Soccer: Clapham bolts into All Whites reckoning

Canterbury United midfielder Aaron Clapham has been rewarded for his good form in the New Zealand football championship (NZFC) by being called up for a 12-day camp for New Zealand- and Australia-based All Whites candidates.

The camp in Auckland from April 28 to May 10 features a New Zealand selection taking on an NZFC All Stars 11 on May 9.

Former under-20 international Clapham, 23, is the only uncapped player included in the 15-man squad, drawn from A-League and NZFC clubs.

His role in helping last year's wooden spooners reach the NZFC final in April 24th against Waitakere caught the eye of All Whites coach Ricki Herbert.

"Aaron's a player we've been monitoring and I invited him in for a couple of weeks recently with the Phoenix," Herbert said.

"Assistant coach Brian Turner saw Aaron play again on the weekend and he's been able to make a difference as far as Canterbury making the finals is concerned.

"In the big games against Auckland and Waitakere this season he's stepped up and performed.

"Now is a good chance to bring him in with players like (Tim) Brown and (Leo) Bertos and see what his work is like at that level."

Clapham is one of four players in the training group not selected for the All Whites squad that beat Bahrain over two legs to qualify for June's World Cup in South Africa or for the friendly against Mexico last month.

Newcastle Jets midfielder Jeremy Brockie, who featured in last year's Confederations Cup has been included after recovering from a broken leg while Wellington midfielder Cole Peverley, 21, and Brisbane Roar striker Costa Barbarouses, 21, get their chance to press their claims since winning their only cap in an under-strength New Zealand team sent to Fiji for a dead rubber World Cup qualifier in 2008.

A number of NZFC players used by Herbert in the national team since he took over in 2005 have not been named in the training camp but Herbert says the door is not closed on them,.

"What we've decided to do is work with players we haven't worked with recently like Aaron and Cole but there are others that we have seen in New Zealand colours on one or more occasions in the past few years and we know what they can do."

Those players are likely to get their last chance to stake their claim when the NZFC All Stars 11 square off against the New Zealand Selection at North Harbour Stadium.

"The NZFC All Stars match will likely feature a good cross section of those players and so it'll give us another chance to see them as well," Herbert said.

Players selected for a New Zealand camp for Australasian-based players are: Goalkeepers - James Bannatyne, Glen Moss, Mark Paston; Defenders - Tony Lochhead, Dave Mulligan, Ben Sigmund, Ivan Vicelich,; Midfielders - Andy Barron, Leo Bertos, Jeremy Brockie, Tim Brown, Aaron Clapham, Cole Peverley; Forwards - Costa Barbarouses, Shane Smeltz.

After the New Zealand Selection-NZFC All Star match, the full World Cup squad assembles in Auckland on May 19 and departs three days later for a World Cup warm-up match against Australia at the MCG on May 24.

Waitakere United's Neil Emblen and Auckland City's Paul Posa will jointly select and coach the All Star team drawn from the New Zealand's eight national league franchises.

- NZPA