MARK BOWEN believes Wales have at last rediscovered the spark that carried them agonisingly close to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup finals.

Wales tackle Holland in a World Cup qualifier at the National Stadium tonight looking for a win that will boost their chances of reaching the 1998 World Cup finals in France.

And 32 year old West Ham defender Bowen, who could be asked to play a sweeper's role behind Andy Melville and Kit Symons, reckons Wales' secret weapon is their restored confidence.

Wales only missed out on USA 94 by losing their last qualifying game at home to Romania.

But the disappointment was such that Welsh football was plunged into disarray. John Toshack and Mike Smith came and went before current boss Bobby Gould steadied the ship.

And Bowen claims it is only now that the players involved in the last World Cup campaign have regained their edge.

"There's a buzz in the camp again - a feeling of expectation among the lads," said Bowen.

"I think it had gone but, hopefully, we've put the troubled times behind us now.

"We probably lost a bit of confidence after missing out two years ago and were going into games without that spark, but we've got it back now.

"It's down to the extra edge that comes with a World Cup qualifying campaign and the fact that this is the first really big game we've had in our group.