For the 26-year-old former Swansea City speedster it would cap a special week for the winger who welcomed his second child into the World with partner Ria.
Coming off the substitutes bench to win his 50th cap, James would steamroll dithering Finnish defender Miro Tenho late on to rob the ball and round goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky to add gloss to the scoreline, on what was a more than satisfactory night for his country.
Wales now move on to Tuesday night’s showpiece winner takes all play-off final against Poland with the victors progressing through to the European Championship finals held in Germany in June.
For a delighted James, it was a perfect end to a very special week.
“It was my newborn’s first game here and I’m delighted to have my 50th cap,” said James who would acknowledge his new arrival with a thumb-sucking goal celebration in front of a capacity Cardiff City Stadium crowd.
“It’s an honour for me and my family so hopefully there’s many more.
“To score four here shows we’ve got goals all over the pitch.
“Everyone’s come into camp whether playing or not fit and ready. We really gelled as a team and we’ve got to take that into Tuesday.”
Poland have beaten Wales in their last six meetings, including a 2022 Nations League double-header when they won 2-1 in Wroclaw and 1-0 in Cardiff.
“We’ve played them before and they’re a very good team,” continued James.
“It’s going to be a tough game. We’ve got a couple days now to settle from this one and then we’ll be straight on it.
“To win 4-1 here is great, but the manager said after the game that it’s only half-time.
“We’ve got a massive game on Tuesday now and we’re looking forward to it.”
[Lead image: Football Association of Wales]
