to frequent – would be restored. For 45 minutes, however, that was a forlorn hope, and derision was audible among the home crowd long before Marriner called a halt.

Aquilani was occasionally bright but often anonymous, as was to be expected of a central midfielder who has played little in this calendar year either in Italy or England but could benefit from Benítez’s protection policy no longer with Javier Mascherano beginning a four-match suspension. His first contribution augured well when he won the ball cleanly in midfield to enable Gerrard to test Marcus Hahnemann in the Wolves goal with the opening shot of the match. Seconds later, Fernando Torres retrieved an over-hit pass from Emiliano Insua inside the penalty area and toyed with Richard Stearman mercilessly before stinging Hahnemann’s palms with a rising drive.

Wolves were largely content to invite the home side forwards, but on the break they unnerved Liverpool. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was the first to inject doubt into the Liverpool defence when, from Matthew Jarvis’s run and cross from the left, he turned Jamie Carragher at the near post only for José Reina to smother his low shot.

Nenad Milijas was a frequent threat from the edge of the Liverpool area, although the Serbian international’s accuracy failed to match his adventure, and Wolves ought to have led after Reina tipped a goal-bound free-kick from the midfielder over his bar. Milijas’s resulting corner was sent straight at Liverpool’s achilles – the near post – and from three yards out, unmarked and with Ebanks-Blake also waiting to convert, Kevin Doyle somehow headed high and wide of the target.

A moribund event ignited in the 52nd minute when Liverpool capitalised on a foolish back-heel by the Wolves midfielder Jarvis and Lucas sprinted clear of Stephen Ward. The Brazilian was clear of the visiting left-back but took advantage of a touch in the back to launch into a theatrical forward-roll. Referee Marriner instantly pulled a yellow card from his pocket but took an age to book Ward who, he eventually appeared to realise, had received a yellow card four minutes earlier for pulling back Benayoun. Marriner seemed reluctant to book Ward at all cost and punished Christophe Berra for kicking the ball away before being alerted to his mistake by a delegation led by Lucas and Reina. After a prolonged wait, Ward walked, a victim of his own foolishness, Lucas and the inconsistency of a referee who had earlier only spoken to Gerrard for a poor challenge on Berra.

Wolves’ previously comfortably resistance shattered. Gerrard rose above Milijas to meet Insúa’s immaculate cross with a classic centre-forward’s header 10 minutes after the dismissal. From another inviting delivery by the Argentinian, Benayoun was granted the freedom of the visiting area to make the game safe with a close-range shot that deflected off Karl Henry and through the grasp of Hahnemann.

THE FANS’ PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

Stephanie Jones, Observer reader It was a win, which was good, and we didn’t concede a goal, which was great. Once they were down to 10 there didn’t seem any doubt we’d win and it was Insúa’s endeavour that made the first goal. Then the match settled and we passed it around . It was ludicrous that the ref needed help from three yards away on the sending-off. I give Reina a 10 for coming all the way up the pitch and helping him do his job. Aquilani was great, worked really hard and hopefully we’ll see more of that.

The fan’s player ratings Reina 10; Johnson 6, Carragher 7, Agger 7, Insúa 6; Lucas 8, Aquilani 8 (Pacheco 84 8); Benayoun 8 (Spearing 88 n/a), Gerrard 7, Aurélio 6 (Kuyt 76 6); Torres 6

Arthur Williams, Observer reader Until the sending-off – which was justified – we made Liverpool look fairly ordinary. I thought we might at least get a draw, so it’s a pity. McCarthy will be disappointed with Ward’s foolishness and the result, but not the performance overall. I think we had the better of the first half. Reina made a disgraceful run from one end of the pitch to the other – I don’t know why he thought he had to do the ref’s job. Disappointing not to get something out of what looked quite promising.

The fan’s player ratings Hahnemann 8; Stearman 8, Craddock 7, Berra 7, Ward 7; Foley 5, Henry 6, Milijas 6 (Mancienne 62 6) Jarvis 8; Doyle 6 (Elokobi 58 5), Ebanks-Blake 6 (Iwelumo 66 6)

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