Link with image and text centered vertically

[DanielB]

Hi, I'm trying to create a link with an image and a text. I want the text vertically aligned with the image (if you don't make it explicity, the text appears aligned to the bottom of the image). I get it only this way:

.myButton {
color: black;
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 11px;
text-decoration: none;
white-space: nowrap;
}

.myButton #buttonLabel {
position: absolute;
padding-top: 6px;
padding-bottom: 6px;
padding-left: 4px;
}

<a href="x" class=myButton>
<img src="image.gif"/>
<span id="buttonLabel">LabelText</span>
</a>

But, as the inner span has position absolute, it is out of the normal flow of elements, and when I want to have a number of these links in the same row, only the images take it place one after another, but the texts overlap one over another.

Is there any other way to do this, avoiding this problem?

Thanks