When he received his first England call-up, Steve Bull jumped into his Escort XR3i and drove to Glasgow.

Little over 24 hours later and the Bully fairytale had another chapter as his local hero status catapulted itself onto the international stage when he scored against Scotland at Hampden on his England debut.

It was 27 May 1989 and growing up in Guildford, Surrey, was a toddler five days short of his third birthday, oblivious to the havoc Bull was wreaking, some 418 miles to the north. His name was Matt Jarvis.

Fast forward almost 22 years and plenty has changed in the footballing world.

England players still drive to hotels, although the unassuming Jarvis has a set of wheels a little more swanky than an Escort to whisk him from his Solihull home to the Hertfordshire countryside, where Fabio Capello’s multi-millionaire squad today started  preparations for Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales.

Thankfully, though, there are similarities in the worlds of Bully and the next Wolves player to be selected in a full England squad.

They might play in different positions and be very different players, but they share the unmistakeable hunger and focused determination that will surely provide Jarvis with similar international moments to savour as Bull.

Jarvis may have been brought up in more leafier surrounds, leaning more towards Surrey stockbelt than Bully’s Lost City Tipton council estate.

But both have made the most of their talent on the back of sheer hard work.

While recognising those similarities in their make-up, Bully believes there is far less for Jarvis to be nervous about than when he met up with the squad for the first time.

He said: “You get nervous about meeting up because all the players are new to you. But Matt has a big advantage on me in he’s played against most of them in the Premier League over the past two seasons.

“They will know about him already and the fact he’s done it against them before means he’ll hold his head up high in their company.

“He was included in a couple of provisional squads earlier this season and this is a natural progression for him.

“I was playing in the old Third Division at the time and they didn’t know me from Adam. He’ll have had a meal with the lads last night, made a few friends and today he’ll train. He’ll be fine and I’m sure he’ll soon settle.

“The egos won’t be a problem to him, he needs to just be himself and the nerves will disappear with that first training session.”

Two decades on and the memories are still fresh for Bully, who went on to become a genuine Wolves idol on the small matter of 306 goals, one of four club records he proudly holds.

And the Molineux vice-president, who turns 46 next Monday, urged Jarvis to make the most of his opportunity.

He said: “I think what’s helped get him into the England squad is his goals, because he’s got more noticed on the back of sticking a few away.

“Matt just has to do what I was always told and that’s to carry on doing what you’re doing for your club, which for him is beating his man, getting crosses in and scoring a few himself.”

But what if Jarvis gets the chance to make his England debut?

Bull said: “If he gets his chance, he will be fine. Playing for your country in front of millions is brilliant – you can’t explain it, having those Three Lions on your chest.

“It was the proudest moment of my career and he has to cherish it and give it everything.

“I’m looking back now, 20 years on, and I’ve still got my World Cup medal from Italia 90 and my framed England shirt on the wall, signed by all the players.

“That’s the first thing he should do – get a shirt signed and keep it on his wall as his inspiration.”

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy feels the same as Bully, but admits he never thought when he signed Jarvis from Gillingham for £650,000 in June 2007, that he was signing an England international.

McCarthy said: “When I signed him from Gillingham, I thought he would be a really good player for us. Did I ever sign him thinking he’d become an England player? No I didn’t.

“Consider the start he had here because he had a lot of injuries with his groins and his thigh, and I think he’d had hernias before he came here.

“But, after settling down and getting stronger, he’s really worked at it.”

McCarthy admits Jarvis immediately caught his eye and the Wolves boss marked him down as ‘one to watch’ after being impressed with him.

He said: “Matt came on as a sub at Sunderland for Gillingham and I thought ‘I’ll keep an eye on him.’

“We drew 1-1 against them but he came on and murdered us.”