STEVE Tilson is not surprised to see Gareth Bale among the top stars at Euro 2016.

Welsh star Bale will be facing England in a crucial clash tomorrow.

But it was back in 2006 when Bale showed his talents against the Southend United side being managed by Tilson at Roots Hall.

“Gareth Bale certainly stood out that day,” recalled Tilson.

“He must have only been about 16 or 17 at the time and he was playing left-back but we had to make a substitution so we could put an extra man on him.

"He was getting forward all the time and I think you could tell he probably wasted at left-back but it’s always difficult to tell how far a young player is going t0 go.

“It was clear he had a lot of talent but he must also have a great attitude and temperament otherwise he wouldn’t have got to where he is now.”

Bale helped Real Madrid win a second Champions League title in the space of three seasons before heading to the European Championships.

But he is now fully focused on helping Wales qualify from the group stages and was on target in Chris Coleman’s side 2-1 win against Slovakia in their opening games of the competition.

Bale was joined on the score-sheet by ex-Shrimpers loanee Hal Robson-Kanu.

But Tilson hopes England will be able to keep them quiet tomorrow as they bid to bounce back from their disappointing 1-1 draw with Russia on Saturday evening.

“We need a result and I would love to see us going with Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy up top,” said Tilson.

“I was listening to the radio the other day and I thought Ray Wilkins made a great point when he said this was going to be just like a Premier League game.

“That’s exactly right so I would definitely like to see Vardy coming in.

“It’s a big game and one we need to win but for that to happen we must keep Bale quiet so maybe England should copy our game plan from 2006 because we won 2-1 that day!"