WHEN will we next have a better chance than this?

That question will be on the minds of England fans ahead of tonight’s semi-final against Denmark – and not for the first time.

Only three years ago the same thoughts ran through my head after the defeat to Croatia at the same stage of the World Cup.

Whether it is disallowed goals, penalty shoot-outs or simply not being good enough, there have always seemed to be barriers to England going deep into a tournament.

But it feels like many of those have been removed.

In the last 16, England ground out victory over Germany in a knockout tie – that just does not happen.

They then eased past an admittedly poor Ukraine side, playing without fear – that just does not happen.

Make no mistake, Denmark are a good team spurred on by the Christian Eriksen factor, as well as their underdog status.

Tonight’s game will almost certainly be cagier than Saturday’s thrashing of Ukraine as a result, with England surely more cautious.

But Gareth Southgate’s side are moving in the right direction and that should give us heart not just for this evening, but for years to come.