Soccer: Clapham bolts into All Whites reckoning

Aaron Clapham has been picked for a 12-day All Whites camp. Photo / Richard Robinson

Aaron Clapham's sparkling end of season form with Canterbury United could take him all the way to the World Cup and further delay his return to play in the Victorian State League

In a deserved reward for his work in the United midfield, Clapham, 23, has been named in a 15-strong All Whites squad for a 12-day camp in Auckland from April 28 culmination in a game between a shadow All Whites team - selected solely from New Zealand and Australian-based players - and a full strength New Zealand Football Champion All Stars X1 at North Harbour Stadium on May 9.

The All Stars team will be selected with three objectives - to showcase the league by including offshore players like Seule Soromon, Roy Krishna and Benjamin Totori, to give fringe players a last shot at the All Whites and to promote young New Zealand players.

Clapham, who played for New Zealand in the losses to Mexico (2-1 and Gambia (1-0) at the Under-20 World Cup in Canada in 2007, is the only uncapped player in the squad named by All Whites coach Ricki Herbert yesterday.

His role in helping last year's wooden spooners reach the NZFC final in April against Waitakere caught the eye of 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."

In his appearances for Canterbury against Auckland City at Kiwitea St this season, Clapham showed out playing key roles in the regular season 1-1 draw and, last Sunday, in the 3-0 win which catapulted the southerners into the May 2 NZFC final against Waitakere United.

"His club in Melbourne will be spewing," said Canterbury coach Keith Braithwaite after Sunday's win. "They have been on to us to release him but Aaron has made it clear he is going nowhere until our season is over."

It might be he is now around a lot longer than that.

Clapham will be joined by three other players who were not involved in November's World Cup qualifier against Bahrain. Jeremy Brockie, now with the Newcastle Jets, has been included along with Team Wellington's Cole Peverley and former Phoenix striker Costa Barbarouses (now with the Roar).

ALL WHITES CAMP
* 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.