Socceroo skipper in doubt

SOCCEROOS captain Mile Jedinak has been given until the 11th hour to prove his fitness for the World Cup playoffs against Honduras next month.

Jedinak, who has played just 45 minutes for Aston Villa since his last Socceroos appearance in early June, was named in an extended 30-man squad yesterday.

Sunday night’s local derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City could be decisive, with Ange Postecoglou set to trim the list to 23 days later.

Villa manager Steve Bruce will make a call on Jedinak in the next 48 hours, with the midfielder back in full training after his troublesome groin played up again despite postseason surgery.

Any minutes would almost certainly book Jedinak’s spot on the plane to Honduras, with fellow anchor midfielder Mark Milligan suspended for the first leg.

It is unclear whether Postecoglou would punt on Jedinak if he didn’t make the team sheet on Sunday. Thereafter, Villa has just two games scheduled before the November 10 and 15 Honduras playoffs, on November 2 and 5 against Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday respectively.

Young Groningen attacker Ajdin Hrustic was rewarded for recent Dutch top-flight starts with a recall, while injured Brad Smith is replaced by Norway-based Alex Gersbach.

“There are two weeks before the group gets together so we’ll be monitoring the health and fitness of every player to make sure that the final 23 are available for a challenging couple of games,” Postecoglou said yesterday.