Soccer: Fallon to play for All Whites

Rory Fallon is set to turn his back on England and play for the All Whites against Australia in June after being included in the squad by new coach Ricki Herbert.

After opting to play for England at under-17 level, Fallon, 23, has now decided to turn out at senior level for New Zealand following a change in Fifa regulations that allows a player who has played at junior level for one country to later play for another.

"It is still subject to a lot of paperwork and Fifa approval," said Herbert when he announced the 30-man squad yesterday. "I have spoken to Rory and he has made it clear his allegiance now lies with New Zealand and he is focused on gaining selection for the All Whites.

"Players of Rory's experience and ability are all too rare for us, especially in attacking positions.

"Provided we can clear the red tape, I will include him in the squad to play Australia."

That one-off match against the Socceroos at Fulham's Craven Cottage ground on June 9 promises to be a baptism of fire for Herbert and his assistants Brian Turner and Stu Jacobs.

The Australians are using the game as their warm-up for the Confederations Cup in Germany and are expected to field a formidable full-strength side.

For Herbert it is a huge challenge. He was Mick Waitt's assistant in Adelaide at the time of last year's Oceania Nations Cup debacle.

In the biggest surprise, there is no place for long-serving US-based midfielder Simon Elliott who played more than 50 games for the All Whites following his 1994 debut.

Herbert said the decision to drop Elliott had given him and his assistant coaches the opportunity to look at other options.

"We want to look at other players in midfield," said Herbert. "Players like David Mulligan, Tim Brown, Michael Wilson and Raf de Gregorio figure in our long term planning and this is a chance to have a look at them."

Although securing a good result in London is important for the new coach, Herbert's main concern is to assemble a squad to go through to the 2010 World Cup.

"The average age of this squad is around 23-24 years," said Herbert. "Four years down the track it will be closer to 27-28, which should have us well-prepared."

US-based defender Duncan Oughton was named in the squad but advised New Zealand Soccer yesterday he is to undergo a knee operation and will be sidelined for seven months.

Encouragingly, 14 players who played in the inaugural New Zealand Football Championship have been included.

The bolters are Cole Tinkler, 18, and Colin Gardyne, 20, who played for Waikato and are now playing in the Northern premier League for Waitakere City and Tauranga City respectively.

Mark Paston, one of three goalkeepers named, is likely to return from England where he has been playing for Walsall to train and prove his fitness. If cleared to play, Paston and recent New Zealand Knights signing Glen Moss are set to travel with Simon Eaddy on standby.

Herbert's determination to open a new chapter in a sometimes sorry New Zealand soccer saga is reflected in the inclusion of a number of players from the 1999 World under-17 championships side.

Tony Lochhead, David Mulligan, Jeremy Christie, James Pritchett, Brent Fisher, Neil Jones and Allan Pearce have been given a further opportunity to further their international careers and are obviously - with Moss, Tinkler, Steven Old, Gardyne, Andrew Boyens, Fallon and Chris Killen - keen to cement their claims to be part of the next World Cup campaign.

Pritchett and his Auckland City team-mate Paul Urlovic are likely to be left out of the final squad, allowing them to play for City in the Oceania Club Championships in Tahiti.

ALL WHITES SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Mark Paston, age 28 (Walsall), Glen Moss, 22 (NZ Knights), Simon Eaddy, 33 (North Shore).

Defenders: Andrew Boyens, 21 (University of New Mexico), Cole Tinkler, 18 (Waitakere City), Gerard Davis, 27 (Western Suburbs), Che Bunce, 29 (Cambridge), Danny Hay, 29 (NZ Knights), Steven Old, 19 (St Johns University), Ryan Nelsen, 27 (Blackburn Rovers, captain), Tony Lochhead, 23 (University of Santa Barbara), Craig Wylie, 21 (Waitakere City).

Midfielders: David Mulligan, 23 (Doncaster Rovers), Jeremy Christie, 21 (Onehunga Sports), Ivan Vicelich, 28 (Roda JC), Tim Brown, 24 (Richmond Kickers), Raf de Gregorio, 27 (HJK Helsinki), Michael Wilson, 24 (Minnesota Thunder).

Strikers: James Pritchett, 22 (Bay Olympic), Leo Bertos, 23 (Rochdale), Noah Hickey, 26 (NZ Knights), Colin Gardyne, 20 (Tauranga City), Vaughan Coveny, 34 (South Melbourne), Brent Fisher, 21 (FC Energie Cottbus), Chris Killen, 23 (Oldham Athletic), Neil Jones, 23 (East Coast Bays), Paul Urlovic, 26 (Central United), Shane Smeltz, 23 (AFC Wimbledon), Allan Pearce, 22 (Waitakere City), Rory Fallon, 23 (Swindon Town).