Fallon back in All Whites as a coach

New coach Danny Hay has called on an All Whites hero to join his staff, starting with next month’s friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Lithuania.

It is understood Rory Fallon, the scorer of the goal that sent the team to the 2010 World Cup, will be involved as an assistant coach.

Fallon was last involved with the All Whites when Anthony Hudson handed him a shock callup for the World Cup qualifying playoff against Peru in November 2019.

At the time Hudson stressed that Fallon added a lot to the team environment off the field, having been a key member of the 2010 World Cup campaign, even though he was nearing the end of his playing days.

It is believed Hay views him as someone who has an excellent grasp of what it means to be an All White and who can drive the formation of a strong team culture.

Fallon’s father, Kevin Fallon, has been both a head coach and an assistant with the All Whites, most famously during the 1982 World Cup campaign.

Rory became an All Whites hero when his headed goal helped them in a 1-0 win over Bahrain in the qualifying playoff for the 2010 World Cup. He went on to make 24 appearances and score six goals in total.

Former All Whites captain Jason Batty is also expected to be involved as the team’s goalkeeping coach, having previously worked with Hay when he took charge of the national under-17 team from 2015 to 2017.

The All Whites are set to end a 525-day break between games next month, when they face the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on November 15 (NZT) and Lithuania in Vilnius three days later.