On tonight’s evidence in the match against Bulgaria, the Wales boss should approach the campaign with confidence after an enterprising performance at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium.

Wales, through Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy, Robert Earnshaw and Carl Robinson could have won this friendly.

But in the end it was the wasteful finishing of Tottenham’s new striker Dimitar Berbatov which stopped Bulgaria going home with a victory.

Berbatov is going to be a real handful in the Premiership and he was shaking his head in disbelief as chance after chance went begging.

Toshack will look at his blend of youth and experience and the organised way they performed for his own encouragement.

The Wales boss had suffered very few withdrawals, and Giggs was able to skipper a side which included Bellamy fresh from Liverpool’s Community Shield triumph over Chelsea in Cardiff, as well as defender Danny Gabbidon, who has managed just one half of football in pre-season due to a hernia problem.

The Bulgarians had British-based players including Celtic’s Stilian Petrov, the captain who may be an Aston Villa player soon, while Charlton’s Radostin Kishishev and Berbatov were also in the starting line-up.

Berbatov was a constant threat, causing Gabbidon plenty of problems, but Wales shaded the first half with plenty of controlled possession and passing.

Simon Davies and Earnshaw found space out wide to worry the Bulgarians with driven crosses, but while Wales were pressing forward well they dare not take their eyes off Berbatov.

In one sweeping Wales move, a superb ball from Bellamy to Robinson produced a free-kick. Giggs curled his shot from 20 yards and Georgi Petkov clawed the ball away from his left-hand post.

Wales almost went ahead when Mark Delaney’s long cross was headed down by Earnshaw for Bellamy, on the six-yard line, but his instant shot was scooped away by Petkov.

Sloppy defending threatened to be Wales’ undoing. First Delaney gave the ball away and it took a fine block from James Collins to deflect over a drive from Berbatov.

From the corner, Gabbidon and Sam Ricketts dithered and Paul Jones – making his 47th appearance for his country in his 40th year – just managed to get fingertips on the rising effort.

Earnshaw forced Petkov into a sharp save which allowed Igor Tomasic to clear off the line.

But Berbatov was showing Gabbidon and Collins that he will be a genuine threat in the Premiership this season. One header flew inches over and he then set up Petrov for a curler just over the angle.

But Wales put together the best move of the first half when a clipped pass from Giggs was nodded into Robinson’s path by Davies, and the Norwich man should have done better from 10 yards.

Bulgaria changed their goalkeeper at the break, sending on Dimitar Ivankov for Petkov, and his first action was to race to the edge of his box to block Earnshaw when he was sent clear by Davies.

But it was still Berbatov who featured at the centre of the show. He saw a shot blocked by Jones and a header bounce inches wide.

Wales took off Giggs after 51 minutes, Lewin Nyatanga taking over, while Joe Ledley replaced Carl Fletcher.

Ledley instantly struck a 20-yard shot fractionally wide.

Berbatov was again denied by a block on the line by Collins, before Richard Duffy came on for Delaney, who had taken the armband from Giggs and now handed it on to Bellamy.

Berbatov’s next missed chance came when he jinked past three men and left Collins behind before firing wide from 18 yards.

Bulgaria had already introduced Portsmouth’s Svetoslav Todorov to give them a new attacking threat.

David Vaughan took over from Ricketts, with Wales under intense pressure and with three centre-backs trying to cope with Berbatov.

Toshack rested two more Premiership stars in Bellamy and Gabbidon, sending on Paul Parry and Rob Edwards, before Davies tested Ivankov from 25 yards, Wales’ ‘second string’ now trying to force a win.

Vaughan sent an unopposed header just wide.

Amid all the substitutions, Wales had five captains on the night as the armband went the rounds of Giggs, Delaney, Bellamy, Gabbidon and finally Paul Jones.